It was at a university in Denmark that Gregers Reimann had an epiphany: energy was only a part of the Green building challenge. After all, energy is deployed in service of occupant well-being to create conditions for indoor comfort.
Integration of these two goals — energy and well-being — was the road that Gregers would take his company on. In tropical Asia, where IEN operates, there was much to be learnt about how climate, architecture and technology intersect.
IEN’s first noteworthy project was the Low Energy Office (LEO) building in Malaysia. Completed in the early 2000s, this air-conditioned box showed the industry how to reduce energy demand with a sensible envelope and efficient cooling.
The Low Energy Office (LEO) building in Putrajaya, Malaysia, broke new ground in energy efficiency.
© IEN Consultants
IEN’s next high-profile project, the Green Energy Office (GEO) building, pushed the efficiency paradigm a step forward, introducing new technologies such as radiant cooling. With these systems, energy use was further trimmed.
The Green Energy Office (GEO) building in Bandar Baru Bangi, Malaysia, relied on an innovative radiant cooling system consisting of chilled water pipes embedded in concrete slabs.
© IEN Consultants
By the time the ST Diamond project reached the drawing board, occupant comfort and productivity were central to Greening. Consequently, this office building has a drum-shaped atrium that brings diffused daylight deep into its core; and its external facades are sloped to minimise the entry of direct light to reduce glare and heat gain.
The atrium of the ST Diamond building in Putrajaya, Malaysia, brings diffused light to the centre of the building’s floor plate.
© Lin Ho
Of IEN’s more recent projects, Paramit’s ‘Factory in the Forest’ stands out. Conceived as a biophilic facility, it deploys vegetation on the facades and roof to cool the envelope and offer occupants semi-outdoor social spaces and serene views.
The Paramit’s ‘Factory in the Forest’ facility has an overarching roof canopy that shades the building.
© Lin Ho
In Paramit, IEN helped integrate the form and porosity of the architecture with the efficacy of the building’s electromechanical systems, a synergy of parts that creates a greater whole.
The central atrium of Paramit’s ‘Factory in the Forest’ brings daylight and views to the factory’s occupants.
© Lin Ho
Today, Gregers and his team continue to probe the overlap between efficiency and well-being. Sometimes, the two goals are aligned: for instance, when access to daylight achieves both, simultaneously. And yet, on occasion, there is unresolved tension. It is here, in the seeming choice between this or that, that IEN’s work becomes truly innovative and ground-breaking.