Download hypergreen: interview with the architect, jacques ferrier

HYPERGREEN: INTERVIEW WITH THE ARCHITECT, JACQUES FERRIER
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“Hypergreen, sustainable construction takes to the skies
[Interview]
Jacques Ferrier, architect
In partnership with Lafarge, the Hypergreen project is a research-based project. Initially, it was not a
project for a real building but a sort of concept-building.
It focuses on very futuristic and innovative ideas, a search for a new style of skyscraper, one which is
highly environmentally sound: a suggestion box for the new skyscraper generation… Industrial
companies in general and Lafarge in particular, are a pool of new, innovative materials. But they are
not perceived as such. If you say “ultra-high performance concrete fiber”, it is not very seductive or
attractive.
An architect can shape these materials and find their applications which, I hope, will be a great
inspiration for dreams…
A high, ecologically sound skyscraper, with wind turbines and hanging gardens will give these
materials visibility and make them more attractive.
Our notoriety and reputation in the architectural world are carried and supported by the international
presence of a large group like Lafarge. An example: Lafarge provided us with support for this project’s
presentation last November at an important congress on the future of towns in Shangai.
We had designed a double structure: the Ductal® mesh in an ultra-high performance concrete which
would serve as the frontage of the building and also contributes to its stability. The interior is a
prefabricated concrete structure, which doesn’t yet exist for buildings of this height.
We carried out many simulations in the town’s cityscape, to show that this tall building would fit
perfectly in the town itself. We also demonstrated its difference. It is less like a monolithic object, the
glass is relatively opaque, it appears to be permeable. One can glimpse life inside the building: the
gardens, offices, a hotel, the conference centre, and the wind turbines turning above.
The construction industry in general (including building construction and building maintenance) is
responsible for one third of the greenhouse effect. It is therefore extremely important that architecture
moves towards sustainable construction, focusing on sustainable cities.
For me, architecture in the 21st century either has an environmental future or no future at all.”
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