evolo skyscraper competition

blues #2

2009 undergraduate studio

with boris morin-defoy

The tower was first started as an experiment in relation to the site and its weather. By mimicking wind diagrams, we developed a rectangular geometry that bent in on itself to then unbend. The final floorplan finishing perpendicular to the initial; the spatial potential of such a geometry intrigued us. The tower became an exploration of simple, natural forms.

The negative space generated from the reflected bending became an opportunity to connect what was before a series of detached units. The units stand individually, lacking a conventional hallway, reinforcing the sense of private living, but are linked by the void that is the tower’s interior. The tower becomes then more than a static residence; it is an ever morphing organ; a place of events. The main program that we then wanted to incorporate was that of music.

Sound propagates not only throughout the tower its self, but through its morphology. Within the study of space, we explored ways of dividing public and private though topographical differences. Inspired by John Cage’s visual representation of music, musical compositions were used as a tool to generate interesting, unique designs; each apartment developed from a different piece of music. The centralized themes of music and dialogue between individuality and community, create an exciting, dynamic space where the sensational experience of a building is emphasized.