BEEAH

Integrated shading in a façade of complex geometry

The new BEEAH Headquarters, a pioneering sustainability and digitalisation expert, is now one of the most sustainable buildings in the world.

Net zero energy consumption and LEED Platinum Certification will be achieved through an array of technical solutions designed by ZHA in collaboration with the likes of Buro Happold, Microsoft, Johnson Controls, Matthews Southwest, Al Futtaim Construction, Hunter Douglas and Guthrie Douglas.

The building has become a comfortable and inspiring place for BEEAH, its clients and its workforce. The building has already received an array of awards including Architectural Design of the Year at the Built Design Awards 2022.

The Challenge: Integrated shading in a façade of complex geometry.

The location of this project brings its own challenges. The building rises up in a semi-desert area near the city of Sharjah. Heat and glare control is essential to create a productive internal environment, balanced with natural daylight and views to the outside.

Then there is the shape of the building, a Zaha Hadid masterpiece, futuristic and unique with complex geometry throughout.

“Because of the complexity of the forms, everything needs to be coordinated prior to installation. All of the parts come together seamlessly, but this building is not a box. Everything is curved and has its own form” Nada Taryam, director of civil and architectural projects at BEEAH.

The façade design is anything but straight, with very large glass sections set at various angles to create the famously fluid ZHA aesthetic. That aesthetic must not be compromised by exposed mechanical or electrical hardware. Integrated systems including the blinds are invisible when not in use.

The Solution: Collaborative engineering.

We worked with members of the project design team to develop and deliver a shading solution that would minimise visual impact on the façade design.

Bespoke tensioned blinds using technical fabric from Helioscreen were integrated into the façade, some running bottom-up from their concealed position under the floorplate and travelling more than 10 metres to their final position concealed within the GRP at the top of the façade.

Observe the future of sustainable buildings ……..