The 'Smart Green Tower' is a 51-meter-high commercial and residential complex tower. The project base is located in the former freight car marshalling yard in the northwest of Freiburg. The 'Smart Green Tower' project has become a new sign of green buildings due to its building volume and environmental protection facilities. Frye Architects intentionally eschewed conventional architectural design schemes, and designed a building in which its philosophy is expressed directly through its skin.
Its most prominent feature is the innovative energy solution. Experts from Fraunhofer Solar Energy Systems Research (Fraunhofer ISE), Siemens, Badenova and ads-tec teamed up with the Frye Group to implement the project. The energy plan mainly includes the following aspects:
Self-produced electricity supply:
The electrical needs of the building and its occupants will, wherever possible, be derived from photovoltaic panels.
Double curtain wall:
Photovoltaic panels are not only installed on the roof, but the curtain wall of the tower is also covered with photovoltaic panels, on the one hand to obtain energy locally, and on the other hand to prevent the curtain wall from overheating in the sun.
Energy storage:
The energy harvested will be temporarily stored in high-efficiency lithium-ion batteries inside the tower, with a target storage capacity of 0.5 MW. Peak load power supply: The electrical energy stored in the tower can not only be used to meet power demand, but can also be exported when the entire community is under short-term peak load to relieve urgent needs. Goal: Develop a supportive model to balance load currents within the community while maintaining peak outages.
Electronic equipment (and other appropriate equipment) using direct current:
Through the use of efficient system components, the energy loss due to the conversion of direct current to alternating current will be reduced.
Simulation program and monitoring equipment:
The development of a set of meticulous energy efficiency monitoring equipment not only complements the project, but also makes energy use transparent to the occupants.
The upper floors of the main tower contain 70 dwellings. The residences will be rented out under a social operating model called 'pro scholare Prinzip', with special consideration for people with physical or mental disabilities. The goal is to bridge the gap between different types of people. There are also guest houses for the staff of the institutes in Freiburg as well as temporary accommodation.
In order to make this project a benchmark for green buildings, the high-efficiency energy storage system and integrated energy management system installed in the building will be displayed in an exhibition hall for guests to visit in the future. There are classrooms next to the exhibition hall, which are used to hold professional lectures, seminars, project meetings, etc. for the public.