MEBKS TOYOSU Atrium Case Study

Solemma’s ClimateStudio helped Shimizu Corporation’s Shimz DDE (Digital Design Enhancement) platform maximize indirect daylight inside a canyon-inspired atrium.

MEBKS TOYOSU (on the right) is an office building which stands as one of the main compositions of the newly developed smart city “MiCHi no Terrace Toyosu”, constructed by Shimizu Corporation in Tokyo, Japan.

Background:

“MiCHi no Terrace Toyosu” is a waterfront development constructed by Shimizu Corporation that includes an office, hotel, and connected pedestrian deck. The office building, named MEBKS TOYOSU, possesses a massive floor area of approximately 6,600 m² that is available for rent. In addition to its size, MEBKS TOYOSU’s atrium and inner stairs were specially designed to brighten up the exclusive rental areas with natural sunlight and to encourage interactions between people. Since the surrounding area is free of obstructions and located on high ground above sea level, MEBKS TOYOSU will also function as a disaster response base in the case of natural disasters. These factors, especially the spaciousness of the building, revealed an important issue to solve through building design: the intensity of solar radiation.

Objective:

The goal of Shimz DDE and ClimateStudio was to maximize average illuminance throughout the office’s atrium and to ensure appropriate natural light levels on the lobby floor, 10 stories below. Designers also needed to avoid overheating by direct sunlight in order to remain energy efficient and reduce air conditioning requirements.

ClimateStudio shows that without the top light, only an average of 125 lx could be achieved (first design). The standard flat roof type top light improved the average to 247 lx (second design). The daylight modified atrium design scored an astonishing 531 lx (third design).

Solution:

Shimz DDE made full use of ClimateStudio and carried out 400,000 computational design iterations to maximize the average annual illuminance in the lobby floor and atrium. Architectural designers explored various solutions to deliver reflected light down towards the lobby through the shape of the roof and the angle of the atrium panels. The Daylight Availability workflow in ClimateStudio harnesses a progressive path-tracing version of the Radiance ray-tracer, allowing for accurate daylight simulations at high speeds. Using historical methods, running 400,000 simulations like this would take weeks.

The MEBKS TOYOSU office building and related developments were modelled in Rhinoceros 3D and Grasshopper. The atrium in particular was studied and designed according to results from ClimateStudio’s daylight availability simulations. The image above shows the comparison of annual average illuminance conducted by ClimateStudio with and without top light by locating test values on the upper, middle, and lower floors. The final top light and atrium design was optimized in Grasshopper and resulted in an average illuminance of 531 lx, a huge jump from 125 lx in the design without top light.

White polyhedric panels on each floor were designed to maximize average annual illuminance while promoting social collaboration and communication. The image above shows the completed atrium (on the right) and the visualized illuminance during simulation (on the left).

The uneven shape of the panels creates organic shadows throughout the atrium.

The top light has an organic, continuous appearance inspired by a range of mountains.

Picture of the top floor of the atrium. The sky can be seen from the opening which faces North, and the atrium is filled with natural light.

Result:

The iterative design simulations performed on the MEBKS TOYOSU office building informed the continuous and rhythmic atrium design that facilitates a downpour of light through the core of the building. Not a single floor has the same shape throughout the canyon-inspired atrium and the light reflected off the white tessellated panels makes the atrium unique.

Thanks to the energy efficiency accomplished by using iterative computational design, as well as its environment friendly building and urban planning, MEBKS TOYOSU was certified as an “ZEB-Ready” (net zero energy building) project. “MiCHi no Terrace Toyosu” will continue to contribute towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) of Shimizu Corporation while providing a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere.

ClimateStudio is proud to have helped in the design of this important project.