UP Tower Transformation – Forming Plaza through Residential Towers / We Designs ~ Civil engineering

UP Tower Transformation – Forming Plaza through Residential Towers / We Designs

UP is a multilayered investigative study of an urban tower condition, operated under the logic of the hexagon. The final structure is created through a process of developmental delineation studies, translating the two-dimensional diagram into an accentuated folded landscape. This folding landscape is achieved using an articulated folding system that is structurally economic, thereby increasing useable floor area and overcoming traditional tectonic and structural hierarchies. The dips and dives of the multi-level open public space allow for various public and community programs, while the geometries continually develop spaces of openness and privacy humanizing the scale of the project. The manner in which the public space and tower folds intertwine, poetically mimics the rolling landscape of the seaside, while integrating natural greenery into the urban spectrum.

Positioned within the folding structure, an integrated piping system processes, collects, and recycles the rainwater and grey water within the building, and reuses it for heating and non-potent water use. This discreet sustainable and self-generating system allows the building to maintain itself without a secondary water supplier. The use of Bio-glass as a material and the form of the window curvature is designed in a dualistic approach to maximize the thermal absorbance of sun light and to balance the performance between reflectivity and materiality. In effect, it neutralizes the heat in the summer and maximizes the warmth during wintertime.

The window and structural frame of the building is intended to be constructed with Bio-Luminum frames and Bio-Glass window Panels. The Bio-Luminum tiles are made from salvaged parts from retired airplanes and are an excellent long-lasting and high-strength material. Bio-Glass is engineered from recycled glass with no additives or colorants. Both materials will contribute towards LEED certification.