Building Retrofit to Improve Energy Performance from Office to Accommodation. Case study: Tower Building, Nottingham, UK

¹ Department of Architecture, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia
² Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Designed in Brutalism style by architect Andrew Renton, Tower Building has 17 floors for academic and lecturers’ office function. As the highest point in University of Nottingham, this tower has been built for almost five decades. The aim of this project is to propose the tower retrofit from current function to accommodation purpose. Improvement in terms of function and building energy performance by applying sustainable building technologies are the objectives of the retrofit. The advanced plan of building retrofit was proposed after assessing the current building performance and determined the problems. The proposed building design was based on building performance simulation result, literature, and precedent studies. Thereafter, several technologies and design ideas were applied for further investigation, to examine how is the strategies works in the building retrofit. Integrated double skin façade with BIPV, bio composite material for internal wall, double low-e glass for external wall, as well as green lung to improve natural ventilation and create public space were proposed for the building.