COR / Oppenheim Architecture + Design

© Dbox

’s Design District will soon be home to not just another building, but to COR.  The ambitious project to design the first sustainable mixed-use condominium in has been getting a lot of buzz and rightfully so.  At 400′ tall it represents a dynamic synergy between architecture, structural engineering, and ecology.  Extracting power from its environment utilizing the latest advancements in wind turbines, photovoltaics, and solar hot water generation COR upon completion will be seeking a LEED Platinum certification.  The polka dotted hyper-efficient exoskeleton shell simultaneously provides building structure, thermal mass for insulation, shading for natural cooling, enclosure for terraces, armatures for turbines, and loggias for congregating on the ground.  Comprising commercial, office, fitness, live/work, and pure residential spaces (113 residences from studios to penthouses)—COR provides a uniquely flexible platform for­ lifestyle enhancement.

Last week on ArchDaily we featured our interview with Chad Oppenheim founding partner of .  Below is a portion of the interview regarding the design of COR, and the full interview can be found here.

Follow the break for drawings and renderings of COR, along with a list of environmental design techniques incorporated into the design.

Architects: Oppenheim Architecture + Design
Location: Miami, Florida, United States
Project Team: Chad Oppenheim, Carlos Ramos, Juan López, Carolina Jaimes, Juan Calvo, Hugo Mijares, Jessica Santaniello Barrera, Rodrigo Londoño and Camilo Orozco
Client: Nexus Development Group
Project Area: 480,000 sqf
Project Year: Estimated 2011
Renderings: Dbox

© Dbox
© Dbox
© Dbox

Environmental design techniques incorporated into the design:

  • On-site renewable energy (e.g., photovoltaic panels, wind turbine): Wind turbines, solar hot water
  • Gray water system
  • Green roof of penthouse units and with low-water landscaping, pool area with Renewable materials (e.g., bamboo flooring)
  • Bamboo Floors
  • Recycled glass tiles
  • Offering option of Concrete or “Paper Stone” counter tops options for residential units
  • High efficiency plumbing fixtures
  • Waterless urinals
  • Dual flush toilets
  • White single-ply thermoplastic membrane roofing on mechanical area
  • Green Roof: Penthouse unit terraces and gardens
  • Highly insulated walls and roofs
  • Low-e glass
  • Operable windows for office and residential
  • High fly ash content in all concrete
  • Low VOC paints and adhesives
  • Local stones and materials rather than imports with embodied energy
  • Bicycle infrastructure: Encourage residents and office employees to bike; bike racks located in parking levels
  • Access to public transit: Walkable distance to bus stops
  • The skin is a concrete structural sheer wall; providing thermal mass and solar shading for natural cooling, and reduction of solar gains. Reflective nature o white façade further resists solar gains
  • In working with the structural engineer and green consultant, a thermal mass analysis will define the thickness of this wall to efficiently cool the interior spaces
  • The south façade will be set back 6′-0″ from this wall to further reduce solar gains to interiors, while providing double height terraces, with opportunities for natural ventilation of duplex units
    • site analysis
    elevation
    * Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
    Cite: Minner , Kelly. "COR / Oppenheim Architecture + Design" 08 Nov 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed 19 Jun 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/87063>

    5 comments

    2. Thumb up Thumb down 0

      I can hardly see any working innovative techniques in this design.
      Nearly none of htese wind turbine towers have been realised because they simply don’t work. And do you really want to live in a penthouse with a wind turbine in your garden?
      A concrete structural sheer wall for a high-rise building?
      Kind of heavy loads, I’m higly interested in the final solution from the structural engineers.
      Finally, I just want these circles filled with sunshading elements – either from the otuside or inside.
      It’s just another high-rise phantasy running wild.

      Reply
      • Thumb up Thumb down 0

        Tim, you have no imagination at all, and to elaborate on your thought about the exterior wall, what do you think, other high rise buildings are made of? steel can be just has heavy as concrete. Buildings need a thermal mass in order to soak up the suns radiation during the day and release it during the night.
        The wind turbines are not in the garden, they surround the gardens along the exterior out of the way of everyday activities. Not only do they create a very interesting look, they provide power to the building along with the other elements that use the natural world to help sustain this buildings power needs.

        Reply
        • Thumb up Thumb down 0

          Mike, thanks for this.
          We agree on many points, but I ‘m quite pessimistic that this project will be realized in the described manner.

          “Buildings need a thermal mass in order to soak up the suns radiation during the day and release it during the night.”
          OK, and I’m keen on having a look at the details to combine structure, mass, sunshading elements and the turbine technology. At the end of the day it will be a steel structure, filled with some massive concrete parts and a metal or cement board cladding to carry all the elements, i promise.
          “The wind turbines are not in the garden, they surround the gardens along the exterior out of the way of everyday activities.”
          Nope, see image 02, just the garden view. The wind turbines are one floor up, but the flipping shadow will be part of your everyday life.

          As said before, there have been a lot designs for highrise building combined with turibines, which haven’t been realized because of structural and last but not least efficiency reasons.

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