What’s black and white and sunny all over? It’s the BUMPS housing complex in Beijing, created by SAKO Architects. Typical buildings in China face north and south, but SAKO’s design rotates the buildings 45 degrees from the north-south axis to provide maximum exposure to sunlight. The designers also staggered the two-floor units to create additional space between the units, which tenants can then use as terraces. The integrated project, which includes both residential and commercial buildings, is located in a developing area in southwest Beijing and was one of this month’s WAN Awards residential category entries.
This is amazing. Great to see energy conservation addressed at the basic levels of design, rather than simply creating new products to “save” energy. (Let’s hope all those big buses at the foot of the buildings aren’t people who bussed in to have a look though!)