FAAB Architektura’s X Light Energy Building houses 230 employees in Bełchatów, Poland. Staircases, corridors, conference rooms, print rooms, toilets and other areas traditionally lit by artificial light are instead illuminated naturally. Twilight sensor fixtures adjust the luminosity of supplemental lighting to create a bright interior environment while minimizing energy consumption.
Elements of the design were inspired by the production and transmission of electrical energy. The ground level areas are finished with black Lignite slate. In the upper levels black cement composite panels alternate with glass, suggesting electric energy and transmission cables. Dynamic multilevel steel trusses also allude to the movement of charged particles.
A terraced square on the ground floor and an open garden terrace provide recreational areas for employees. The water reservoir seen in the square is treated using minimal amounts of chemicals and has properties similar to that of natural, clean lake water. Landscaped elements are irrigated with rain water collected from the building roof, surface parking and sidewalks.
PGE GiEK is currently working on developing carbon capture and storage technology for the Coal Power Station in Bełchatów, so let’s hope there is more good news about energy savings and emissions reductions coming out of this part of the world soon.
+ FAAB Architektura
