Green ecological wall by KPF
KPF Presents Ideas for a “Zero Carbon Future” at AIA International Exhibition in Guangzhou
As part of the Door, Window, and Curtain Wall Expo, KPF showcased an interior green wall designed for a project in downtown Vancouver.
The Door, Window, and Curtain Wall Expo was part of the Alpha Architecture Conference, held at the Guangzhou Nanfeng International Convention and Exhibition Center. Utilizing new building technology in order to reach a zero-carbon future, KPF joined AIA International and other attendees for the exhibition. KPF’s contribution focused on a terra cotta green wall that utilizes sustainable materials to form a functional art installation. This topic was also the focus of the 2020 Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop. The exhibit was enhanced by a presentation from KPF Associate Principal Shane Dai titled “Locating Green in the Wall.”
The term “green” refers both to the fresh plants planted on the walls and to the eco-friendly building materials used. Terracotta materials combined with glass glazes made from recycled glass create an attractive low-carbon design. These materials are composed of renewable resources and further measures are taken to reduce the embodied carbon of the components.
Not only is terracotta a low-carbon material, it also features versatility: it can be made into complex shapes and glazed for an unlimited number of colors and finishes. The lobby ceiling needs to host a long list of utilitarian elements such as light fixtures, sprinklers, signage, speakers, air vents, wifi boxes, fire alarm speaker strobes, cameras, sensors, etc. To achieve a seamless appearance, we designed a set of holes in the terracotta panels to accommodate various ceiling elements.
Andy Brayman experimented with recycled industrial glass to create a sustainable, yet stable glass material for production. The KPF glass developed is fully meltable by using 100% Type 1 recycled borosilicate glass instead of traditional commercial fritted glass which uses only pure minerals from the mining industry. Recyclable borosilicate glass is a post-industrial product that can be sourced domestically, which helps avoid landfill. In this way, Andy was able to reduce the embodied carbon by 50%, estimated to be 0.67kg CO2e/kg.
Read more about this project on KPF website.