Form as Energy

All too often, high-performance building envelopes are considered in terms of new materials and technologies that push specific systems to improve energy savings, without questioning the underlying geometry of the building, as if it is an a prior condition without recourse to examination. Material advances that offer occupant benefits while decreasing energy consumption are of a positive development but typically embed additional energy demands throughout their manufacturing processes. Triple silver coated glass provides enhanced performance over double coated silver glass but there is an obvious price to pay for this increased performance both in terms of energy consumption and the environment. It was Buckminster Fuller that said, ‘Do More with Less’ (Lopez-Perez, Daniel; Allen, Stan; R. Buckminster Fuller World Man; Princeton Architectural Press, 2014). This statement in its broadest sense extends to the constituent principles underlying a buildings form which directly translates to energy consumption.

The geometry of a buildings’ form has a critical impact on energy consumption, both in terms of embedded and operational energy. The reduction in the surface area of a building envelope inherently reduces the embedded energy of the project. It also serves to reduce operational energy required for human comfort by minimizing the building skin contact area between inclement exterior conditions and regulated interior conditions. Unfortunately, contemporary manufacturing techniques are at odds with environmentally sensitive forms, specifically forms that aim to reduce energy usage. Today’s manufacturing techniques are characterized by straight runs of steel or flat panes of glass; they are based on straight linear procedures that result in a built environment of orthogonal geometries, least favorable to environmental conditions. For a building envelope to strike a resonating chord with the environment and reduce energy consumption, a reassessment of its constituent underlying geometries in light of manufacturing techniques is required.

A case study of the Nuevo Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de Mexico, (NAICM), or Mexico City New International Airport, a joint venture between Foster Partners and FR-EE, will be offered as a vehicle to explore this issue in greater detail. This project is a seminal example of rethinking the manifold criteria that goes into the determination of an energy efficient form and its enclosing skin. The project presents a tabula rasa of sorts reexamining the underlying principles that constitute the building form and enclosing structure.