PRISM PLANE
Provided: Full Service Architecture + Interior Design + General Contracting
Location: Boulder, CO
Completed: Summer 2020
Completed in June 2020, this reclamation project took a dark, cloistered office building with narrow and convoluted circulation, and turned it into a daylit, energy efficient, flexible, and healthy office space for a 3D design software firm in Boulder, Colorado.
Tres Birds selectively removed exterior and interior walls to create transparency, views, and a clear sense of circulation through the building. Skylights, glass walls, and a new atrium opening allow the sun to penetrate deep or entirely through the building. In many locations the user receives sunlight from 3 or 4 directions simultaneously, creating a happier, healthier workspace for the building’s occupants.
Triangulation plays a vital role in 3D design software as well as in architecture, form, and structure. The triangle is present and plays a role in all levels of the building design, from daylighting to building form to interior design choices. A folding glass curtain wall inserted into the existing brick façade, dubbed the Prism Plane, is made from clear and dichroic colored glass. The colorful panes reflect and refract color through and around the building and change with the time of day as well as the angle of the viewer. Each panel is placed at a unique angle to increase the kaleidoscopic effects of the glass, their very complexity a reminder of the software used to shape the design. As a 38’ steel hydraulic door pivots upwards, more reflections and refractions interact with the ground and the curtain wall above. Every day of the year provides a new radiant color show inside and out.
The renovations included improvements in energy use as well. A 60kW photovoltaic array was installed on the roof, windows were upgraded to double pane low-e IGUs, and low flow Kohler plumbing fixtures were installed. The use of LED lighting with full dimming control zones allows the use of artificial lighting only where necessary at any point during the day.
As architects and general contractors, Tres Birds took a stuffy, hermetic, brick office building and pushed as much sunlight as possible into its core. Occupants who enjoy this natural lighting will feel better and work healthier. With the Prism Plane as a backdrop, the outdoor garden has become an indoor/outdoor workspace allowing employees to take advantage of Boulder's gentle weather and work in an inspiring environment. Balancing transparency with privacy, the building now allows for clear navigation and comfort while maintaining a variety of efficient workspace.
Location: Boulder, CO
Completed: Summer 2020
Completed in June 2020, this reclamation project took a dark, cloistered office building with narrow and convoluted circulation, and turned it into a daylit, energy efficient, flexible, and healthy office space for a 3D design software firm in Boulder, Colorado.
Tres Birds selectively removed exterior and interior walls to create transparency, views, and a clear sense of circulation through the building. Skylights, glass walls, and a new atrium opening allow the sun to penetrate deep or entirely through the building. In many locations the user receives sunlight from 3 or 4 directions simultaneously, creating a happier, healthier workspace for the building’s occupants.
Triangulation plays a vital role in 3D design software as well as in architecture, form, and structure. The triangle is present and plays a role in all levels of the building design, from daylighting to building form to interior design choices. A folding glass curtain wall inserted into the existing brick façade, dubbed the Prism Plane, is made from clear and dichroic colored glass. The colorful panes reflect and refract color through and around the building and change with the time of day as well as the angle of the viewer. Each panel is placed at a unique angle to increase the kaleidoscopic effects of the glass, their very complexity a reminder of the software used to shape the design. As a 38’ steel hydraulic door pivots upwards, more reflections and refractions interact with the ground and the curtain wall above. Every day of the year provides a new radiant color show inside and out.
The renovations included improvements in energy use as well. A 60kW photovoltaic array was installed on the roof, windows were upgraded to double pane low-e IGUs, and low flow Kohler plumbing fixtures were installed. The use of LED lighting with full dimming control zones allows the use of artificial lighting only where necessary at any point during the day.
As architects and general contractors, Tres Birds took a stuffy, hermetic, brick office building and pushed as much sunlight as possible into its core. Occupants who enjoy this natural lighting will feel better and work healthier. With the Prism Plane as a backdrop, the outdoor garden has become an indoor/outdoor workspace allowing employees to take advantage of Boulder's gentle weather and work in an inspiring environment. Balancing transparency with privacy, the building now allows for clear navigation and comfort while maintaining a variety of efficient workspace.
