User comfort
Whether a building is sustainable and comfortable depends on many different factors. ABT will look at the full spectrum. Sustainability issues such as energy use, materials, circularity, catering and mobility are critical in our designs. But the most important aspect is user comfort. A building must be seamless to its function. This may be very generic like a flexible office building and very specific like a theatre or museum. It is truly durable when it is used frequently and with great pleasure.
Specific buildings
For specific buildings, the function remains the same over many years. There are few changes. This makes a different approach to material use and its circularity. The materials chosen have a long lifespan and will be completely used up. The spaces and associated facilities are tailored to the users and fully optimized.
Museum of Contemporary Art
The new Museum of Contemporary Art in Amsterdam will be designed to last 150 years. All choices are made integrally across the entire life span. We carefully considered the construction for each building section and we mapped the embodied energy, energy use and operation.
Generic buildings
For generic buildings, we take a very different approach. We know that the use of office properties changes at least every 10 years, so there is no sense in creating a fixed minimum installation concept. By adopting modular, generic solutions, we enable flexible (re)use and realize increased comfort.
Amsterdam District Court
In the new Amsterdam District Court, air is distributed through large air ducts that form a ring. The ring can be connected to throughout the building. The ring is the same size all around. So the capacity is adequate everywhere. When something changes in the building, the air system is not disrupted and the entire building remains comfortable. The system has a simple but very effective, user-friendly control. The same principle was applied in the new Science Campus Leiden building.
Usable, sustainable and comfortable buildings require careful thinking about use and smart engineering. Now and in the future.
Want to know more about user comfort in an existing or new building? Contact one of our specialists.
