May 27 2013
Approximately $20 million Glass and Steel Elevated Trellis Gives Project Unique Architectural Identity and Environmental Marvel
Climate-Ribbon
Swire Properties, one of South Florida’s leading international developers of real estate, is putting a unique environmental and architectural stamp on its Brickell CityCentre Project with the creation of the exclusive Climate Ribbon™.
Composed of steel, fabric and a continuous surface of glass, the Climate Ribbon™ is an approximately $20 million elevated trellis that will span 150,000 square feet connecting all parcels of Brickell CityCentre and creating a comfortable microclimate for shoppers through the use of passive energy devices. The Climate Ribbon™ serves multiple purposes: acting as a shade for the project’s walkways, shops, restaurants, escalators and terraces to protect visitors from rain and sunlight, creating air flow to optimize temperatures and collecting rainwater for reuse, all while allowing Brickell CityCentre shopping to be open air and naturally lit.
Thorough research and design have gone into engineering the Climate Ribbon™ to accomplish the lofty environmental goals of Brickell CityCentre. With the project spread across four city blocks, the trellis will span all of the parcels providing a sense of connectivity and unifying Brickell CityCentre into one architectural statement. Since the outdoor shopping area will not be air conditioned, the Climate Ribbon™ is designed to harness summer trade winds and Biscayne Bay breezes to keep air flowing between six to nine knots through the public spaces. To address Miami’s strong sun, sections of of the Climate Ribbon™ will be designed at strategic angles and set at varying heights to best reflect the rays.
“From its initial conception, the Climate Ribbon™ has provided an architectural shade system to protect visitors, so it’s gratifying now to see the dynamic evolution of the structure to include so many climate management features,” said Stephen Owens, president of Swire Properties Inc. “We feel this element will become a distinctive design emblem of Miami and will be reason alone for people to visit and experience Brickell CityCentre.”
The Climate Ribbon™ also underlines the importance of sustainability at Brickell CityCentre and its holistic approach to water management and resource conservation. The structure will be equipped with multiple cisterns that will work to collect rainwater and mechanical condensate water. It is estimated to capture five million gallons of water on an annual basis which will be stored above ground to eliminate the need for pumping and additional electrical usage when it is distributed. There is also potential for future solar energy harvesting.
The creation of the Climate Ribbon™ was accomplished through Swire Properties’ intensive consulting with Cardiff University of Wales’s Chief of Architecture Science, as well as architects, Arquitectonica and designer, HDA | Hugh Dutton & Associés of Paris. German design/build firm Gartner has been contracted to build the structure.
Brickell CityCentre is scheduled to begin vertical construction later this year, with completion scheduled for third quarter, 2015. The project has been LEED®-registered for Neighborhood Development; Swire Properties aims for LEED Gold certification for the individual elements of Brickell CityCentre.