In response to the Metropolis NextGen competition call to drastically
reduce energy and water consumption at an existing federal building in
Los Angeles, Analogue Studio created 2ndSkin to transform the existing
building envelope into an energy conserving and renewable energy
generating surface, converting energy expenditure into infrastructure
investment. 2ndSkin is a lightweight unitized cladding system that
provides an advanced supplementary envelope for existing buildings that
provides integrated energy use reduction and production capabilities
through standardized modules that can be adapted to project-specific
conditions. For this particular site, the 2ndSkin system combines
additional insulation, air-tightness, and solar shading systems that
minimize thermal losses and gains; building-integrated photovoltaic and
wind systems that provide renewable energy, and light shelves that
reduce demand for artificial lighting to achieve a 67% reduction in
space conditioning and lighting loads.