CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research.

Its business is fundamental physics, finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works. At CERN, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter — the fundamental particles.

The Globe of Science and Innovation

Designed by Geneva architects T. Büchi and H. Dessimoz, the Globe is as much a homage to the Earth as demonstration of human ingenuity and is undeniably becoming the landmark for CERN. The role of this new spherical building is to serve as a source of pride for the scientific community by sharing the important work done at CERN. Housing a permanent exhibition and intended as a venue for a wide range of activities, conferences and other one-off events, the Globe of Science and Innovation is well on the way to becoming a major symbol of cutting-edge scientific research in the Geneva region.

SmartGlass International has been working with the design team at the Globe to create an exciting feature using SPD SmartGlass.

Project case study and photographs coming soon…

Bathrooms are playing an ever more crucial role in the customer experience. Interior designers are responding in several ways, in particular by opening up closed and cluttered bathrooms through increasing the levels of light and space.

Matteo Thun, designer and world renowned architect shares this belief, “Bathrooms in hotels are not getting bigger, they remain small spaces. If you want to integrate them into the living or sleeping area, you simply have to take down the walls”

Light & Space

The drive to create additional space within existing boundaries has been working in harmony with the opening up of buildings to provide more light. There are several methods being employed to achieve this, none more popular than the increasing trend to remove walls. Wall partitioning within guest rooms diminishes both light and space but has been seen as necessary for bathroom privacy.

Switchable LC SmartGlass is the ideal solution for creating a bright open space as it not only lets more light into the bathroom but also gives the impression of increased space throughout the entire room. Thun states, “Every bathroom should have natural light – and nothing but indirect light sources”.

Thun also believes that hygeine and cleanliness are of fundamental importance and that the surfaces within this area are designed to allow for this. LC SmartGlass offers the ideal solution to this design consideration due to its easy clean low maintenance surface while also delivering privacy on demand for this personal space.

LC SmartGlass was recently installed at the hotels below:

Eccleston Square Hotel – London

Kempinski Grand Hotel – Bahrain

Hilton Dubai Jumeriah – Winner of “Best Sustainable Hotel of the Middle East” at the annual Middle East Hospitality Expansion Congress

Is green the new black in the world of hospitality and can hotels push the boundaries of sustainability while keeping costs low?

Kathi Everden assesses the extent of environmental measures underway in the Middle East hotel sector…

“Many hotel chains globally have set carbon reduction targets,” said WTTC president, David Scowsill. “Through this initiative the industry is furthering its commitment to corporate and individual consumers by helping them to understand their carbon footprint.”

And, while not located locally, it is heartening that the first carbon neutral hotel worldwide is the Emirates’ owned and operated Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa in Australia, certified as such for the second year when it achieved a surplus of carbon credits.

The resort capitalised on sustainability practices at Al Maha in Dubai, arguably the first green hotel in the region, and was nominated by WTTC as an outstanding case study in the blueprint for future eco-friendly tourism.

Overall, however, the regional hospitality sector has been slow to adapt green principles, even down to the very natural conversion to solar power that the climate might have mandated.

“The Middle East does have some catching up to do when compared to more developed markets, and it’s incredibly important that all government and big corporate organisations commit time and resources to improve on the green initiatives in the region … but it is changing, and at Rezidor we hope we are leading the way,” says area VP, Marko Hytönen.

Not only is sustainability a win-win situation — saving both energy and money — but it is increasingly necessary as consumers are demanding proof of sustainability credentials.

A recent survey by TUI Travel in eight major markets revealed that one in two holidaymakers would book a more sustainable holiday if it were readily available, while two in three would change their behaviour while away if it helped the environment.
As a result, TUI UK, for instance, has set a target for 90% of the hotels that are featured in its holiday programmes to be Travelife certified by 2014.

A survey by TripAdvisor in the US, meanwhile, revealed that nearly half of respondents would take eco-friendly factors in to consideration when making travel plans and a MindClick SGM survey of members of the Association of Corporate Travel Planners revealed that 65% were in various stages of implementing green business travel guidelines.

Of the major European chains, Accor claims to be in the forefront of the green movement, winning the WTTC’s 2010 Tourism for Tomorrow Award for its global sustainability strategy as well as a fistful of other recognition following its Earth Guest programme set up five years ago.

“Our Accor Environment Charter is very much part of our commitment to owners and investors in the region, comprising 65 actions that hotels are doing to reduce their environmental impact — we work hand in hand with owners during construction to propose tailor-made tools and eco-friendly solutions which result in huge energy savings — retrocom audits can also improve energy performance and require no investment,” says regional managing director, Christophe Landais.

Accor is also moving to offer green meeting options in its regional hotels, while Landais says it is already able to provide corporate customers with precise results on their carbon footprint when guests are booking a room night or organising a meeting.

Interestingly, the group is also incentivising its GMs to reach green standards: “Those who achieve or surpass set objectives such as energy saving platforms are given additional monetary compensations,” says Olivier Hick, director of operations Accor ME, explaining that all the Pullman and Novotel hotels are aiming to have EarthCheck certification by next year.

Another chain majoring on certification is Mövenpick, moving fast in the Middle East with all of its 23 hotels here aiming for Green Globe status by the end of the year.
“Generally, the total cost of certification varies between $8000 to $12,000,” says regional VP operations, Gerard Hotelier.

“The certified properties are definitely benefiting by achieving substantial operational savings, and also will answer needs of both corporate and leisure business.”

Cost savings have been underlined by Farnek Avireal which has a five-year Middle East licensing agreement with Green Globe and is assisting properties to meet the 248 standards set out by them.

“All Mövenpick hotels have access to our energy benchmark auditing system which uses internet-based software ‘hotel optimiser’ to calculate CO2 emissions,” says Farnek Avireal general manager, Markus Oberlin, who pointed out that hotels in the region traditionally produced double the amount of CO2 emissions compared with European properties, while using nearly triple the amount of water per guest.

“We estimate that a hotel such as the Mövenpick Tala Bay, for instance, could reduce its carbon emissions by more than 6,250 tonnes annually, while reduced energy consumption could save an average 250-bedroom hotel around $5 per room-night.”

At the Mövenpick El Gouna — recognised by Kuoni-Apollo as the most ‘sustainability conscious’ hotel in its programme — general manager John Wood says that the attitude of developer Orascom has been instrumental in assisting with green initiatives.

Government support
A variety of tourism boards are now pushing hotels to deliver green credentials. Abu Dhabi has prioritised green standards as a USP for its evolving tourism product, with the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority mandating all hotels and hotel apartments to operate under an over-riding Environment, Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS) with targets for reduction in energy and water consumption (10% and 20%) and the waste sent to landfill (20%).

According to ADTA tourism standards director, Nasser Al Reyami, sustainability is now an essential part of the world-class tourism experience: “Abu Dhabi’s challenging climate coupled with its emergence as a high-end tourism destination provides us with an excellent opportunity to develop our own environmentally-responsible tourism offerings,” he says. “Sustainability is part of our strategic vision.”

As well as an in-house team to supervise development in this area, ADTA has conducted a series of Green Hotel workshops to showcase best practices, assisted with retraining of hotel staff in environmentally-friendly work practices, and will now be looking at other areas including the operations of desert camps.

All hotels will be ranked for their green credentials but new properties will be ahead of the game with opportunities to build in sustainable operations.

At the new Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, general manager Stuart Deeson says architects implemented many features at the design stage so that green standards were naturally part of the hotel: “Through adoption of green building guidelines, we have been able to set benchmarks that only a few existing hotels can meet”.

The hotel is one of the few properties in the final stage of becoming an LEED-certified luxury hotel — among its green features are the use of natural light through skylights in 75% of the building; capture of prevailing winds for ventilation; 50% dry wadi landscaping to reduce water consumption; coated double glazing to cut heating and cooling loads, and solar panels which cut energy costs by 75%.

“These sustainable measures will pay us back in the long-term, not only in reduced water and energy costs but increased interest from today’s discerning travellers — our global accounts are telling us their goal is to find a hotel company with green initiatives in place,” adds Deeson.

Praise for LC SmartGlass bathrooms @ Eccleston Square Hotel London

“This hotel is unlike any hotel I have ever stayed in! The most exciting feature of the room was the smart glass bathroom walls separating the bathroom from the bedroom. The walls changed from clear to frosted instantly by switch – amazing technology!”
Sep 2011

“This hotel is luxuriously fabulous. The shower wall that frosts over at a click of a button is quite cool.”
Oct 2011

“The hotel was lovely, it definitely had the wow factor. I thought the frosted glass on the bathroom that could be switched on and the tv in the bathroom were great.”
Nov 2011

 Download Project Case Study here

Praise for LC SmartGlass bathrooms @ Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain

“The rooms are spacious with all the comforts you are looking for in a Luxury hotel – most of all – the first bathroom that I see which has Transparent Glass Walls! But if you want privacy, you can switch on the Opaque Wall & like magic, the wall blocks the view!”
Sep 2011

“My favourite thing is the bathroom wall that can either be as transparent as glass or as opaque as milk with the snap of a button.
I am sure Kempinski will soon become one of the most liked hotel in the Kingdom.”
Oct 2011

“The rooms are amazing, very luxury interiors, stunning modern bathroom with all kind of amenities you can imagine, even switching glass that changes from clear to private.”
Nov 2011

 Download Project Case Study here

Read full project case study here or take a tour of our gallery to see LC SmartGlass in action

Review of New Court Building By Rowan Moore

“Rothschild is one of the world’s most august financial institutions, reflected in its discreet yet opulent new City HQ designed by Rem Koolhaas’s OMA”

The City of London is, in its own special way, surprisingly fond of architecture. You might have thought that niceties of design would get in the way of its relentless contest with other financial centres to be the most fearsome money machine in the world, but no. The rulers of the City permit themselves the incredible luxury, inconceivable in Singapore, Shenzhen or even Canary Wharf, of weighing and deliberating every tweak of its fabric.

There are the historic buildings, the monuments of Wren, Hawksmoor and Lutyens, that are reverentially coddled. There are also the monuments of the masters of our own time, as recognised by the biggest architecture award in the world, the Pritzker prize. There are works by no fewer than five winners of the prize (Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Jean Nouvel, James Stirling and Rem Koolhass’s practice OMA) within the Square Mile. A sixth, Renzo Piano’s Shard, makes its presence felt from just outside its boundaries. Such concentrations are hard to find outside places such as Saadiyat Island, the instant cultural district under construction in Abu Dhabi, or the 1980s tea services designed for the Italian company Alessi, by the biggest stars of the time.

The latest addition to the collection, OMA’s whitish tower for the financial advisory group Rothschild, has ghosted its way on to the skyline with a surprising degree of discretion. Usually every sneeze of Rem Koolhaas and his team is the object of global fascination by architects and followers of architecture, but this not-small building has been sitting there for some time, its exterior more or less finished, without anyone paying much attention. Now the interior fit-out is also complete, bar a few details.

The discretion is part of Rothschild’s corporate personality. As a distinguished 200-year-old institution, it doesn’t feel the need to shout. It doesn’t put its name on the door, and while it hangs a coat of arms outside, reused from former buildings, this is not very communicative to non-students of heraldry. It is located in a lane of extraordinary narrowness a short distance from the Bank of England, a narrow strip of pitted tarmac that seems one remove from being a cart track. You are supposed just to know that it is there and if you don’t, you are not someone who needs to know or whom it needs to know.

You do, however, know that you are in the presence of something with a high degree of self-confidence. From the lane you rise through a steel colonnade to an ample podium of perfect emptiness, the main body of the building overhead, which then opens on to an also ample reception area. You are treated to the luxury of sheer space, precisely delineated with the oblong architecture. The floor is of travertine, also the ceiling, which creates a vertiginous blurring of up and down. Off to one side is an oak-shelved library that will house the Rothschild archive.

‘Sheer space’: the reception area. Photograph: Philippe Ruault/OMA

Should you be allowed past the security barriers you can then rise through the building, past the gym and cafe, and floors of close-packed desks, to the top levels of meeting rooms, dining rooms and events suites. There is a quasi-Soviet collectivism about the way the place is organised; as in the 1920s Narkomfin housing project in Moscow, the space allotted to individuals is modest, but the shared spaces of exercise, eating and meeting are generous.

In these spaces, an ever more magnificent panorama unfolds. In one direction St Paul’s Cathedral sits in mighty repose, placed in the middle of a glass wall as if it were put there for the special benefit of Rothschild. In another there are the Gherkin and other towers of the City, which somehow look more impressive and serene than they do from ground level. These are celestial, Olympian spaces that convey the certainty that this – here, at this elevation, in this part of London – is where Rothschild belongs.

‘As if it were put there for the special benefit of Rothschild’: the view of St Paul’s Cathedral. Photograph: OMA

It is not all about sheer pomp and prestige. This is not OMA’s way, and running through the building are touches of wit, irony and teasing. There is a play of small and big, which starts with the transition from lane to podium and continues with such things as extra-heavy or extra-light handrails. There are very thick walls (“Like castles and palaces,” say OMA) and very thin ones made of glass.

There is also a play with the history of which Rothschild is so proud. In the meeting rooms are ancestral portraits, of well-mounted men riding to hounds and such like, and antique furniture. These are placed, with a touch of the eclecticism of a boutique hotel, alongside glass and aluminium, the latter embossed, in another moment of old/new overlay, with woodgrain patterns from the old oak panelling.

‘The interplay of oak, oil paint, silk and aluminium is where all the fun is to be had.’ Photograph: OMA

In Richard Rogers’s Lloyd’s Building a Robert Adam interior, imported from the institution’s earlier premises, was recreated. There, it is a touch embarrassing in relation to the high-techery around it. In Rothschild the interplay of oak, oil paint, silk and aluminium is where all the fun is to be had. It delivers the required message that the institution is both ancient and modern. More than that, it is shown to be cultured, sophisticated, self-aware and sufficiently self-assured to allow a little humour. Rothschild advises but doesn’t lend, which sets it apart from the casino banks of ill-repute, and its architecture reminds you of this fact.

OMA also likes to squeeze whatever public value there might be in a commission, even out of a discreet private bank. The colonnade along the lane can be used by anyone, in effect widening the street, and on the far side of the podium a view opens up to the churchyard of Wren’s St Stephen Walbrook. It is clear that the podium is privately owned space, but the building still offers more than the many City blocks which rise sheer and opaque from the pavement. Next door, for example, one of Foster’s least good works has been squelched on to the ground, an assertive, ribbed, over-inflated blob that is oblivious to its surroundings. OMA’s building interacts with its neighbours, enriching itself and them in the process.

The City’s fondness for architecture has, in fact, its limits. Often it runs as far as licensing a big name to sculpt the external form of a block, but not to such architectural qualities as the play of volumes and scale, the interconnection of outside and in or the creation of three-dimensional settings for the lives that go on in and around a building. Rothschild does all these things, with skill and subtlety. The only shame is that some of the best bits are on the far side of the security barriers. Come the revolution, though, it will make a great collectivist housing scheme.

]]> http://www.smartglassinternational.com/rem-koolhaas-rothschild-bank/feed/ 0 http://www.smartglassinternational.com/the-hospital-room-of-the-future/ http://www.smartglassinternational.com/the-hospital-room-of-the-future/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:00:51 +0000 orla http://www.smartglassinternational.com/?p=2546
“The future of patient care featuring SmartGlass technology”

“Patient Room 2020″ is a new initiative designed to heal patients, and make it easy for family and doctors to care for them.

 What will the future of patient health care look like? Perhaps something like the “Patient Room 2020,” a project that NXT, Clemson University, and Birdtree Design are trying to bring to market in the next 10 years.

Clemson University’s Architecture + Health department have been designing, building, and evaluating multiple patient room iterations for the last eight years. Now, they are beginning to build working prototypes and test them to see if their designs can perform in real-life applications. “When you look at a typical hospital room, the technology and instrumentation is very chaotic and not designed to integrate,” adds David Ruthven of Birdtree Design. Patient Room 2020 turned that idea on its head. “We wanted to approach the room holistically,” he says.

While most of the medical care is conducted within the patient room, several key functions for patients, staff and visitors occur at the entry to the space. Namely, the Staff Resource Station featuring sliding doors made from Smart Glass technology to allow observation without entering the room while also protecting patient privacy & addressing the issue of infection control.

Read more here

LC SmartGlass switched “Off” within meeting room

LC SmartGlass switched “On” within conference room

LC SmartGlass switched “On” within meeting rooms corridor

Tune in to SmartGlass International for all the latest news stories and project coverage, including:

LC SmartGlass @ Canary Wharf London
SmartGlass International London Projects
SPD SmartGlass @ ITV Daybreak Television Studios

Tune in here

LC SmartGlass was recently installed within the new building offering instant privacy on demand for each office space.

LC SmartGlass “On”

LC SmartGlass “Off”

LC SmartGlass “On”

LC SmartGlass “Off”

Click here to visit our portfolio page for more photographs of this project