INTERNSHIP AT INGENHOVEN ARCHITEKTEN

I haven't talked much about my internship yet, and it's probably because so far it's been pretty typical. The project I'm working on is an expensive yet ecologically sophisticated high-rise office building in Sydney, Australia. All the drawings are in English, and right now I'm mostly just drafting detailed drawings, which will eventually lead to the construction documents. The main design decisions are already made, so we're just working out the kinks. The exciting part for me is that the building employs the "double-skin fassade," which will be the focus of my year-long thesis project for my last year in school. This wall basically consists of easy-to-assemble box-like modules with glass on either side. The idea is to create this temperate air space between outside and inside, use passive techniques to provide shading and ventilation, and allow complete transparency. Many highrises in Europe use this technique but there are very few in the U.S. My goal is to learn more about these "dsf"s, why they aren't used so much in U.S., and how effective they truely are.