Ilija Bentscheff
Ilija Bentscheff, Iglika Georgieva, Melissa McCall, Beumhyeung Rhee,
2008 Prof. P. Preissner, University of Illinois at Chicago
CONCEPT
Essentially, this project addresses a conceptual investigation towards a novel office environment by developing a structure capable to contain various types of company and office typologies, an investigation on the relationship between the office (private) and the lobby (gradient of public) as the main organizing device. The lobby as the mediating space, is maturated to a broad field of operations and political zones; a gradient between public and private; space of connectivity and separation. From the clear appointed entry to the workplace, lobbies have expanded their operative field and programs, including retail, cultural venues and intermediate office functions like (press) conferences and meeting spaces of various kinds. The office itself continued remaining generic floor plate efficiency.
Our investigation targets a fusion of the expanded operative field of the lobby and the remaining typology of the office. The office building will become a dynamic organizational system of spaces, a continuous field of rather dynamic zones of lobby activities and office structures. The proposal may be seen as an entire zone of office and lobby-environments, providing increased possibilities for future businesses.
PROGRAM
The program was first subdivided into smaller units of office space, local operating lobbies and service devices. Throughout the vertical development of the building, we started to implant further related office-program components like meeting spaces, pause spaces and social spaces in various sizes. Those rather semi-public components are aligned in a strand or chain, penetrated through the repetitive office floor plates. Emerging constellations articulate new contextual relations and unique conditions. Every office floor plate is connected to the strand or chain of programs which becomes a hybrid of specific spaces, dynamically expandable zones and the main local circulation and mediation device. The collision of the two major elements (offices and lobby-program strands) introduced by fused emerging geometries, articulates programmatic devices like seating ramps, walls, enclosures and visual connections. Those conditions become the unique emblems of each zone in the building.
ORGANIZED FIELD
The diagrams were developed to explore the internal and local connections and program-relations. As well as the internal links, we organized and included existing venues of the immediate environment. The diagram organizes not only the program components but also displays the social connections and therefore the relation to the political and social urban context.
DYNAMIC ZONES
The overlay of program, security level and program-zone-weight explains the dynamic and hybrid relations. We used the diagram´s ability to communicate the zone strategy on the exterior surface of the building.
TYPOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
The initial system to develop the shape of the building was a generic and equal division into four hexagons, while two hexagons define the certain amount of office space per floor while the other two give place for related program and circulation space. The profile studies investigate spacial typologies. The geometric iterations of the boundary of the initial system developed several outputs which we analyzed in terms of their spatial potential. As software and digital media are part of our design process, we were investigating with the emergent geometries to explore algorhytmic iterations and variations within the digital material. The assemblage of the floor plan-profiles in relation to the public-private gradient diagram articulates in a nearly biomorphic grown volume. A result emerging of the conceptual organization of the internal program and the relation to the urban context.
EMERGENT GEOMETRIES
Parallel to the programmatical investigations, we were exploring emergent geometries out of the digital material in Maya. Arguing with component connection types and a resulting catalogue of various conditions like geometric- and haptic conditions and densities we analyzed initial systems (four-hexagon) on their operative abilities.
CIRCULATION
The strand as the fusion of classical lobby and expanded programs grows throughout the entire building structure, articulating as the main local circulation and mediating device.
THE SITE
The site is an emerging district at Deansgate road station in the south west of Manchester city. The location of our building is a former parking house in the “backyard” of the MEXX convention centre, the Hilton high-rise and the Deansgate road station. A new urban campus uniting the existing venues to a new hub to the city of Manchester. The base of the tower is the programmatic and geometric transition to the site. It forms the new campus by mediating between the site and its venues. It is a 24h accessible structure which contains public program (coffee shop) and can be stage for urban spectacles.
2008 Prof. P. Preissner, University of Illinois at Chicago
CONCEPT
Essentially, this project addresses a conceptual investigation towards a novel office environment by developing a structure capable to contain various types of company and office typologies, an investigation on the relationship between the office (private) and the lobby (gradient of public) as the main organizing device. The lobby as the mediating space, is maturated to a broad field of operations and political zones; a gradient between public and private; space of connectivity and separation. From the clear appointed entry to the workplace, lobbies have expanded their operative field and programs, including retail, cultural venues and intermediate office functions like (press) conferences and meeting spaces of various kinds. The office itself continued remaining generic floor plate efficiency.
Our investigation targets a fusion of the expanded operative field of the lobby and the remaining typology of the office. The office building will become a dynamic organizational system of spaces, a continuous field of rather dynamic zones of lobby activities and office structures. The proposal may be seen as an entire zone of office and lobby-environments, providing increased possibilities for future businesses.
PROGRAM
The program was first subdivided into smaller units of office space, local operating lobbies and service devices. Throughout the vertical development of the building, we started to implant further related office-program components like meeting spaces, pause spaces and social spaces in various sizes. Those rather semi-public components are aligned in a strand or chain, penetrated through the repetitive office floor plates. Emerging constellations articulate new contextual relations and unique conditions. Every office floor plate is connected to the strand or chain of programs which becomes a hybrid of specific spaces, dynamically expandable zones and the main local circulation and mediation device. The collision of the two major elements (offices and lobby-program strands) introduced by fused emerging geometries, articulates programmatic devices like seating ramps, walls, enclosures and visual connections. Those conditions become the unique emblems of each zone in the building.
ORGANIZED FIELD
The diagrams were developed to explore the internal and local connections and program-relations. As well as the internal links, we organized and included existing venues of the immediate environment. The diagram organizes not only the program components but also displays the social connections and therefore the relation to the political and social urban context.
DYNAMIC ZONES
The overlay of program, security level and program-zone-weight explains the dynamic and hybrid relations. We used the diagram´s ability to communicate the zone strategy on the exterior surface of the building.
TYPOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
The initial system to develop the shape of the building was a generic and equal division into four hexagons, while two hexagons define the certain amount of office space per floor while the other two give place for related program and circulation space. The profile studies investigate spacial typologies. The geometric iterations of the boundary of the initial system developed several outputs which we analyzed in terms of their spatial potential. As software and digital media are part of our design process, we were investigating with the emergent geometries to explore algorhytmic iterations and variations within the digital material. The assemblage of the floor plan-profiles in relation to the public-private gradient diagram articulates in a nearly biomorphic grown volume. A result emerging of the conceptual organization of the internal program and the relation to the urban context.
EMERGENT GEOMETRIES
Parallel to the programmatical investigations, we were exploring emergent geometries out of the digital material in Maya. Arguing with component connection types and a resulting catalogue of various conditions like geometric- and haptic conditions and densities we analyzed initial systems (four-hexagon) on their operative abilities.
CIRCULATION
The strand as the fusion of classical lobby and expanded programs grows throughout the entire building structure, articulating as the main local circulation and mediating device.
THE SITE
The site is an emerging district at Deansgate road station in the south west of Manchester city. The location of our building is a former parking house in the “backyard” of the MEXX convention centre, the Hilton high-rise and the Deansgate road station. A new urban campus uniting the existing venues to a new hub to the city of Manchester. The base of the tower is the programmatic and geometric transition to the site. It forms the new campus by mediating between the site and its venues. It is a 24h accessible structure which contains public program (coffee shop) and can be stage for urban spectacles.