The Ridge l StudioMAS

Architecture, Office Buildings

During the design process of The Ridge, studioMAS and Arup worked closely together. As a result of their close collaboration from the initial stages of the design process, the resulting structure is a model of efficiency. The structure’s distinctive appearance is due significantly to the Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) used for its exterior.

The Ridge: Design Concept

The Ridge’s land was once a parking lot, and its current orientation is a minor slant from north to south. The folded wooden façade fixes this problem by folding the wood or glass in a north-south orientation, which aids the building’s passive solar design.
Using CLT results in substantial reductions in carbon output. It’s long-lasting, recyclable, and produced in the area. It doesn’t need any special treatment on the inside or outside. It insulates without adding heat, stays at ambient temperature, and improves the timber façade with age.

Inside The Ridge, Natural airflow is utilized extensively to accomplish cooling. Windows can be controlled manually or automatically. Air circulation and natural illumination are made possible by the deep rectangular floor plates separated down the middle by a naturally ventilated street/atrium.
Big, high-up drums serve as chimneys and light wells in this central nat-vent street; controlled windows at the rooftop regulate airflow via the vessels. The thermally activated building system (i.e., chilled water pipes cast in floor slabs) and the building’s façade design, central street, and floor plate size allow for passive climate control for about 82% of the year.

Drums and the main street characterize the interior as a place for people to move around and commune with one another. As the district grows, this roadway and entryway plaza will become integral to the greater urban plan, bridging the gap between the V&A Waterfront and Greenpoint and creating a more cohesive and unified city.

The effectiveness of The Ridge is contingent on an alteration in the routines of the building’s corporate users, such as the frequency with which windows are opened and closed. How a person feels about their connection to the outside world affects their use of energy and carbon, the air quality they breathe, the clothes they wear to work, how they feel about themselves, and how happy they are.