YOKOHAMA SYMPHOSTAGE

Seven Different Orientation-adapted Facade Systems
to Maximize Solar Heat Shading Efficiency

Location: Kanagawa

Completion: March 2024

Use: Offices, stores, hotels, etc.

Floors: West Tower — 30 above ground, 1 below ground, 2 tower floors
East Tower — 16 above ground, 1 below ground, 1 tower floor

Scope of work handled by YKK AP: Facade aluminum curtain walls (West and East Towers, 4F to the top)

A Landmark in the Minato Mirai 21 Central District

YOKOHAMA SYMPHOSTAGE, one of the landmarks of the Minato Mirai 21 Central District, is a major building complex consisting of two towers, the 30-story West Tower and the 16-story East Tower, which house offices, retail stores, hotels, and other facilities.
In addition to obtaining the highest rank of five stars under the Building-Housing Energy-efficiency Labeling System (BELS) for the buildings as a whole, the office sections have also received "ZEB Ready" certification.

YKK AP was responsible for the facade curtain walls of the two towers from the fourth floor upwards. Taking solar heat shading into consideration, seven different facade systems, including vertical and horizontal fins and a compact double-skin system, were used to reduce heat load on each of the buildings’ variously-oriented facade surfaces. These efforts resulted in outstanding environmental performance.

A Compact Double Skin for Surfaces Exposed to Harsh Sunlight

For the facades exposed to the greatest heat load, a compact double-skin construction with float glass (or laminated glass) on the outside and Low-E insulating glass on the inside was used. By employing an outer and inner sash configuration within a 275mm-deep frame, with blinds integrated between the two layers of glass and circulating external air, the system provides outstanding environmental performance alongside a compact facade. In addition, for ease of maintenance, a transom (crosspiece) was placed at waist height on the inner sash, with a fixed window below and an inward-opening sash window above. This double-skin system, with its superb aesthetic, environmental, and functional qualities, has been highly acclaimed.

Design Considerations to Accommodate Multiple Facade Systems

Despite the use of seven different facade systems, the buildings' design achieves harmony in terms of both design and function. By using the same profile for the vertical and horizontal fins, and just rotating their orientation by 90 degrees, it was possible to accommodate the need for uniformity between the buildings while ensuring effective and efficient manufacturing and installation.
Furthermore, using a 2x2 grid layout in which standard modules of width 1,200mm and height 4,300mm are assembled to produce units of width 2,400mm and height 4,300mm, as well as a "unitized curtain wall" structure in which the inner and outer sashes are integrated at the factory, the design ensures high quality, ease of transportation, and efficient installation.

Through integrated manufacturing and sales, YKK AP offers not only technology and proposal capabilities, but also the interpersonal skills to build mutual trust from the moment a design proposal is submitted. It is this that constitutes the "YKK AP quality" that our company brought to this project.

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