The project for the extension of the Center William Rappard, headquarters of the WTO, is organized as a large green platform on which a unitary symbolic element arises, which respects the richness of the landscape of Barton Park. The spatial organization tries to give shape to the new building-extension, endowing it with a powerful representative condition which, acting as a transitional room between the original building and the park, allows the whole to breathe and preserves the characteristics of its environment.
Technology at the service of ecology
The extension of the WTO headquarters in Geneva was designed according to environmental criteria that apply construction technology and sustainable development to achieve optimal energy performance and reasonable construction and operating costs.
In this way, we can reduce the energy demand of the building thanks to volumetric optimization, the application of passive facade systems, the incorporation of the Geneva-Lac-Nations system, the exploitation of the external climatic conditions through the double action of the patio (greenhouse effect and chimney effect), the possibility of natural ventilation and the use of construction materials which ensure coefficients of transmission and thermal insulation in accordance with the requirements of the Minergie standard.
The flexibility of the interior space, adaptable to the different desired uses, also allows to optimize energy demand and promotes homogeneous air conditioning, thanks to the radiant floor - at the perimeter of each floor - and the use of 'inductors on the ceiling.
The outer skin has been designed to obtain the greatest volume compared to the facade surface. The external, self-supporting louvre made up of horizontal elements in microperforated aluminum and vertical elements in satin aluminum in bluish colors, acts as a sunshade, ensuring solar exposure in winter and protecting the interior from solar radiation in summer. Illumination of the building will be designed to take maximum advantage of natural light.
The recycling of rainwater and water from the GLN system return network for garden irrigation, and the treatment of waste generated by the own building, as well as the use of clean materials, will promote ecological commitment of the project.
World Trade Organization Extension
Office Building
Competition 2009, Second Prize
Client: World Trade Organization
Surface: 18.300 m2
Location: Geneva-Switzerland
Project leaders
Pablo Oriol, Fernando Rodríguez
Collaborators
Pastora Cotero, Cornelius Schmitz
Consultants
Teo Lopez, Carlos Alvarez, Javier Mota, 3i INGENIERIA
Model
Gilberto Ruiz Lopes, FRPO