Special Mention
2008 Skyscraper Competition
Daniel Hammerman, Kevin Kehler
United States
Inspired by the transformative process of rusting and ecological gradients of day lighting, our mixed-use tower twists and modulates from a thin, flaky character to a sharp, solid condition as it rises from Battery Park City, in Lower Manhattan. Facade porosity varies in response to environmental simulations and incident solar calculations, becoming more open on the north face, while more enclosed on other elevations, and distribution of program is informed by interior day lighting levels. The concrete core, composite slab and complex lateral bracing are clad in Corian panels, which have been thoroughly studied for curvature and seaming to delineate and accentuate continuity of flow from floor to wall to window mullions to ceiling.
We have developed and deployed innovative digital techniques in an opportunistic fashion for the generation of growth and evaluation of patterns in the emergence of form which is greater than the sum of its parts, yet manifest at every scale from birds-eye to detail. Elegant organizations are highly integrated formal/spatial systems which operate similar to organic systems. Form results from adaptation to performance requirements and the holistic integration of structure, circulation, and skin, imbued with an intelligence of fabrication and assembly. Precise geometry and high-order surface continuity inform the continuous differentiation of our skyscraper.
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