The benefits of being surrounded by nature have been proven by a large body of research. With that said, wouldn’t it make sense to integrate as much nature as possible into our office spaces, where — at least in non-pandemic times — many of us spend much of our time?
Well, a new sustainable development project in San Jose aims to demonstrate that integrating nature within our work environment not only makes sense, but is also possible. Called Park Habitat, the new project led by Kengo Kuma and Associates would replace the dullness of working in an office with the excitement of working in a park.
The project, which is part of a sweeping campus transformation in downtown San Jose, seeks to bring nature and the office together, introducing to its occupants the ability to work within a park.
As reported by designboom, the building is designed with a performative ‘green lung,’ exhibits an arboreal character topped by a rooftop park, and is wrapped in a biophilic facade. With the aim of celebrating San Jose’s ecological character and defined by a verdant landscape of orchards, meadows and wetlands, the design is expected to bring a generous dose of the outdoors into the urban landscape.
In addition to providing residents with a vertical park where they can work, the building also embodies the architects’ commitment to sustainability nature-dominated design. The Park Habitat’s ‘green lung relies on wind pressure and operable facades, thermal mass, and vegetation to bring air in by day and flush air and heat out by night — resembling the breathing process of a living organism.
Overall, the building is designed to reduce the energy needs of the project and to create a wholesome connection between humans and nature. Other key sustainability features include an all-electric building design projected to achieve a significant long-term reduction of the building’s carbon footprint. Solar panels are expected to adorn some parts of the building, while waste heat from workspaces will be recycled by other buildings on the campus.
Image source: designboom
