French-Brazilian studio Triptyque has revamped a 85-metre-high office block in Rio de Janeiro with zigzagging glazing and solar panels so it can generate its own electricity.

RB12 was first built in the 1970s and, like many of the city's buildings from that era, had very few green credentials. Rather than demolishing it, property developer Natekko asked Triptyque to look at ways of reducing its energy consumption.

The studio's response was to replace the 26-storey building's facade and to integrate several sustainable technologies, ranging from renewable energy sources to water recycling systems, innovative glazing, and plant-filled balconies.

The aim is for the structure to become a model for how the city's existing building stock can be upgraded."This unique project combines daring design with sustainable development innovative technologies," explained the architects, whose portfolio also includes an arts space that revives an old warehouse and a housing block that is just four metres wide.
"[It] embodies an innovative new concept of sustainable development based on energy production, thus following the global trend of green refurbishment, which consists in adapting and upgrading old buildings," they added.

Read the full story on Dezeen: www.dezeen.com/2016/05/04/triptyque-rb12-1970s-office-tower-overhaul-rio-de-janeiro-brazil-environmentally-eco-friendly-sustainable-architecture/

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