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Article from issue 7+8/2007 »Steel Construction«

Heating and Cooling Facades - the Steel Facade of BMW Welt in Munich

technology p. 836 - 844
Author Lother, Klaus |

Condensation, the associated moisture damage and unsatisfactory internal climates are common problems facing large steel-and-glass structures, and are normally counteracted by the application of floor-level convectors, facade radiators or high strength ventilation systems. A more architecturally appealing solution is that of providing heating directly at the facade level, by the use of temperature controlled fluids within the steel facade elements: the integrated facade.
The advantages of such a system, where the heating system is more or less invisible, are not restricted to the purely aesthetic. In particularly complex spatial situations, sections of the facade which are in “wind shadows” may not be sufficiently heated by conventional convection heating systems. An integrated facade heating system combats the situation where it occurs. The most well known building of the day using this form of technology is the BMW World in Munich, the steel and glass facade of which is illustrated and discussed in detail.