Wrapped in Green

by Jonathan McGaha | July 31, 2013 12:00 am

When a team of Seattle planners and designers were asked to convert an amusement park under the Seattle Space Needle into the Chihuly Glass and Garden[1] exhibition, the group envisioned a natural environment for the 1 1/2-acre site that would capture the spirit of the planned use.

 

Created in 1962 as part of the Fun Forest Amusement Center and Seattle’s World Fair, the original site included a large building that previously housed arcade games surrounded by an asphalt surface on the east where entertainment rides existed and on the west where a grassy park greeted arriving guests.

 

Their challenge was to showcase the works of renowned artist Dale Chihuly in an environment that would transform the building into an exhibition hall and the asphalt surface into a garden for displaying Chihuly’s most popular work and architectural installations.

 

Blending the building’s exterior with the outdoor garden was a critical part of the task. Because the east exterior wall would face the garden and Glasshouse, which is the exhibition’s centerpiece, it was clear that the building needed a significant element of green.

 

Wrapping the building in vegetation would not only camouflage the structure, it would convert it into a living backdrop for the garden that would be the focal point of the most comprehensive collection of work ever assembled for this noted Washington-native artist.

 

More importantly, a green envelope could live organically among the garden’s tree-lined paths, plants and flowers, and provide an attractive view from atop the Space Needle, which soars 605 feet above the site and attracts over one million visitors each year.

 

Easy Being Green

The “green” wrap would give visitors an extraordinary aerial picture of the beauty that results from mixing nature with artistic excellence.

 

Because the rooftop measured 21,100 square feet and the garden-side wall was 5,600 square feet, the team developed the envelope expansive enough to not only cover the roof, but also encase the east and west exterior walls.

 

With LEED Certification in mind, the design and construction team from the Seattle area-comprised of Owens Richards Architects[2], Seattle; AHBL[3], Seattle; Schuchart Corp.[4], Seattle; and Cobra Building Envelope Contractors[5], Spokane, Wash.-took a unique approach that, in addition to its aesthetic appeal, would reduce heat gain and lower the carbon dioxide impact.

 

As noted leaders in applying sustainability principles to the built environment, each team member was able to apply the strategy in the earliest part of the planning process.

 

To prepare the building, Owen Richards, AIA, principal of Owen Richards Architects, expanded the wall on the garden side, creating an upward slope, and added a cantilevered breezeway that leads to the interior of the hall.

 

ECO-MESH System

In concert with planning the green roof, the group, led by Richards in coordination with AHBL, added the living wall on the east and west sides of the hall using Tampa, Fla.-based McNICHOLS ECO-MESH System, with the largest system installed on the east (garden) side.

 

Incorporating McNICHOLS ECO-MESH with the green roof, both installed by Cobra, influenced the project’s energy efficiency and contributed to the sustainable elements that helped the project achieve a LEED Silver rating through the U.S. Green Building Council.

 

Made from powder coated galvannealed metal mesh, the ECO-MESH wall system has durability and sustainability, making it an attractive option for the team. It is also available in custom colors, weaves, wire diameters and opening sizes, making it adaptable to the project size and purpose. With two layers of wire mesh, the units are made of 82 percent post-consumer content and 7 percent pre-consumer content that is sturdy and easy to maintain.

 

The system specified in the Chihuly Glass and Garden exhibition project consists of 95 eco unit panels on the garden side that average 4 by 12 feet in size. The units are made of two layers of 12-gauge crimped woven wire mesh in a 10-gauge frame.

 

To fully complete the envelope, Richards and AHBL specified eco units around the columns that support the breezeway, and they added 25 similarly sized eco units on the building’s west side facing the park.

 

Secured to the building with structural steel bolts, the eco units support a variety of flora and vegetation that are planted and irrigated at the base for sustained growth.

 

Richards said the team considered other options for the wall, including a living wall with a soil or hydroponic system of plants rooted into a vertical surface. The options, however, were cost prohibitive.

 

Today, the ECO-MESH system co-exists with the exhibition hall’s green roof, achieving the type of living envelope envisioned by the design team that complemented AHBL’s inspired garden landscape and Chihuly’s collection.

 

Photos: Benjamin Behschneider; Artwork copyright Chihuly Studio © 2012. All rights reserved.

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Mary Estes is a Tampa-based marketing communications professional and contributing writer whose articles appear in a variety of trade publications including design, construction and health care. For more details about ECO-MESH and LEED information, visit www.mcnichols.com[6].

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/wrapped-in-green/

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