Combining user comfort and energy performance, our active facades are giving a whole new look to buildings. Here is an explanation of the Group’s unique construction process with Jean-Philippe Andrieu, Equipment Development Director, and Gérard Gensane, Deputy Managing Director of GA Rénovation.
What are active facades?
Gérard Gensane: The facade plays a three-fold role in a building: the architectural identity, thermal and acoustic comfort and for providing natural light. The purpose of the GA Group’s innovative range is to give back the performance of a labelled new building to the facade and to provide efficient technology for dealing with the building’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning.
Jean-Philippe Andrieu: In both renovation and new builds, our smart facades are called “active” because they contribute to the comfort of users and to the building’s energy performance.
How does it work?
J-P.A.: Our facades favour natural light, so as to limit the use of artificial lighting. Lighting is controlled by automatic blinds integrated into the triple-glazing. At the same time, air-conditioning modules control the heating and ventilation requirements from the exterior.
G.G.: In renovation, for buildings with a small underfloor space,the active envelope developed by GA called NewSkin is the solution for giving height back to office spaces. The air-conditioning modules integrated in the facade free up the suspended ceiling space from all the fluid networks.
By choosing NewSkin, the developer ensures that the building is modern, there is increased height to the suspended ceiling and the occupants' comfort is optimised along with the energy consumption of the building complex.
And how does the user fit in with all that?
J-P.A.: The user benefits from optimised thermal comfort and lots of wonderful light. They can take control of the system at any time to raise, lower or incline the blades of the blinds or to change the ambient temperature.
G.G.: The office equipment is all interconnected. From their app on their smartphone, the user can configure their workspace as well as monitor and manage their energy consumption in real time.
What are the next developments?
G.G.: So as to respond to the numerous scenarios encountered in renovation, we have designed a new air-conditioning module connected to a centralised system. You will have to wait until summer 2017 to find out more about it!
Our target: to make NewSkin the essential product for building renovations!
A article published by WordAppeal
Header: 115 Arche in Courbevoie, a renovation project with the NewSkin facade designed in cooperation with Arte Charpentier Architects and Theop
