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| Herman Miller Gets New Headquarters Designed By Gensler  Gensler has recently completed the new European headquarters of leading furniture designer and manufacturer, Herman Miller in Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK.The 20,000 square foot sustainable building, called the VillageGreen, incorporates the latest energy conservation strategies and has recently been accredited an Excellent British Research Establishment (Ltd) Environmental Assessment Method rating. An industry leader in environmentally responsible issues, Herman Miller charged Gensler with designing a highly sustainable facility that would combine office areas and showroom space, while allowing their 100+ staff to explore new ways of working. "Intelligent" building design incorporates passive cooling and other environmental controls within the structure, to allow the building to breathe, thus reducing heating requirements and minimizing operational costs. Sensors monitor the temperature of the concrete slabs and open and close windows to maintain a constant temperature within the building. The concrete slabs are also used to cool the building at night. Rain is drained to an overflow-balancing pond to harvest rainwater and manage its effect on the water table. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Construction News :: home page |