Project: Agora Tower
Designed by Vincent Callebaut Architectures
Project Team: Emilie Diers, Frederique Beck, Jiao Yang, Florence Mauny, Volker Erlich, Philippe Steels, Marco Conti Sikic, Benoit Patterlini, Maguy Delrieu, Vincent Callebaut
Model Maker: Patrick Laurent
Client: BES Engineering Corporation, Taipei
Surface Area: 42 335.34 m2
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Website: vincent.callebaut.org
Vincent Callebaut Architectures' project named the Agora Tower was awarded with the First Prize Winner in November 2010 for the new Luxurious Residential Tower located at Taipei.The Project is currently under construction and will be completed hopefully in 2016. Discover more of this award winning prize after the jump:
Designed by Vincent Callebaut Architectures
Project Team: Emilie Diers, Frederique Beck, Jiao Yang, Florence Mauny, Volker Erlich, Philippe Steels, Marco Conti Sikic, Benoit Patterlini, Maguy Delrieu, Vincent Callebaut
Model Maker: Patrick Laurent
Client: BES Engineering Corporation, Taipei
Surface Area: 42 335.34 m2
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Website: vincent.callebaut.org
Vincent Callebaut Architectures' project named the Agora Tower was awarded with the First Prize Winner in November 2010 for the new Luxurious Residential Tower located at Taipei.The Project is currently under construction and will be completed hopefully in 2016. Discover more of this award winning prize after the jump:
1. THE ECOLOGIC PHILOSOPHY OF THE PROJECT:
In the heart of the urban networks
of Xinyin District in full development, the AGORA GARDEN project
presents a pioneer concept of sustainable residential eco-construction
that aims at limiting the ecologic footprint of its inhabitants by
researching the right symbiosis between the human being and the Nature.
On this site that is the last and
only biggest parcel of land for residential use, the concept is to build
a true fragment of vertical landscape with low energetic consumption.
The building is thus eco-designed. It integrates not only the recycling
of organic waste and used water but also all the renewable energies and
other new state-of-the-art nanotechnologies (BIPV solar photovoltaic,
rain water recycling, compost, etc.).
The project targets thus the
energetic performance so as to be officially approved by the Green
Building Label, the norm for high environmental quality, delivered by
the Home Affairs Ministry of Taipei.
Part of the concept of inhabited and
cultivated vertical farm through its own inhabitants, this project of
residential tower enables first to design by its avant-gardist
architecture a new life style in accordance with the nature and the
climate. Actually, the AGORA GARDEN tower superimposes vertically wide
planted balconies of true suspended orchards, organic vegetable gardens,
aromatic gardens and other medicinal gardens.
Such as a living organism, the tower
becomes metabolic! It overpasses its energy-consuming passive role
(absorbing all the natural resources and rejecting only waste) to
produce its own organic food.
The architectural concept is thus to
eco-design an energy self-sufficient building, whose energy is
electric, thermal and also alimentary.
Therefore, the project answers directly to 4 main ecologic objectives of the After Copenhagen:
1. The reduction of the climatic global warming.
2. The protection of the nature and the biodiversity.
3. The protection of the environment and the quality of life.
4. The management of the natural resources and waste.
2. The protection of the nature and the biodiversity.
3. The protection of the environment and the quality of life.
4. The management of the natural resources and waste.
Finally, according to the Cradle to
Cradle concept where nothing is lost, everything transforms itself; all
the construction and furnishing materials will be selected through
recycled and / or recyclable labels. By imitating the processes of
natural ecosystems, it deals thus with reinventing in Taiwan the
industrial and architectural processes in order to produce clean
solutions and to create industrial cycle where everything is reused,
either back to the ground as non toxic organic nutrients, or back to the
industry as technical nutrients able to be indefinitely recycled.
Biotechnological prototype, the AGORA GARDEN project reveals thus the
symbiosis of human actions and their positive impact on the nature.
2. THE MORPHOLOGIC PHILOSOPHY OF THE PROJECT:
Neither single tower, or twin
towers, the project arises towards the sky with two helicoidal towers
gathering themselves around a central core. This architectural party
offers a hyper-compacted core and a maximal flexibility of the housing
storeys (with the possibility to unify two apartments units in one
without any footbridge). It brings a reduction of view angles towards
the urban landscape and a hyper-abundance of suspended gardens.
The AGORA GARDEN tower is, as its
name indicates it, directly inspired of the structure in double helix of
the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid), source of life, dynamism and twinning.
Every double helix is represented in the project by two housing units
forming a full level.
Thus, from its base to the top, the
20 inhabited levels in double helix stretch themselves and twist
themselves at 90 degrees. By metaphor, the obtained sinuosity
corresponds to the universal musical symbol of harmonic revealing the
notion of ultimate balance praised by the project.
• This twist of 90 degrees answers to four major objectives:
- The first objective is to be perfectly integrated in the North / South pyramidal profile of the Building Volume. Actually, the morphology of the project changes according to its orientation. Its East / West elevations draw a rhomboidal pyramid whereas the North-South ones represent a reverse pyramid.
- The second objective is to generate a maximum of cascades of suspended open-air gardens, not part of the F.A.R. (floor area ratio). Thus, the planted balcony surface area can easily exceed the limit of the required 10 percents. The global framework of 40 percents of building coverage ratio, i.e. 3 264 M2 is thus totally respected.
- The third objective is to offer to the inhabitants exceptional panoramic views on the skyline of Taipei by multiplying the transversal views, especially towards the very close Taipei 101 tower and the Central Business District in full emergence.
- The fourth objective is to generate from a flexible standardized level a progressive geometry with corbels which assures the intimacy and the confidentiality of each apartment by avoiding the indiscreet vision axes.
Inspired from the Nature, the AGORA
GARDEN project is shaped with an organic fluid and dynamic geometry.
From the simple and standardized element of the double helix of housing
superimposed vertically and put in successive rotation of 4.5 degrees
level by level, a multi-facial morphology appears all in convex and
concave curves.
Actually, according to the point of
view of the pedestrian from the surrounding streets, the AGORA GARDEN
tower changes of faces and proposes new profiles. Besides this moving
geometry wearing a planted dress with sensual style, the project
represents really a built ecosystem that repatriates the fauna and the
flora in the heart of the city and generates alone a new box of
subtropical biodiversity. It is a new nest in the city!
3. THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT:
3.1. The luxuriant forest and the glade:
In order to ensure the
confidentiality of the residents, the whole perimeter of the site is
bordered by a mineral moat that animates the outside public space with
organic urban furnitures. Inside the parcel, the walls of this moat
transform themselves into planted surrounding walls. The main access of
the site is located at the Song Yong Road which is less busy that the
main avenue, Song Gao Road. The tower is coiled up in the centre of a
heavy and luxuriant safe forest of mature trees that protects the
intimacy of the inhabitants from the surrounding urban pollution. In the
heart of the vegetable lung, the pedestrian square of exotic wood opens
itself on a mineral and aquatic glade.
Such as the shock wave created by a
water drop, the landscape design is made in circles arches and radiates
from the epicentre of the tower. A circular light well, curved this
time, makes the light, the abundant plants in cascades to the deepest
basement. The car parks, the swimming pool and the fitness are thus
naturally lightened and ventilated.
3.2. The lobbies in indoor – outdoor
connectivity: The ground floor in double height sets through its great
transparent facades a high connectivity between the interior community
spaces and the exterior garden.
3.3. The central core, a vertical
twisted garden surrounded by sky entry foyers: The central core has been
designed to separate totally the vertical circulations into two housing
units on the same level. This core is fixed (it does not pivot). But in
order to ensure the rotation of the storeys floor by floor, it is
surrounded by a (naturally lightened) horizontal circulation loop
welcoming the entry foyer dedicated to each unit. This buffer loop
enables thus to set the main entrance always in the axis of each
apartment and this despite of the 4.5 degrees rotation storey by storey.
An alternative has been studied to build sky entry foyers directly
around the cylindrical central core offering thus planted entry foyers
with spectacular front view on the city of Taipei.
By level, the central core gathers 2
staircases, 4 high speed elevators of 24 people (1800 kg), 1 car
elevators (also useful to carry enormous art pieces, luxury antique
vehicles, or even huge pianos, etc.), 2 sky garages in glass and also
all the vertical shafts for the main flows. All these vertical flows are
covered by a huge bearing exoskeleton in reinforced steel.
3.4. The apartments, a maximal
spatial and technical flexibility: The apartments of 540 M2 on average
superimpose themselves under the shape of two planted twists unified
around a central core. Each unit presents a storey structurally made
with Vierendeel beams system behind glass facades only on even floors.
All levels are linked at both ends by two spiralling mega columns
covered by green walls. Each apartment is completely free columns !
This structural concept inspired of
the DNA chain enables a maximal flexibility in terms of interior layout.
It ensures also an optimal visual permeability (indoor outdoor
connectivity) towards the suspended gardens of the balconies in
foreground and the urban panorama on the background.
• The spatial flexibility is divided in 4 main typologies of storeys of 2 or 4 units:
Typology A : 2 units with curved living rooms around a central core.
Typology B : 2 units with living rooms stretched in the length behind the Southern façades.
Typology C : 2 units with living rooms set in bow by the panoramic storey.
Typology D : 4 units in duplex with living rooms benefiting from a double height.
Typology B : 2 units with living rooms stretched in the length behind the Southern façades.
Typology C : 2 units with living rooms set in bow by the panoramic storey.
Typology D : 4 units in duplex with living rooms benefiting from a double height.
In addition to these basic
typologies, two huge clubhouses are set up on the roof floors so as to
respect the setback required by the building volume. Therefore, from the
same standardized double helix (1.250 M2 floor area), the rotation of
the storey and its customizable interior laying-out makes every level be
a unique floor for each resident!
• The technical flexibility is obtained by the integration of the double deck and double wall concepts:
Spatially hyper-flexible, the
constructive system proposed also a total flexibility to the level of
technical distribution of the flows. Additional vertical flows are
organized with “oblique shafts” along the glass façade. The system of
double deck is integrated at each level under the shape of a double
floor and a suspended ceiling. The network of the flows (rain water,
used water, hot water, electricity, under floor-heating, cool air, hot
air, optic fibre, etc.) crossing the central core can thus irrigate
without any difficulty on the horizontal way all the surface area of
each storey. Moreover, the use of castellated beams will enable to take
advantage of a maximal free height under ceiling. The interior
partitioning of each apartment will be à la carte according to the
wishes of each inhabitant. The double walls will compartmentalize the
different rooms following the curved axes of the building by integrating
also many useful storage spaces.
• The energetic efficiency is obtained by isolating façades with high performance named inter-layer or double-layer:
The AGORA GARDEN tower is covered by
linear crystalline façades repeating themselves at each level. The
identical facades in every apartment will be pre-manufactured in factory
to accelerate their setting-up during the works. A multilayer glass
(airspace + Polyvinyl Butyral) or double layer façades with integrated
blinds will be directly associated there in order to protect the
interior spaces from the solar radiation in summer and to limit the
calorific loss in winter.
3.5. The landscape balconies, green cascades of flowers, fruits, vegetables and aromates:
The landscape concept is to build a
cascade of suspended gardens which cover the entire building. The tower
becomes then a true vertical inhabited park, in a box of nature in the
heart of the city ! The selected essences will be preferably eatable in
order to make each inhabitant gardener in its own vegetable consumption.
Suspended orchards, organic vegetable gardens, aromatic and medicinal
gardens will flourish the wide and deep jardinière along the global
periphery of each apartment. Garden furniture, compost spaces from waste
to organic fertilizers, fuel cells, rain water tanks for the irrigation
of plants, and ecologic nests for birds will be directly integrated in
the design of these jardinières. In order to protect the organic
substrate tanks from the heating coming from the solar radiation, the
planting beds will be covered by a layer of Bethel white granite on
honeycomb. The white colour of the AGORA GARDEN tower will provide a new
emblematic, pure and fresh identity.
The tower generates through its morphology in rotation two types of very specific landscape balconies :
- The balconies called ascending or
positive: open-air, they benefit from a maximal sunshine and enable to
cultivate their trees and shrubs of subtropical essences. We will
preferably set up the living rooms on this side. It will be also
possible to inlay photovoltaic sunshades at the extremity of the slab
according to the wishes of each resident. Thermal captors could be also
set up in order to produce sanitary hot water.
- The balconies called descending or negative: Covered by the superior level, they offer half shadowed relaxing spaces to cultivate flowers, vegetables, aromatic plants and falling and climbing species. We will preferably set up the bedrooms on this side.
In bow of the housing storeys, are
laid-out some outdoor garden bath sanctuary that coils themselves up in
an alcove dig in the façade of each apartment. Different from the modern
city built of concrete, glass and steel, the AGORA GARDEN tower appears
in an urban centre as a green twisted mountain. Following the seasons,
the planted essences (with persistent and deciduous leaves) will make
its colours and its abundance to evolve. Declining a camaieu of green in
the summer, the tower will blaze with golden and bloody colours in
autumn. In spring, it will be bloomed with thousands colours and will
liberate floral fragrances from its fruit trees. The tower will then
develop perfumed micro-climate for the very best welfare of its
inhabitants!
3.6. The photovoltaic roof and its gardens for phyto-purification:
Located at 100 meters high, a huge
photovoltaic pergola of 1000 m² transforms the sun rays into electric
energy which is directly reintroduced into the network of the building.
Under this layer with blue-steel reflection, clubhouses are located on
the roof surrounded by panoramic sky gardens. They filter and purify the
rain water with the action of the plants in order to reinject the water
by gravity in the distribution network of sanitary water. From this
terrace, there is an extraordinary panoramic view on the 101 tower. 3.7.
The landscape basement naturally lightened and ventilated:
Contrary to the traditional car park
of 2.10 M high under beams and plunged under an artificial shadowy
light, the car park of the AGORA GARDEN project benefits from the
natural light. Actually, A light well integrating seismic joints makes
the light and the fresh air fall to the levels of the basement. Thus,
the car park and the connected facilities (swimming pools and fitness)
are naturally ventilated. The main access of the basement is done by the
Song Yong Road under a sculptural entry gate inspired by a spiralling
leaf.
From the level B1, we can access to
both car elevators inside the central core and go very quickly to the
sky garages located at the entrance of each apartment. The car park is
designed in the existing perimeter of the current car park of the
pre-existing Agora Garden hotel in order to limit the works cost of
excavation and foundations. Only the South-West wall has been corrected
so as to set up a laying-out with double helix. Actually, in the
continuation of the rotating tower, the car park is drawn according to a
circular plan with an ascending interior helix around the core in the
direction of the exit and a second descending helix in the direction of
the entrance. The whole set forms a continuous banister that welcomes
more than 230 cars and 500 scooters. From slab to slab, the minimal
height is 3,10 meters which improves comfortably the atmosphere of the
building of an immaculate white. It is important to notice that the
structure of the tower weights through this car park in order to
facilitate the descent of the loading of the whole building.
4. THE CHALLENGE OF A POSITIVELY ECOLOGIC REVOLUTION!
In the architecture of the AGORA
GARDEN project, the association of the living (Bios), the
biotechnologies (renewable energies and nanotechnologies), and the NICT
(New Technologies of Information and Communication), can meet the
Chinese antique thought which always refused to separate the nature and
the humanity that nourishes itself from it; the body from the spirit
that did not exist without it. Avant-gardist on the theme of
contemporary ecologic crisis, the Chinese thought prefers the
relationships rather than the separated elements. The human being and
its life framework depend from the fusion of the variables:
As humbly wrote the influent
sinologist, specialist in old China Marcel Granet in the Chinese Thought
in 1934: None opposes the human being from the nature; do not think of
opposing them such as the free element from the determined element. The
Chinese people only see in the Time and the Space a gathering of
occasions and sites. These are interdependences, solidarities that
constitute the order of the Universe. We do not think that the Man could
form a reign in the Nature or that the spirit distinguishes itself from
the material.
In the heart of Taipei, after having
built the city on the landscape, after having then built the city on
the city, it is now time for the landscape to rebuild itself on the city
! In this perspective of ecologic resilience, the AGORA GARDEN project
must be considered as an abstraction of geography and a distortion of
ecosystem.
The AGORA GARDEN project is a Nature built from the living that fights for the re-naturalisation of Ecopolis of tomorrow!
This tower reveals strongly and
surely the challenge of reinventing a new lifestyle for residential
tower, that is self-sufficient, sculpturally unprecedented. It is a
project absolutely unique in the world and charismatic drawing with
poetry in the Oriental sky, a delicate superposition of sky villas with
wide suspended private gardens.
Last but not least, it is a unique ecologic landmark, new symbol of sustainability at the bottom of the prestigious 101 tower!
[Sumber : Copy-paste from http://vincent.callebaut.org/page1-img-taipei.html]
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