Late in the construction phrase of this research laboratory building, it became obvious that the standard of workmanship for the planned exposed spiral A/C duct curving around the entire circulation / sunken garden space was not going to be acceptable. This necessitated the inclusion of wall hung A/C units that were considered aesthetically unsuitable by the architects for this garden space.
The solution was to conceal these A/C units with a series of wall-hung panels but to give them dual function. HW strips, contoured to the human body and fixed to sprung aluminium frames are located at regular intervals around the walkway facing the garden. The idea is, as well as concealing the A/C units, to create gathering places to lean on for impromptu chats with colleagues in the workday or to pause alone and lean back to contemplate the garden.