Technology: Heating and Cooling Facades - the Steel Facade of BMW Welt in Munich
In their efforts to make buildings more and more energy-efficient and sustainable, architects are reviewing all components and systems. Facades offer obvious potential in this respect, and one interesting approach is to integrate the facade in heating and cooling functions. For this, water is fed through the steel hollow sections, where it is heated or cooled. Even very close to glass walls a heated facade creates a pleasant temperature. For this reason they are popular for storey-high glazing, high glazed halls, galleries and glass domes. A prominent up-to-date application for such a facade is the new BMW Welt in Munich, designed by Wolf D. Prix of Viennese architects Coop Himmelb(l)au. The facades of this new brand space have a three-dimensional frame featuring many differently sized components and glass panes. Sprinkler ducts and electrical cables are also integrated into the facade. The facade system used at BMW Welt is a patented system called the "Integrated Facade System Gartner®", from Josef Gartner GmbH, Germany. In the following I use the term "integrated facade" to mean a facade system in which heating and cooling functions are integrated.
