Swiss Embassy in Washington DC

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This scheme placed first in the competition of ten Swiss-American team’s designs for the replacement of the Washington D.C. residence of the Swiss Ambassador. It is not only to be a private house but also a cultural gathering place on which standards and self-image of a country are measured. Sited on a hill with a direct view through the trees to the Washington monument in the distance, a diagonal line of overlapping spaces drawn through a cruciform courtyard plan was the conceptual starting point. Official arrival spaces and ceremony spaces are connected along this diagonal line on the first level, while private living quarter functions are on the floor above. Materials are charcoal integral color concrete trimmed in local slate and sand-blasted structural glass planks. Constructed according to Swiss ‘Minergie Standard’, the south facades use passive solar energy. The roof is a ‘sedum’ green roof with PVC panels. The existing natural landscape will be clarified with new walkways and trees, while the plateau of the residence defines an arrival square: a reception courtyard and an herb garden with sub-floor wiring flexibilities.


sustainable design intent Because the residence was a project of the Swiss government, it was required to follow Minergie, a quality label for new and refurbished buildings developed by the Berne-based nonprofit organization of the same name. The standard focuses mainly on energy efficiency and occupant comfort and reportedly results in energy consumption by buildings at a rate 60 percent lower than buildings built to traditional Swiss construction standards. Minergie allows architects freedom in design and materials and has caused the creation of products and services in the marketplace that support the standard. The Swiss Residence’s green-building techniques focus on siting, the building envelope and mechanical equipment. By focusing on siting the building, the design team took advantage of passive solar to improve the structure’s energy efficiency. With the south exposure, lots of light enters the suite areas and the public rooms through the large areas of clear glass and partially exposed concrete ceilings. The ceilings store the thermal energy and release it over night. A skylight in the entrance area provides enough natural daylight to reduce consumption of electricity. When electric light is needed, the residence is equipped with fluorescent bulbs. In addition to providing lighting, the residence’s argon-filled insulating glass units feature a high insulation value. To reduce heat gain, external sunshades are linked to sensors on the structure’s roof. The poured-form concrete walls of the residence provided a challenge to the subcontractors by requiring several mock ups to ensure they were installed correctly. Now the walls afford high efficiency with an R-value of 25.7. Also important to the Minergie standard was the HVAC equipment with energy recovery specified for the residence. The team’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer provided building-performance calculations and simulations to the Swiss government for Minergie consideration. A long-term commissioning process was done on the mechanical equipment that included specialists hired by the client and an independent review from Minergie. By specifying a 9,000-square-foot (836-m²) vegetated roof, the team was able to meet the code and provide another sustainable asset to the structure. The roof provides noise reduction within the residence and an R-30 insulation value. The roof features sedum with 4 inches (102 mm) of growth material installed over 6 inches (152 mm) of rigid insulation. The chosen plants maintain the greenness of the roof all year; in summer, the roof contains a number of flowers.

Project credits

Architects
Profiled glass LINIT EcoGlass
Channel glass

Product spec sheet

Profiled glass LINIT EcoGlass
Channel glass

Bendheim Channel Glass Creates the Facade of the Swiss Embassy Residence

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The dramatic Swiss Embassy residence, with views of the Washington Monument and the National Mall, makes a prestigious addition to the list of Washington, DC foreign embassy buildings. Bendheim’s channel glass, contrasting with slate-trimmed grey concrete, produces a crisp, clean effect in this cross-shaped design from the U.S./Swiss architectural team of Steven Holl and Justin Rüssli. The complex features 10,000 square feet of tempered, low-iron, sandblasted, Solar textured channel glass, installed in our rainscreen frame system by Tidewater Glazing.


Conforming to the strict Swiss MINERGIE® code, the new residence includes reception rooms for cultural events, as well as living quarters. The Swiss Embassy residence will operate at high levels of efficiency, consuming half as much energy as a typical building structure. The project also conforms to the LEED Silver green building standard.

Brand description

Bendheim is one of the world’s foremost resources for specialty architectural glass. Founded in New York City in 1927, the third-generation, family-owned company offers a virtually unlimited range of in-stock and custom glass varieties for interior and exterior building applications. Bendheim maintains production facilities in New Jersey and a Design Lab in New York City. Bendheim offers a virtually unlimited range of in-stock and custom architectural glass varieties for interior and exterior applications, including: Lamberts® channel glass, etched glass, back-painted glass, patterned glass, art & colored glass, Restoration Glass®, tempered & laminated decorative architectural glass.

Products applied in Commercial , Educational , Industrial , +3

Swiss Embassy Residence

Swiss Embassy Residence
Andy Ryan
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Architect: Steven Holl Architects, USA - New York
Product: LINIT®EcoGlass P 26/60/7, low iron, solar, TSH (toughened, sandblasted, heat-soak-test)
Awards:
-RIBA International Award (2007)
-AIA NY Architecture Honor Award (2007)
-Washington Building Congress Craftsmanship Award: Curtainwall (2007)
Photos: Andy Ryan

photo_credit Andy Ryan
Andy Ryan
photo_credit Andy Ryan
Andy Ryan
photo_credit Andy Ryan
Andy Ryan

 

Brand description

LAMBERTS glass factory is one of the two largest cast glass factories in Europe and has one of the most modern plant and machine parks anywhere. LAMBERTS is the only glass factory in Europe to manufacture U profile glass in all stages of production. U-profiled glass, also called U-glass or channel glass, is used for elaborate, design-driven architectural projects all over the world due to its quality, refinement possibilities, clear forms and technical variety. Furthermore, we are the only cast glass company in the world to manufacture all types of existing cast glass: LINIT®EcoGlass (U-Glass), a special and "U"-shaped rolled glass, ornament glass (also available as a special patterned glass for facades), antimony-free solar glass LAMBERTS EcoSolar (optimized cast glass generating solar power), wired glass and wired ornament glass. LAMBERTS Eco-Ornament Glasses are frequently used in facades as an alternative to neutral float glass or in combination with float glass due to their impressive play of light.

Products applied in Commercial , Cultural , Educational , +6
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