Four Towers in One Competition / Steven Holl Architects
Chaired by Arata Isozaki, the jury unanimously chose Steven Holl Architects as the winning firm for the design of the Shenzhen master plan (We recently shared Morphosis’ proposal earlier on AD). Holl’s concept is based on tropical skyscrapers as “Shade Machines with a Social Bracket” which connect the towers and the street level using a horizontal structure containing public programs and a rooftop water garden.
More about the winning proposal after the break.
By combining all the public program from the four towers into one “Social Bracket”, a continuous element flows through the four sites. Programmatic elements such as cafeterias and gyms are interspersed among art galleries, auditoriums and a movie theater, thus making the bracket attractive to a variety of users.
Similar to the continuous flow of program, the bracket’s roof offers a continuous garden park that collects storm water and recycles all the greywater from the four skyscrapers. Once the water is passed through a central ultraviolet filter system, it is led back to the ponds and planting systems on the roof.
With a subway running close by, the bracket will be accessible to those commuting to work or those enjoying time in the city. “The new elevated bracket acts as an urban interface between the business-centric district to the south and the residential area to the north,” explained the architects.
For the “Shade Machine” towers, the four structures utilize “circular building footprints to maximize the interior space and open views while minimizing the exterior envelope.” Automatic solar tracking screens made of perforated PV cells make one full rotation per day around the circumference of each building, collecting enough PV energy to cool the towers completely. The moving shade is always oriented toward the sun to harvest solar energy and block solar heat gain.
As seen on Bustler.
Images & Diagrams: Steven Holl Architects; Watercolors: Steven Holl.
I like the project by Morphosis more than this by Mr. Holl. It’s not his best project.
And what a crappy visualizations! There is no joy and surroundings in the images, something that is essential in a project in the city…
Although looking forward to experience it in real life.
RT @archdaily: Four Towers in One Competition / Steven Holl Architects http://bit.ly/jKZED
At least he didnt’ put any more of those godawful sky bridges like did at the Linked Hybrid project in Beijing. While the massing is a little better at the street level, I’d still worry that it’s too super-blocky. A great landscape might mitigate that a little bit but from what I’ve seen his projects don’t give much credence to landscape architecture.
Four Towers in One Competition / Steven Holl Architects http://bit.ly/MQh3S
More diagram architecture, anyone? As Nathan said, at least Holl managed to hold off on the pointless footbridge 100m up that will get used by one person every full moon. I’m still looking forward to seeing that monstrosity in CPH he’s hatched up.
Give the man a bit more time and I’m sure he can work a few of his beloved link bridges in during the later revisions.
vertical garden? boring…………..
i blame the visualization..
i like the idea, project “stands on the ground” and it has some concept :)
Four Towers in One Competition / Steven Holl – http://bit.ly/ce0Jg