Tamperguard - Manufacturing Centre

Given the BCZ‑Design standard requirements regarding material emissivity, energy efficiency, and airtightness, the design process focused primarily on optimizing plans, materials, components, and systems. “The project was developed in three phases, each allowing us to refine the plans in collaboration with the client, the BCZ‑Design consultant, engineers, and other stakeholders, with the objective of minimizing the plant’s carbon footprint,” explains Stanley Wu, architect and Project Director.

To enable the client to achieve the targeted certification, it was essential to significantly reduce the use of high-embodied-carbon materials—particularly concrete. To this end, GKC’s team, in collaboration with other stakeholders, reviewed the original plans to optimize the building’s design without compromising its operational integrity.

These efforts led, among other measures, to a reduction in the thickness of foundation walls and the number of supporting columns; the replacement of concrete staircases with steel staircases; a thinner concrete slab; and the use of gypsum rather than concrete block for interior walls.

As energy performance is a core pillar of the BCZ‑Design standard, insulating the facility was strategically important. The team therefore replaced the originally specified prefabricated concrete panels with extruded polystyrene (XPS) panels, which reduce the building’s carbon footprint while ensuring excellent thermal performance and high mechanical strength.

With the same objective, the number of openings was reduced from the original plans, and materials were replaced with higher‑performance, lower-energy-intensive alternatives, while maintaining a balance between energy efficiency, aesthetics, and interior daylighting.

In addition, the selected heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system—comprising rooftop units coupled with an electric heat pump—relies exclusively on hydroelectricity, thereby avoiding several tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually compared with a natural gas system.

Delivered in 2022, the project required a high level of coordination, explains Stanley Wu:
“Throughout the three project phases, we regularly brought the client and all stakeholders together to align their efforts and remain focused on energy performance objectives and BCZ‑Design certification.” This ongoing coordination from one phase to the next enabled quick decision validation and a coherent execution.

Ultimately, the emission‑ and energy‑reduction initiatives enabled the building to achieve zero‑carbon certification, in line with the client’s objectives. Moreover, the project led to the identification of optimization measures—such as revising the composition of foundation walls—that GKC now applies across its other projects.