Tamedia Office Building - Shigeru Ban Architects

Characterised by its eye-catching timber structure, the Tamedia Office Building's timber skeleton is both highly functional and sustainable. The building makes use of cross laminated bamboo, utilising traditional Japanese woodworking techniques that have been upscaled to suit the large multi-storey building. 

The unique oval cross sections of the timber beams forms an important structural role in maximising the load distribution, and in locking the timber pieces together. Similarly, the double column structure not only creates a intermediate zone within the double-skinned facade, but also serves a structural purpose in lessening the bending and sheer forces within the building. This not only makes the structure more efficient, but also reduces the amount of timber required. 

The double-skinned facade creates a thermal skin, shielding the interior section of the building from excess solar heat gain, and allowing different sections of the building to be cross-ventilated at different times.