A sustainable shell is set to transform Sydney towers.
February 10th, 2010
It seems that the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) are all over Sydney this week, developing a gleaming and innovative ‘eco-skin’ for the city’s 1960s ’icons’.
Aimed at transforming the UTS Tower, Goulburn Street Car Park and other Sydney sites into sustainable, cost-effective buildings – the project ‘Tower skin’ is a cocoon that acts as a microclimate, wrapped with three-dimensional lightweight, and high performance composite mesh textile.
The skin produces energy with photovoltaic cells, collects rain water, improves day lighting and uses convective energy to meet the tower’s ventilation requirements.
“The speculative project, ‘Tower Skin’, offers a unique opportunity to transform the identity, sustainability and interior comfort of the once state-of-the-art building,” said Chris Bosse, Australian Director of LAVA.
The project not only proposes a more sustainable change but also a new sculptural and shining look for Sydney’s skyline.
At night, the ’Tower Skin’ transforms into a sculptural site with a media surface that displays communication information in real time.
Visual impact is achieved thanks to the tension of the membrane’s surface that stretches around all walls and roofs elements, giving Sydney’s ageing icons a new lease of life.
LAVA
l-a-v-a.net


INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
The newest brand to emerge from Cosentino’s creative crucible is Ēclos, a next-generation mineral surface that embodies the organic beauty and tactility of marble in a precision-mineral surface or material.
Developed by bangdesign for Stylecraft, Kinn is an Australian-made collection of seating and occasional tables, shaped by modest proportions, practical detail and the changing demands of shared interiors.
As Woven Image celebrates 40 years, it introduces a new collection developed in collaboration with Australian artist Ben Goss, inspired by his original artwork Where the Kookaburra Sits into a vibrant collection of digitally printed EchoPanel® murals and patterns.
No one lasts 110 years in the furniture industry without continually refining and creating premium furniture products. In 2021, Workspace celebrate 110 years of being in practice, and are showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Sydney’s Sussex Lane will look at sustainability in the city with a fun pop up event during March.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
In the very heart of Sydney’s CBD, 1 Elizabeth is a vast civic-scale project that integrates workplace design, transport infrastructure, event spaces, and hospitality around some dramatic void spaces.
The latest print magazine is about to arrive! In this issue, Guest Editor Andrew Tu’inukuafe & Barrington Gohns of Warren and Mahoney push us to think, consider and collaborate.
A wander around a BACHLI showroom reveals a tapestry of captivating furniture designs, curated precisely and craft-led. Thanks to its longstanding partnerships with iconic designers, BACHLI has become a go-to for discovering the most exciting established and emerging Australian and international brands. Initially based in Melbourne, BACHLI have recently expanded into Sydney with their Surry Hills showroom, increasing their presence and opening their invitation to the design-savvy and curious nationwide.