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Transsolar is part of a consortium that continues to develop TRNSYS, an open-code program commercially available since 1975 that simulates the transient performance of thermal-energy systems. This tool, along with FIDAP (software for numerical air-flow simulation, particularly in natural ventilation systems or the study of air currents inside rooms) and RADIANCE (software for evaluating the quality of illumination based on the luminance of both natural and artificial lighting), aided the engineers in resolving an interrelated set of environmental concerns.

 

The lobby (top left) is a four-story-high semipublic space covered by a sloping glass wall with operable louvers for climate control. This area provides access to subterranean parking, the adjacent company restaurant, the courtyard, and the tower itself. Executive offices and meeting areas occupy the upper reaches of the tower (above left and right).

The core of the planning activities focused on the design of the standard offices. The goal was to allow office workers control over heating, window openings, lighting, and shading devices in a system that required no mechanical ventilation and cooling. As the wall sections show, ducts exhaust air to vents in the roof. Their location in the corridors helps mitigate sound. The exhaust system relies mostly on the chimney effect, when outdoor temperatures are below 50 degrees. Even when electrically driven fans are needed, the energy they use is negligible. Such efficiency eliminated the need for a heat-recovery system.