Friday 1 May 2020

Zaha Hadid Architects to design ‘Shanghai’s greenest building’

Zaha Hadid Architects has won the international design competition for the design and development of the new Shanghai headquarters of the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP).

The winning entry has proposed a mixed-use ensemble of three office towers, retail and hospitality spaces and an urban park.

Given the client's mission, the complex boasts a variety of green-building features and aims for 'the highest sustainability score anywhere in Shanghai' - each building's structure is designed to provide reductions in both heating and cooling consumption.

In addition to high-efficiency heating and ventilation with waste heat recovery, the new headquarters will also use thermal ice storage for cooling.

Ice generated by chillers at night using off-peak electricity will be stored in thermal tanks and then used for cooling during the day to significantly reduce peak daytime electrical consumption when the cooling load is highest.

Photovoltaics (PV) on the roof and within the facades will also be connected to battery storage and a micro-grid to provide on-site energy production that will reduce energy consumption by 25%.

The team behind the project also suggest the extensive use of locally-produced, prefabricated materials will reduce the building's embodied carbon footprint and note the construction of the building will prioritise the use of recycled materials.