Developments

BUMPS, Beijing, China

Residential buildings in China are traditionally oriented south and north. But with the huge increase in building density in Beijing, this method can mean that rooms facing to the north suffer reduced sunshine.

One way to optimise the amount of sunshine to residential apartments is to rotate buildings to a 45-degree angle – such as the 100,000 sq m BUMPS housing development, designed by Sako Architects.

To be completed in 2012, the four buildings will be 80m high, with every two floors set as a unit. Each unit is then staggered by 2m horizontally, with the set-back areas used as terraces.

Power tower
The head office of the Federation of Korean Industries in Seoul will accommodate the representatives of more than 500 Korean companies and rank among the tallest buildings in the country when completed in 2013.

Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the façade of the 240m-high tower has been specifically conceived to help reduce the internal heating and cooling loads of the tower.

Integrated photovoltaic spandrel panels on the south-west and north-west façades, all angled 30 degrees upwards into the sun, should generate enough power to maintain electrical systems throughout the tower.

Female hub a first
A new hub dedicated to women’s economic development is to be built in Liverpool city centre. Expected to help around 3,000 women set up businesses and create 4,500 new jobs over the next 10 years, the £5m Women’s International Centre for Economic Development (WICED) is the first of its kind in the UK.

Designed by Nightingale Associates, completion of the 2,000 sq m centre will be in late-2010. Maggie O’Carroll, WICED executive director, said: “There will be a range of enterprise support, including space for up 
to 80 business units to help women start and grow their businesses.”