Energy use by buildings accounts for almost 80 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. These gases are released in creating the energy used to heat, cool and light the buildings, as well as to run myriad household appliances and gadgets (New York Times). While the greening of new construction is well underway, the ability to make the existing built environment more sustainable remains a challenge. In New York City, the adaptation of green strategies for old structures will be imperative for reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. Simple strategies could be translated and used in urban areas worldwide. While the attention to specific cultural and climatic contexts is necessary for long term success, the principles of a good solution can be universal. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, only 7% of LEED certified buildings are existing buildings. There is a great discrepancy between the intentions of “Green Building” and reality of the built environment. Unlike traditional shading, our system allows for diverse applications that enable the building to react to different weather conditions and solar impacts optimizing heat and light transmission. Accordingly the lowering of the heat-load and glare reduce operating costs and environmental impacts of existing buildings.

Client: Buckminster Fuller Challenge
Year: 2008
Location: New York, USA
Status: Competition, Proposal
Design Team: Markus Jacobi with Markus Dochantschi
StudioMDA