SkyTower in Bucharest
The SkyTower, which at 137 metres high is the tallest building in Romania, is an impressive sight at night with its sophisticated lighting choreography. For heat generation, a cascade heating system with three Vitomax 100-LW units is used.
LEED Gold certification for Romania's tallest building and landmark
In 2005, Raiffeisen evolution project development GmbH (RE) acquired a 40,000 square metre site north of the centre of Bucharest in the Floreasca district for the development of three projects under the working title Floreasca City Center: the SkyTower office skyscraper, the FCC Office Wing and the Promenada shopping centre were all constructed concurrently and completed by 2013. Whilst the buildings were still under construction, RE sold the SkyTower and FCC Office Wing to the current developer and owner, Vienna-based Raiffeisen Property International GmbH.
At 137 metres in height, the SkyTower, designed by Viennese architectural firm Hoffmann-Janz Architekten ZT GmbH, is Romania's tallest building. The architects opted for a basic elliptical shape, regarding the ellipse as the perfect combination of rectangle and circle. The 42-storey high-rise building is designed for office use. Each floor has an area of 1200 square metres.
As the new landmark on the capital's skyline, the faççade design was of great importance. For example, five different module designs were developed for the curtain wall glass faççade structure, which has a total area of 17,250 square metres. Within the faççade, 150 spotlights, referred to as wall washers, were installed to illuminate the SkyTower at night. Each of these lamps has several light colours and is individually controllable, enabling a wide variety of lighting choreographies to be used to illuminate the skyscraper at night.
When designing a modern high-rise building nowadays, it is vital to take ecological aspects into account right from the very beginning of the planning process. The aim of all those involved in the construction was therefore to develop a "green" building that would be very economical in terms of maintenance costs. The plans were continuously reviewed and adjusted if necessary in anticipation ultimately of obtaining LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. After its completion, the SkyTower was awarded the LEED Gold certificate.
Energy saving, low-emission heat generation with Viessmann
For energy saving, low-emission heat generation, the operators of the SkyTower use a cascade heating system with three Vitomax 100-LW low pressure hot water boilers from Viessmann. Integrated into an intelligent building management system, the highly efficient industrial/commercial boilers operate according to the respective heat demand. As a result, it has been possible to optimise gas consumption.
The Vitomax 100-LW boilers used here have a reversing combustion chamber and low combustion chamber loading for clean combustion with low nitrogen oxide emissions. As a hot water boiler for permissible flow temperatures of up to 110 degrees Celsius and for operation at a constant boiler water temperature, the Vitomax 100-LW offers an impressive performance with a high boiler efficiency of up to 91.5 percent. The permissible operating pressure ranges from 6 to 10 bar; the heating output from 0.65 to 6 MW. The load bearing cover on the top of the boiler simplifies installation and maintenance, whilst a large and lightweight inspection door hinged on the left or right makes light work of boiler cleaning operations.
The Vitocontrol control panel can be used to regulate all control equipment and adapt it to the respective heat demand. Heat is distributed to the floors via low temperature radiators, which ensure a constant room climate of between 22 and maximum 25 degrees Celsius. Cool supply air is fed to the rooms via cooling elements integrated into the suspended chilled beams of the office floors.
Intelligent ventilation and fire safety
A ventilation system with heat recovery ensures a healthy, comfortable indoor environment. For efficient operation, motion detectors were installed in the conference and meeting rooms. The ventilation system therefore only operates when the rooms are actually being used. As it is a high-rise building, special regulations apply to enable safe evacuation in the event of an emergency. One of the requirements stipulates that the ventilation system in the escape corridors and stairwells, as well as in the lift shaft of the fire brigade lift, must ensure constant overpressure to keep these areas smoke-free in the event of fire.