MODU, Section Head of the Architecture Section and Robert S. Livesey Endowed Professor Phu Hoang and Associate Professor of Practice in the Architecture Section Rachely Rotem, was awarded a Brooklyn Design Award (BKDA) from AIA Brooklyn for the firm’s Promenade project in Houston.

Promenade reduces the effects of Houston’s hot climate, using self-cooling facades, tall shading “fins,” and trellises to improve outdoor comfort. These architectural elements create micro-climate areas while establishing an identity for the center. The self-cooling concrete walls are cast with patterns that, when passed over by wind, dissipate solar heat more quickly. More patterning is used for walls in direct sunlight to increase self-cooling. Around each entrance are numerous tall “fins”, some with mesh material for climbing plants, that provide shade as they rise from the gardens.

Read more at AIA Brooklyn