Our friends from RSVP Architects just shared with us their proposal for the ThyssenKrupp Elevator competition in Za’abeel Park, Dubai. The tower seems to morph out of the water and into the air, creating a structure that acts as a monument during the day, and an icon during the night.
More images and further project description after the break.
The architects explained, “The overall form evolves out of a seashell or oyster shape that keeps turning towards the sky as if the forces of the water and the wind had collaborated in this architectural metamorphosis, where the vertical element removes a pearl from the oyster and places it high above ground as the precious object to be contemplated and occupied, the end of a journey where one is finally able to contemplate a view of the entire city.”
Programmatically, the building is arranged with conference rooms and a children’s library in the lower sections, and the raised restaurant toward the top. While Dubai is famous for gaining land from the ocean, here the site is flooded to create a park around a lake and an aquarium that is part of the main project circulation.
The 170m twisting tower is supported by a diagonal steel mesh. Due to its form, the tower is viewed differently depending upon the viewers’ perspective. During the day, the sky becomes an integral part of the facade, while at night, it is illuminated like an “impressive and dynamic lighthouse” representing Dubai’s momentum and aspirations. The panoramic elevator becomes the key element in the procession upward where the sky is constantly providing the backdrop and the wind can easily flow through the structure.
