The Iceberg building in Milan is used as a hospital that combines university teaching and research spaces equipped with an emergency room. Designed by the local practice Mario Cucinella Architects, the building boasts 40,000 square meters. Its design optimizes the provision of daylight for patients and staff with a curved and glazed form.
On the exterior, the building is covered in ceramic fins that span the upper five stories. The fins shift in dept in response to the path of the sun. Moreover, they were specially formulated with a titanium dioxide coating to disintegrate smog particles and conserve heat at the same time. This process helps to cool the interior while providing ample amounts of light throughout the Iceberg building.
Smog-Eating Ceramic Skyscrapers
Iceberg Uses Ceramic Fins to Optimize Temperature Regulation
Trend Themes
1. Smog-eating Buildings - Opportunity for architects and building material manufacturers to produce ceramic coatings that can eliminate smog particles and simultaneously conserve heat.
2. Ceramic Fins - Opportunity for architects and builders to incorporate ceramic fins as part of a building's exterior design to optimize temperature regulation and natural lighting.
3. Curved and Glazed Form Buildings - Opportunity for architects to design buildings with curved and glazed form that would optimize the provision of daylight for patients and staff.
Industry Implications
1. Architecture - Architects could revolutionize how buildings are built and focus on sustainable designs that optimize lighting and temperature regulation.
2. Building Materials - Building material manufacturers and suppliers could develop ceramic coatings and ceramic fins that can regulate temperature, conserve heat, and eliminate smog particles.
3. Healthcare - The healthcare industry could focus on building hospitals that will optimize natural light and temperature regulation, where patients can have their exposure to sunlight to aid in the recovery process.