Sinfonia-Varsovia-Concert-Hall-International-Competition

 

Warsaw Concert Hall International two phase Architecture Competition presentation text

We developed an architectural and urban concept of the area of the former Veterinary Institute complex in the attempt of casting architecturally a contemporary shift on our understanding of the urban context. We based our comprehension of the site and its surroundings as part of a community, a lively neighborhood eager to share their environment with the orchestra members and it’s new complex. The main purpose of the project is to build a new concert hall creating a garden of follies. It would be qualified as a new leisure platform conceived around the notion of musicality and the celebration of classical culture in everyday life in the Capital.

For the construction of a new concert hall, we understand the structuring capability of the renovation of the existing buildings and the new concert hall on the west side of the park. Together with the new pavilions on the east side of the park the project will revitalize the entire area.

We reinterpreted the neo-classical architectural quality of the existing buildings. A new series of shapes evolved in their new positions. Colors, textures and opaque-to-void nature played a new dynamic relationship between perspective views and their environment. A new Series of pavilions are then organized along a new structural system above the concert hall.

This conceptual approach refers more directly to post 1970’s trends in contemporary visual arts1. The notion of index and reference to already existing objects, in opposition to the new reiterates the questions of design in its shape giving process. We play with the surrounding architectural environment thus creating a new urban vision for culture and leisure, past and future.

 

Program spatial organization

The principal access to the concert hall is place on Grochowska Street fronting Building A with addition of two secondary accesses on the East and West side of the site. These entries allow a more direct proximity between the park and the Concert hall. The artist entry is position on the Northern side, via Kobielska street. The entrance pavilions surrounding building A leads to an entrance hub. Building A hosts the administration offices and the larger practice rooms. The main car drop off is kept via the main gate with a slight modification of the driveway path. Underground parking spaces is accessible by Terespolska street.

Most small rooms functions are kept above grade, or are place underground with views on the main Hall with sunlight coming down via large light wells. This is the case of the practice rooms and the dressing rooms. They are place all around the hall and on the upper level of the amphitheatre. Similar light wells are also present in the main hall.

 

Varsovia Concert Hall Copyright B.dePassilleLapierreDesjardins 2of2

 

The amphitheatre is conceived as a natural like cavity playing on the notion of positive and negative spaces in relation to the nature of the ground and the underground. The core of the amphitheatre is part of the landscape. The main volume is embedded for its major part.

From the main hall the VIP rooms are directly accessible. The large orchestra rehearsal room floats above the concert hall and is place in close relation with an outdoor scene animating the garden. A café with terrace is integrated on the ground floor fronting Obwodu Praga Arm Park. Formally, the emerging pavilions are serving as entrance hall.  © Claude Boullevraye de Passillé Arch DESA, Katherine Lapierre Arch RIBA, René-Luc Desjardins Arch SciArc; with Gérôme Ruby visual artist , 2010

Render Vasovia Sinfonia 1800 seats by ©C.B.dePassillé Section

Tehran Vertical Garden housing prototype

TehranHousingPrototypeFrontalElevation

Tehran Vertical Garden housing prototype is a LEED-platinum-like ecological real estate development project. It further encourages density in the city center. Its spatial organization is based on the “circuliplex” use of main stairs as both element of composition on each facade and continuous space-shaping device from sidewalk to rooftop terraces. Most of the facade surfaces are covered with rolling vegetated panels.  3 types of outdoor inter-related rolling panels exist: translucid, sun-shade grid and vegetated. The “circuliplex” (variant stair placement) spatial organization, favors apartment entrances variation and typologies, users daily exercice, and esthetic variations via rupture of rythms.

Tehran Vertical Garden© Sara Kamalvand and Claude Boullevraye de Passillé, 2009 ; with Circuliplex© Claude Boullevraye de Passillé, 1996

Tehran Housing Prototype concept section

Tehran Housing Prototype plan

Towers

Towers 2007 Montreal exhibit Poster

Towers concept section at 747 wing-top café

Through a semio-critical reading of events, Towers is simultainiously a place of pilgramage, a vertical extension of lower Manhattan’s public space and a new philosophical beacon cristalizing the past, present and possible future. It would be built in the Hudson River, a few meters away from an existing marina, with real unused, old, sand-blasted airplanes from the Californian desert. Tower © Claude Boullevraye de Passillé, 2005

Europan 8 – Urban Resonance–Flickering life

Urban Resonance–Flickering life - day view - B. de Passillé-Rousseau-Bélanger

Urban Resonance – Flickering life© in Alkmaar, Netherlands is a Europan 8 session competition proposal by Claude Boullevraye de Passillé arch. DESA, with Véronique Bélanger and Gabriel Rousseau arch. MOAQ; and Nikita Sapeguine graphic designer, in 2004.

Original text in English:

Our main concept is to introduce joy into the built environment through a relative abstraction that initiates surprise as a phenomenological experience. We feel that it is necessary for the first time observer to ask himself: what am I looking at? Is it a new housing project, a conceptual land art piece, a modern church or a new type of power station? The power of surprise induces the emotional responce from observers and leads them to analyse ambiguity. This feeling uplifts the observer’s spirit to a higher level of awareness, perhaps of social consciousness, in some cases. By this subtle ethereal abstraction we plan to bring contemporary aesthetics to the heart of daily downtown life and above all, to resident’s daily life. Here, the main manifestation of this architectural joy is a system of movable panels and a play of transformable public furniture. In this case, movement is seen as a technological expression of the evolution of society and its public spaces.

Like flickering waves on the water surface, our facade scheme would constantly transform luminosity, shadows and colour patterns to animate architectural space. An assemblage of movable coloured protection panels, guardrail panels, basic airtight glazing and interior wall panels work together transforming the inhabitants’ communal and private spaces. Since at least 66 % of the apartment units have a double-orientation sunlight exposure, the panels serve both as sunblockers and privacy control elements. The inner circulation also participates in the overall architectural experience. When seen from the outside, residents actively participate in the public space. The proposal complements the surroundings by adding a new layer to the existing urban plan. We understand that the Europan organizers for this site wanted the participants to develop their projects from the main kanaal outward, in contradiction to the West 8 Master-plan. Therefore, we undertook the challenge of developing a complex new neighbourhood as a playful extension of the downtown area. We plan to redefine the existing city by injecting an addition dose of character.

Relation to downtown

The new neighbourhood improves the 3 existing central civic zones: the Historical Center (the former Island), the new City Hall inlet and the university docks. We propose an extension of civic life toward the North, adding to what exists as a conscious and necessary game of urban accumulation. A clear symbolic link exists between the old city church bell tower and the Culture-entertainment Cactus tower at the South-West part of the site. This tall tower acts as a modern day bell tower, a place of meeting and gathering. This visual link indicates important points of reference and points of activity.

Masterplan

We believe that modernism is still overwhelmingly alive. It is evolving into the plurality of tragectories, based onmore spatial and psycho-sociological factors rather then only ideological ones. As indicated by Christian de Portzamparc in “l’ilot ouvert” (Open lot) and by Rem Koolhaas in his notion of playful scenography of the built environment, hyper-modernity will evolve into plural answers. Furthermore, urban architectural concepts can be both radical and highly contextual. We wish to present a philosophically, architecturally, sociologically and spatially complete project answering all parameters. That is, a project of synthesis.

Our design contains 5 zones. The first zone is the kanaal waterfront. The second zone is the specific Europan site based on housing; the third zone is the central lot and the last is the Southern lot, now divided in two by a new street. This new street holds shops on it’s ground floors. We propose to extend the existing lots that are perpendicular to the Nordern Kanaal. Five small 4 storey buildings are built at the fringe of the kanaal on the docks. They help to define the linear plaza-promenade. The 4 volumes would offer great water-aerial views for their occupants without completely blocking the view of the kanaal for most parts of the 3 main lots (now 4). The surrounding ground would be largely open to passers-by, tourists and local residents as a linear plaza-promenade. The relation to the water would be emphasized through a series of special public benches. The benches of various lengths would have the possibility of rotating on a central axis. to encourage new encounters or preserve personal privacy. These benches would form an active line of socialization at the waterfront.

The specific Europan site is based on housing. In addition to the 5 waterfront volumes, we are proposing a core building made up of an assemblage of apartments (mass) and circulation spaces (void). This core typology is complemented by an secondary, smaller and more massive typology. The core typology measures 58 to 85 meters long (average 73 meters long), 24 meters wide and either four or five storey in height. We innovate in the modulation of this core building in half a dozen permutations. A second typology interacts with the first one. These smaller cubic-like buildings are seen mainly on the major streets in alternation with the core typology. Their average length is 22 meters by 29 meters width by four or five storey in height.

Together these two typologies create semi-closed/semi-opened lots, like those recently tested and implemented in the “rive gauche” of Paris and various European cities. The semi- closed/semi-opened lot proposition is kind of a synthesis between the tradition closed in inner-court and the all open modernist configurations. As we all know, these last spaces have often proven to be neutralizing and anti-social. In our scheme, we increase the density the perimeter of each lot, to free up a central zone for each lot in an uneven, non-systematic way. This unevenness also applies in elevation for each building. In various proportions, some parts are on posts, some parts are in reassess, some others are in cantilever.

This diversity produces a warmer spatial rhythm than systematic modernist spatial rhythm or traditional shoulder to shoulder Borneo type lots. In terms of plane elevations, some plates of land are slightly raised and initiate small, narrow streams that flow slowly to the main Nortern Kanaal. These streams act as all-around refreshing fountains. Most of the apartments (66%) have a double sun exposure along the East-West axis within a North-South building orientation. The outdoor spaces design completes and contains the buildings.

The central open spaces

In relation to the waterfront open space, this mineral open space holds a diversity of functions such as children’s playgrounds, sports courts, a central outdoor pool, planted open spaces and shaded reading-rest areas. It also holds a major urban plaza called Circularities made of very low speed rotating rings. In average, it takes about 30 minutes to complete a full circle. Each ring holds a series of public benches, in segments. Each bench either faces inward or outward, facing another bench that moves in the opposite direction. A passer-by can cross circularities at any point because it’s benches density is about 60% of it’s total periphery. It’s center stays empty. Far from the juvenile experience of the Merry-go-round, the slow meditative movement permits the user to meet (or not) different people while reading the newspaper or simply relaxing enjoying the scenery.

Programme

We believe greatly in diversity of typologies and diversity of types of users. We also believe that any type of users (young families for example) should have a large choice of locations within the neighbourhood. The 5 waterfront building blocks, elongated main building typology, cubic secondary building typology and rail side linear building typologies offers a real choice. The specific European site holds 280 apartments and there is another 185 apartments South of the site. The main elongated building typology offers 2 floor apartments for young families or couples; smaller bachelors and mid-size one floor apartments for an elder or a widow. There is a large number of multigenerational juxtaposed apartments. In terms of apartment percentage, we establish a new recipe: 30% of 1- bedrooms apartments, 40% of 2-bedrooms apartments and 30% 3-bedrooms apartments. In terms of the social aspect of housing, 2 meeting points are to be expected: main entrances of the buildings and the the rooftop gardens. Children are expected to play within most of the glazed corridors. In addition to regular ground level playgrounds, some parts of the rooftop gardens would also serve as play areas.

Parking

Almost all parking is underground. There is an approximate total of 600 parking spaces. The building structures correspond to underground parking below. We calculate that an average of 550 parking spaces will be used by residents and 50 will be used by tourists, shoppers, and visitors. The above concrete slab holding all plazas and streets would have some random looking circular holes that bring in natural light and ventilation into the parking. Some trees would be planted underground at the parking level and would have their foliage rise out of the holes to the ground level.

Urban Resonance–Flickering life – Interior – B. de Passillé-Rousseau-Bélanger

The Culture-entertainment Cactus and shops

We propose a vertical, mixed flexible cinema-theater-exhibition complex at the corner of Noorderkade and Noordeb, facing the new City Hall. The Culture -Entertainment Cactus tower is the only obvious architectural beacon on the regional scale. Although tall, it would not have the look of an office tower. Basically made up of 2 opaque theaters stacked atop one- another, it would be seen as ambiguous as defined in the first paragraph. Social space – Entertainment Cactus The 60 meters high structure would hold 380 seat stage theater and either 2 or 3 cinema theaters, one of which is a 240 seat facility. This non-cineplex complex acts as a clear cultural beacon, yet it exists in relation to the historical center. Exhibitions would be shown on the ground floor and the mid-level foyer. Social gatherings would take place all over the structure but mostly on the 2 outdoor terraces in the summer time and in the mid-level interstice during the winter season. The underground would hold a large shopping area such as a supermarket. Some ground level shops (coffee shops, post office, speciality food market, bakery, and drugstore would be just East of the Culture-entertainment Cactus.

The lobby of the tower would hold a few service counters such as watch repairs, tailors, snack vendors, and specialized civil servants for the community. Because of the clear mass-void contrast in volume, it’s appearance would radically change from day to night. Technical innovations and ecological issues The main technical innovation of the project is to integrate the near exterior of the facades into the composition of the building. Users would have 2 different layers of rolling shutters. The first layer is exterior, holding semi-translucent coloured glass shutters; the second is the interior opaque layer. The relation between the 2 layers in a multitude of opened-closed permutations simply permits the user to modify overall facade variations. When coloured panels overlap, they create new colours. The variations would differ depending on the time of day, the social intensity on the courtyard grounds and surely on each occupant’s illumination needs and moods. We presume that most interior panels would be in the closed position during the night, in the opened position during the day. We also presume that most exterior panels positioning would follow a relation to proximity logic. They would probably be in the closed position during most of the summer time (to protect direct views inside apartments), and in the opened position during most of the winter time (to maximize sunlight intake). Together with the floor-to-sealing glass sliding windows and the fixed glassed guardrail-panels, each apartment’s panels section participates in a common architectural vibration that reflects urban complexity and our flickering lives. The East, South and West oriented exterior panels would hold microscopic photovoltaic cells (mesh) that would generate a substantial amount of electricity for the households. All outward glass would be coated with self-cleaning titanium oxide, and inserted in low-e, argon filled sealed glazing units. These panels could of course be moved by the user by electrical motor, by hand or by crank.

In both typologies, some domotics would help manage lighting , including exterior panels; water transfers and temperature. All heating would come from a geothermic system witch outputs in water tubular concrete floor slabs. This system would possibly have to be revised sometime after the 30 year mark. Wall wiring for a possible transfer to electrical heating would exist right from the start. The second technical innovation is in direct link with the general economical value of the build project, and more specifically with the time-life of the project. We do not believe that 25 to 30 years turnover for contemporary housing construction will be viable in 30 years from now.

European development and urban consolidation spending needs to focus on other things then destruction-reconstruction of housing. We therefore feel that it is important to suggest a structural underground buffer space that would cost some additional earth displacement budget, but that would dramatically save funds at the 30 year mark. These amounts would be saved in possibly all the following phases (destruction costs, street plumbing and systems reattachment costs, underpinning costs, digging and soil displacement costs, reconstruction costs). During the first 30 years of the project, the result is an innovative underground waste water treatment cavity. This self sufficient artificial pond would treat all waste water and also produce compost from toilet waste.

Some of the grey water would be pumped back up to the rooftop gardens for watering. Another amount of grey water would be used for showers and toilets. Municipal water would flow to the faucets. The rest of the treated water would flow directly to the Northern kanaal. Depending on the possible treatment of construction material waste, we estimate that the general impact of this project on it’s context is minimal, perhaps as low as of 1 as ecological imprint.

Materiality

In the case of all buildings (housing, cultural center, waterfront blocks) the main structures would be made of either concrete or steel, or a mix of the two, depending on the worldwide material costs at the time of the beginning of construction. We favour an all concrete structure with long-lasting carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforcement. We consider traditional concrete as non-viable because of it’s short life-span due to eroding inner steel reinforcements. We also prefer to avoid using a steel structure to avoid the presence of fairly toxic intumescent material. The exterior panels and railing panels are made of acidified translucent tempered glass (2 x 6.4mm) with a coloured film. The exterior panels structures are made of galvanized steel. The main opaque exterior facade material would be a thin plastic-concrete based material. Some interior materials would include raw woods, natural non-toxic paints, carpets made from recycled materials.

The landscape architecture of the project would be made of various dark coloured stones and pavement. Some zones would have a gravel texture. Some zones such as the waterfront would have grass or other green vegetation as ground surface. All exterior lighting would be from whitish LEDs with some accent colours in strategic walkways and entrances. A narrow palette of materials and colours would be used. The public benches would be made of vandalism-resistant coloured plastic-concrete. On the waterfront side of the lots, 3.5 meters diameter discs are embedded in the pavement. These thick glass discs are illuminated from below and serve as subtle street corner beacon.

The economical model

We estimate the average construction cost for the apartment buildings at 4600 euro per square meter. The initial extra soil extraction for the underground cavity represents an additional 200 euro per square meter. The initial multi-level, multi-system ecological investment costs would be economically viable over a return period of 15 year (in the present estimate of worldwide rising energy costs). In the context of this almost 1 “ecological imprint” impact housing project , there is a clear global-social economy for society. The average construction cost for underground built barges in 2040 is impossible to evaluate. The average displacement cost for hypothetical floating barges after 2040 is also impossible to evaluate.

Towards the 2050 Dutch archipelago, in time

In regard to the proven fact of global warming, and therefore rising sea level, we believe that the region of Alkmaar is unavoidably doomed. Sea level will rise and the region will be permanently submerged sometime after 2030. This will transform urban life if not life alltogether. As we saw in the recent events of New Orleans, no human construction can prevent the sea from modifying man-made land scale. We propose a series of buildings that hold the possibility of transformation. Using planned void waste water filtration spaces under every car parking and perimeter open shafts, a future contractor could build barge structures (see diagram). Although being tight in height and with, the void space would serve as an insitu shipyard. After construction, each barge would hold the buildings overhead. These new urban-barges could not only resist rising sea water but be eventually moved elsewhere ones the Nordern kanaal swells enough. Car parkings would eventually transform in small boat parkings. The floating lots could be attached to one-another in various configurations forming together a new City-State outside the existing surely flooded cities. Netherlands will simply evolve into a concept and a way of life more then a specific geographical region.

Urban Resonance – Flickering life © Claude Boullevraye de Passillé 2004

Urban Resonance–Flickering life - night view - B. de Passillé-Rousseau-Bélanger

Zaabeel Park tower, Dubai – International Competition, 2009

Zaabeel Tower - Diagrams

Competition entry panels text:

« J’ai mon coeur au poing.

Comme un faucon aveugle. »

« I have my heart on my fist.

Like a blind falcon. »

Le Tombeau des Rois, Anne Hebert (French-Canadian poet and writer).

In a wish to both capture the essence of the Arabian culture, and to present architecture as the absolute praise to the outstanding and unique horizon of a specific context, is proposed the TOWER OF SPACE. Herein is both integrated tradition and created a transitional space preparing upcoming opportunities, all at once reaffirming the remarkably ancient origin of Arabian culture and philosophy and its eager launching into the future.

Thus, beyond the twofold incorporation of the landscape’s character into the project and the integration of the tower into the surrounding, and the prominent concern is to create a unique spatial experience and attractive architectural object; this project first revisits major symbols of the Arab culture which have numerous times placed it as a prominent civilization throughout history, thus using these assets as stepping stones for a present cartography and future positioning of Dubai within a global world culture.

The TOWER OF SPACE stands as an iconic statement on what is the essence of the past and future space, time and culture in which it is erected. It repeatedly expresses both simplicity and labyrinthine qualities, reaffirming the horizon of time and space, of tradition and of the desert within the delicate skin of an empty vertical shaft filled with emptiness of vertigo. We value the qualities of immateriality and emptiness.

This tower stands as a local and international particular collage and proposition of a powerful space of experience, standing thus as a center in its outstanding qualities.

This tower, small among the multitude of risen emblems of modernity, totally transparent stands out in its mysterious difference, towering as a pride gem of tradition and uniqueness.

The falcon or interior blindness

Arabian civilization stands out as the cradle and main location for falconry. Over 8,000 years ago, before even the emergence of writing, a bird of prey appeared as carrier of divine power in the midst of these sands, its power since then having been universally recognized and passed on. Today over half of the world’s falconry practitioners reside in the Arab Emirates.

Flying at two hundred kilometers per hour and seeing a hundred images a second this emblem of ancient Arab culture, the fastest among all birds, also stands out as a symbol of modernity’s speed, throwing itself full speed into the future. The new practice of falcon breeding requires baby falcons to develop their preying and flying skills when perched for a period of three months eight at a time in nests above sixty meters high before they are handed to their falconry trainers. Thus the TOWER OF SPACE will have the outside skin of its shaft inserted with ten cribs. These can be occupied year round, managed by experts and observable from inside the tower by passersby, all invisible to the falcons. Thereof, the tower encompasses the futuristic character of the falcon in its takeoff.

Furthermore, the site of the competition proves to be an ideal location for falcons, in a less than five kilometer radius distance from the port, a favorite source of water, fish and grain; from a wildlife reserve; and from the airport. Falconry is recognized worldwide as one of the most secure way to clean airport areas of other birds which represent potential plane flight danger. The presence of a few dozen falcons on the site of the tower has been confirmed by experts as incapable of harming or unbalancing the natural environment.

Zaabeel Tower of Space - Isometric

Falconry was initially a practice of capturing migrating birds, training them to hunt then freeing them after a few months. However, to get them accustomed to life with humans, required the falcons to be temporarily blinded. The TOWER OF SPACE proposes the experience of momentary blindness, a totally enclosed windowless experience of a flaneur. One thus learns how to see, walking through the tower with the necessary tameness of the falcon. The focus of this tower is to offer an experience from the open horizon of the desert through a long and vertical labyrinth of total loss of perception of the surrounding, then arriving upon an open view. Within a city without limits, the tower is an intimate space of confinement, an architecture of separation, and thus, shelter. The falcon, traditionally used for protection, now surrounds the tower.

Once reached, the full view at the top of the tower stands as a metaphor of the power and insight gained by emerging from temporary blindness.

Arabesque & Alphabet blend

Arabian culture has long praised language as a tool to bridge cultures and is known for its long-established full dedication to translating manuscripts and extensive public libraries. Arab calligraphy and architecture meet in the tradition of the arabesque. This motif, inviting an continuous contemplation, is the base for an eight sided, revolving, three dimensional structure built of a cyclically piled up set of eight modules of concrete. This three dimensional arabesque structure which fills up the whole tower, hovers above the library, guiding the elevation of the mind and leading one in a physical rise to the restaurant.

LABYRINTHE and Elevation

The tower, in isolation from the rest of the world totally condenses the true meaning of elevation. The landscape surrounding the site, an open horizon punctuated with isolated skyscrapers in the near and far distance, dictates the strategy which builds up the tower from the ground up, both inside and outside. Thus the proportion and disposition by intervals of a set of eight concrete blocks are a literal transfer of the environment inside the project. These blocks set along a repeated pilled up arabesque pattern from ground up accompany the visitor within a dense disorienting elevating labyrinth.

This inside mass configuration is balanced on the outside and inner perimeter by two stairs linked by catwalks at seemingly irregular intervals. The whole façade is consequently in a cascade suspended from the intricate network of blocks, catwalks, and the outer stairs, both a labyrinth and architecture of encounters. The TOWER OF SPACE also integrates into the surrounding landscape by its blend of sky and sand color, its overall locally blended concrete texture, and even by its aura.

The TOWER OF SPACE rises from the desert, thus marking repeated transitional rituals from the traditional ground of the desert soil to elevated heights of the future ending into the precious enclosure of a vertical garden at the top of the inner facade. The tower is thus a contemporary equivalent to the traditional Arab garden enclosed and hidden away. A concrete vertical labyrinth imbedded within a skin. A contrasting monolithic daedal within a delicate skin, crumbling from the ground up, a perceptual disorientation play of light tumbling inside this cavernous enclosure within which light infinitely reflects upon all surfaces of polished concrete.

Tower of observation, tower of descent, tower of the wind

LEED Platinum implications

In this extreme context, it would be very difficult to achieve the LEED Platinum 64 points mark. It is never the less possible. In this proposal we include all of the following systems: grass replacing cactus type vegetation at ground level; a full area rain-fluid and facade water caption-filtration system; State of the art energy reducing electrical system including LED point lighting; passive ice based air cooling system; locally made concrete; gray water treatment technology within the building; tower outdoor black water treatment technology at ground lever. Next to the rooftop restaurant kitchen, a herb and vegetable garden would produce basic elements for the restaurant’s meals.

Ventilation system

In its shape and function, this project draws its inspiration from the traditional desert tower of winds. Most of the building’s facade would be opaque. Most of the building’s interior is void. During most days of the year, the difference between the warm sunny exterior and the shaded opaque interior tube-like vertical space will create a strong upward cool breeze. During the warmest hours of the warmest days, ice rooms would free up cooled air by way of traps in floors slabs for main functions: restaurant, kitchen, and library.

Falcons will profit from the gliding air current.

Zaabeel Tower of Space close-up with falcon nests

The surrounding site

Around the tower, we choose to create a new grid (landscape) of blocks like waves of datum, a type of labyrinthine-threshold. This first threshold brings the approaching user to either the open air base of the tower or a ramp to the 10 meter level library lobby. By creating a new mostly solid landscape, we replace the grass based surface with a mineral cactus low water usage composition. Two dozen of the blocks would be used as marsh-like containers for the black water treatment. Other landscape blocks would be used for rain storm water storage. Those same blocks could house more luscious plants on their top surface and sides directly using the contained water. Materials locally made concrete, and regionally transported stone are ideal.

Vertical circulation and fire safety considerations

We have planned two structural U shaped elevator shafts. One would carry users by way of two high speed elevators. In the opposite shaft, a large service elevator would function for the use of restaurant employees and deliveries. Next to the service elevator would be the main vertical conduit shaft. Both shafts go from the underground parking up to the entrance of the spherical restaurant – kitchen level. The U shape of the elevator shafts permit users to see the inside of the tower as they go up and down. The outward part of the elevators would be made of Fireglass and house special smoke resistant ventilation devices.

Egress

Two stairs permit egress to ground level. Both of expressive shapes, they have the dual function of closed concrete egress stairs and grand public stairs above that.

All rights reserved, Cécile Martin and Claude Boullevraye de Passillé, 2009

Plug-In-Vertical-Farm

Massing diagrams and concept section

View of the South side of East 6th Street between 1st Ave and Ave A .

Claude Boullevraye de Passillé – Plug-In-Vertical-Farm, prospective vertical farm network for East Village in New York, 2009. This project was exhibited at Exit Art in New York in April to June 2009; published in Etc magazine vol 89, Sept. 2009; and referenced on many web sites and blogs.

 

Original exhibition text:

“This prototype project is based in New York city.

Plug-in-Vertical-Farm© is a series of new urban typologies; thematic energy producing contextual adaptable urban vertical farms. Each farm would be built in different neighborhoods where the famous and infamous New York low cost housing projects exist. To make this project work, a few local regulations would have to be amended. Among them the minimum distance between built structures, the height of buildings and expropriation of land within existing lots for organized public use.

At this moment and time in history, everything pushes us to invent these types of new mid-way ecological structures, for the actualization of our urban way of life. In parallel to vancouverism (a possible co-existence of wildlife and humans in large urban context), a Plug-in-Vertical-Farm© is both an end consumer and occupant based structure that modifies the cityscape on many levels. First, in plan, each unit would be positioned at the outer edge and southern side of chosen housing projects in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The bulk of the massing would stand in between the angled housing project and the municipal sidewalk. By this position, they would participate in the re-stitching of the traditional orthogonal housing fabric and the 1960’s housing projects autistic massing without any demolition. The rectifying Plug-in-Vertical-Farm© massing creates a new frontage and partly hides housing projects buildings form the street. They densify the in-between building spaces with a semi-transparent open to air structure that would give some additional shading but also an object of interest and a focus of sight.

Then, the massing enables the farm managing body, and possible restaurants, farm product vendors to have a shop at the base of the structure, right at the sidewalk’s edge, at street level. Additionally to growing fruits and vegetables from neighbors’ compost, each Plug-in-Vertical-Farm© would house one main indigenous endangered wild species of animal, either skunks, wolfs, stags and dears, frogs, toads, raccoons, beavers, bears, coyotes, weasel, foxes, wild hens, howls, or eagles. These animals would, for the most part, live on the upper part of the structures with a capacity to come down and back up for some and a more controlled environment for others. All these structures would be visitable by the passer-by and would also serve as sources of zoo-therapy for immediate neighbors. One of the typologies, the beaver farm would probably be built at the water’s edge in a larger area, to fit an artificial river structure. For other typologies, mature trees could be planted higher up within the structures, at different levels. All these animals could be killed at the of their lives, for their meat, in regards for biodiversity and local food regionalism.

The overall esthetic of the Plug-in-Vertical-Farms© would be based on the extreme contrast of rigid vertical system logic and the free forms of natural, multi-crop growth and wildlife habitats.”

Plug-in-Vertical-Farms© Claude Boullevraye de Passillé with Sara kamalvand