"Now you can reserve an apartment in the first Rotating Skyscraper in Dubai by putting your name on the reservation list! " (How novel.)From DynamicArchitecture.net: Dr. David Fisher's Dynamic Tower is the first building in motion that will change its shape and add a fourth dimension to architecture: Time. The shape will be determined by each floor's direction of rotation, speed, acceleration and the timing; with timing meaning how each floor rotates compared to the other. The rotation speed will be between 60 minutes and 24 hours for one revolution.
Residents, if they own the entire floor, are able to control the speed and direction of the rotation by voice command. One can have breakfast watching the sunrise, lunch viewing the open sea, and dinner overlooking the lights of the city - all from the same place inside their unit. The other floors will be commanded by the architect, by the mayor or whoever will have the password to the computer program that will give the building a different shape at every glance.
From StudioGang.net: In an increasingly dense city like Chicago, views from a new tower must be negotiated between existing buildings. Aqua tower considers criteria such as views, solar shading and function to derive a vertical system of contours that gives the structure its sculptural form. Its vertical topography is defined by its outdoor terraces that gradually change in plan over the length of the tower. These terraces offer a strong connection to the outdoors and allow inhabitants to occupy the building façade and city simultaneously. The result is a highly sculptural building when viewed obliquely that transforms into a slender rectangle from further away. Its powerful form suggests the limestone outcroppings and geologic forces that shaped the great lakes region.
3 comments:
Like so much Dubai architecture, this one is all gimmick and spectacle. The Chicago building is more interesting because the sculptural form is cleverly functional. You can read more about it here: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/skyline/2010/02/01/100201crsk_skyline_goldberger
Neither of these plans discuss how a resident can expect to survive the honey harvest.
The Dubai building is only a plan at this point, but I like the idea of presenting the floor owner with freedom of orientation. This would allow the interior layout to be optimized for solar gain (or loss), or allow for multiple views from an area optimized for entertainment or relaxation. Thus, it is not simply a gimmick.
The NYer article about Aqua really fawns over the architect, Jeanne Gang, but makes technical claims about the building that I wish were more substantiated, including: "The landscape of rolling hills and valleys created by the balconies effectively confuses the heavy Chicago winds..." How so?
As to Stoner's inquiry: I believe this is why the "safe room" was invented.
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