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a capacity of 80, including four spaces spans the building to demonstrate the screen-printed glass on the east
for people with reduced mobility, it is Earth's rotation. facade, sunbreaker structures on
equipped with reclining seats, providing the west facade, and external solar
a 360° view of a semi-spherical screen, A bioclimatic design shading;
13 metres in diameter. It is lined with a The building has been designed to • Openings for natural ventilation;
circular technical gallery and a data centre. balance the space of the west-facing • Air quality is ensured by a double-
garden with that of the eastern forecourt. flow system, with adapted flow rates
The permanent exhibition The hall and staircase are glazed to and filters.
The architectural team called on the capture free energy from the sun, and to
Montreal-based digital studio CREO to encourage the public to use the staircase Energy optimisation
create the Cosmocité scenography. To to climb to the upper floors. However, Energy efficiency is primarily
meet the numerous requirements of this this solar energy is controlled by screen- about reducing the building's thermal
ambitious project, CREO put together printed glass to prevent overheating. requirements, which is made possible
a multidisciplinary design team, who To the west, the building opens onto via a compact construction and a high-
worked in close collaboration with the garden and the Vercors landscape, performance envelope.
the project's Grenoble-based scientific while the cantilevered planetarium hall The building's main structure is in
committee, as well as with Centre de shelters it from the summer sun. reinforced concrete, which is insulated
Culture Scientifique, Technique et from the outside to eliminate thermal
Industrielle de Grenoble. Interior characteristics bridges and the associated risk of
Cosmocité's highly interactive The acoustic comfort has been carefully condensation, and to benefit from an
exhibition is designed to answer studied to avoid any sound transfer inertia conducive to summer comfort.
fundamental questions such as: Is the between spaces, as well as towards and The building envelope's performance
Earth unique? Is it possible to predict from outside areas. has been designed to be well below the
everything? Spread over two floors, it French regulatory threshold in terms of
covers everything from the birth of stars Summer thermal comfort is ensured by: energy requirements. Heating is provided
to the causes of earthquakes. In addition, • A heat inert cement structure; by way of a district heating system, and
a 14-metre-high Foucault pendulum • Efficient solar protection: 50% cooling by way of heat pumps.

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