Rendering: The New AIA
8 05 2012Check out these great looking renderings from STUDIOS architects of the major restoration effort for the historic AIA headquarters building. Even from looking at the renderings you can tell there is a major green element to the design, and given AIA’s leadership position, they are definitely leading by example!
At the completion of construction, the renovation will reduce the building’s carbon-based energy consumption by at least 60%. This aggressive energy reduction requires the use of passive strategies such as natural ventilation and day-lighting. Both will be accomplished through three vertical light and air shafts through the building.
The energy reduction will also require the manipulation of the building envelope to make it more efficient, including operable, heat reflective glass and solar. Rainwater will be collected from the roof and used to flush toilets and for landscape irrigation. Best part is that all this is being accomplished while maintaining the character of the original design!
[Renderings: STUDIOS]
If they’ll be re-useing the rain water to flush the toilets into the landscaping, are they sure it won’t smell? As for getting rid of the ribon windows for operable ones, won’t that change the character of the building? I wish they’d kept the original building torn down to build this monstrocity, the Lemon Building. Operable windows, maintenance free solid brick walls that retain heat into the night and keep the inside cool in the heat of the summer. Best of all, built with all natural materials. But when they tore it down, all old buildings where bad. At least we’ve rounded that corner.
The Lemon Building was beautiful, how ironic that it was destroyed for AIA headquarters!
Yes, I’ve always found it amusing that the AIA building is one of the least imaginative buildings in Washington. There is nothing wrong with modernity if it also shows creativity.
It is true that if they were serious about conserving resources, they would have maintained/renovated the historic building on the site. When considering the cost to the environment, preservation of historic structures almost always beats out fabricating new energy-efficient structures.
Re: The Lemon Building.
The Lemon Building was only purchased, and sacrificed so-to-speak, to preserve the open space around the Octagon as the original design presented to CFA encroached too closely to the historic structure. Can’t call them “anti-historic” for that. If it wasn’t for them, the Octagon wouldn’t still be standing. Early 20th Century Washingtonian’s would have knocked it down to build another “Lemon Building”.
Plus we are talking about the late-60s. No one knew that preserving buildings was good for the environment, or that you even *needed* to be good to the environment. Basic laws and agencies that we take for granted now like the Clean Air Act and EPA didn’t even exist until the Nixon administration in the 70s.