Coral House is a mixed-use building in Geneva, Switzerland, designed by Group8. It has 58 residential units and 2 floors of commercial units. It provides eye-catching views as it is completed with colorful motorized fabric blinds for its windows. It also has green construction and also adopts green design principles.
The
sustainable building is located in the Chandieu area. It has 6 floors, including a double attic (duplex apartments) and a single basement level. The commercial spaces are located in the ground and first floor, spread over 5 storeys. 58 residential units consists of 4-6 room flats.
The green building construction is fulled with glass windows. They are well insulated and completed with giant colorful sunshade that can protect the building from over sunheating. The exterior and the roof are also considered in the materials and also well insulated to achieve the Minergie energy label requuirement. The windows are designed as breathable windows, consist of coated aluminum frames with thermal breaks, last generation double glazing, with an additional third glass placed on the exterior, providing a ventilated space with a motorized window shade.
To achieve sustainability, the building also adopts several green house design concepts, especially for the energy. To minimalize energy cost, heating and cooling system are taken from geothermal system. The air circulation is also controlled. The energy loss is recovered using heat exchanger system. The use of a high energy standard allowed use to obtain 10 % additional net surface, compared to what was requested by the neighborhood plan. The construction is also has good streght, and meets the stringent seismic codes on level E code.
It is a great building design, that can create a mixture of
green design and dynamic design, regarding to the colorful sunshade. It is a little bit providing feminine, but it is sturdy and sustainable.
