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Piraeus Tower
Piraeus Tower
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Piraeus Tower
Firm
SIZE
1,000,000 +
At
first glance, Piraeus Tower, with it’s dominant scale within the urban fabric,
feels like an unwanted visitor, ironically, one that over time, has become
disconnected to the city through neglect, yet synonymous with the city’s image.
Piraeus is composed of 2 major components, those which remain static over time
and those affected by an hourly schedule, land vs sea, floating visitor vs the
physical city. In fact, these out of scale visitors are in a way the true
residents of the city, they are the focus of the city’s energy and economic and
cultural life. In this way, perhaps Piraeus tower represents the urban rule,
not the exception. This idea is significant both in relation to the scale of
the tower, but also the mixed-use program housed within. The stacked program
represented within the port’s floating residents is derivative of the mixed-use
tower, housing offices, cultural facilities, leisure amenities, restaurants,
retail and services. We believe that piraeus tower is the essential component
within the city, and is symbolic of it’s vitality and future.
Our
proposal demands that we express, even magnify the scale and abstract quality of the existing
tower. By highlighting the primary massing of tower and podium, we provide a
legible canvas for the development of a series of layered readings at smaller
scales. Our proposed façade design is derived primarily from the manipulation
of a single surface. The application of a fixed exterior screen, or veil for
the office floors, set outboard of the curtainwall, provides the most effective
shading for the typical workspace and permits the use of a relatively
transparent and operable interior layer.
As the the program transitions to less restrictive use within the cultural
program floors, the screenwall moves to the interior in the form of operable
bi-fold panels. The curtainwall then moves to the exterior to provide a
transparent venue for viewing the cultural activities within and affect a
active dialogue with the city.
The
required addition of an exterior stair, not in the form of a traditional
switch-back stair, but conceived more as a ships-ladder, that dynamically
zig-zags across the façade, makes a clear reference to the sea; however, the
introduction of this highly sculptural element, clipped on to the building’s
western façade is deeply routed in the contextual history of the area. The
meandering historical pathway up the western slope of the acropolis directly to
the east of the tower is the subtext for reading the rhythmic movements in the
facade.
MATERIAL USE
Corian
is the primary material we have utilized to develop a response to the
architectural challenges posed by the recladding of the tower. Corian is a
unique material, it is produced and engineered in sheet form for use in
panelling where jointing is desired; however, the panelling can also be joined
together to create large seamless surfaces and monolithic volumes. This
inherent duality and abstract quality of finish, makes corian a expressive
cladding material well-suited to our proposal. Our design suggests the
introduction of a screen layer whose relative position in a “double skin”
façade is determined based on performance, and use. In principle, it relies on
the varied application of this single product.
The
proposed exterior screenwall extending from roof level down to the 8th
floor is composed of perforated 19mm Corian sheets. These point-supported
panels span floor-to-floor, and are held away from the tower on a steel strut
system cantilevered from the tower’s structure. The specific perforation level
and pattern is determined by balancing optimal shading requirements and the
level of visibility suggested by the tower’s privileged views. By employing a
perforation density uniformly across the screen, the effect on the view is
minimal, yet the uniform shading provided by the fixed Corian screen
significantly reduces solar gain, glare and energy use, effectively reducing
the load on mechanical cooling systems. The interior layer is comprised of a
high-performance curtainwall with operable units, utilizing advanced low-e
coatings to achieve thermal and solar performance with maximum visible daylight
transmittance. This permits the use of clear(low-iron), non-tinted glass, for
the façade and significantly increases the quality of the work environment.
As
the program transitions from general office use to multi-function cultural
space at the 8th floor, the Corian layer shifts in to become the
interior layer. It is transformed from a fixed panel system, to a bi-fold
operable shutter system. This interior shutter system permits for the localized
adjustment of the interior based on the particular use, light conditions and
the level of visibility desired. The glass curtainwall layer moves to the
exterior and utilizes Dupont low-iron Sentryglass w/structural inter-layer to
achieve a minimally supported transparent exterior façade. The relative transparency
of the exterior glass layer reveals an ever changing interior façade composed
of shutters both open and closed. The façade comes to life particularly at
night when the interior lights up to invite the public to view the activities
within.
first glance, Piraeus Tower, with it’s dominant scale within the urban fabric,
feels like an unwanted visitor, ironically, one that over time, has become
disconnected to the city through neglect, yet synonymous with the city’s image.
Piraeus is composed of 2 major components, those which remain static over time
and those affected by an hourly schedule, land vs sea, floating visitor vs the
physical city. In fact, these out of scale visitors are in a way the true
residents of the city, they are the focus of the city’s energy and economic and
cultural life. In this way, perhaps Piraeus tower represents the urban rule,
not the exception. This idea is significant both in relation to the scale of
the tower, but also the mixed-use program housed within. The stacked program
represented within the port’s floating residents is derivative of the mixed-use
tower, housing offices, cultural facilities, leisure amenities, restaurants,
retail and services. We believe that piraeus tower is the essential component
within the city, and is symbolic of it’s vitality and future.
Our
proposal demands that we express, even magnify the scale and abstract quality of the existing
tower. By highlighting the primary massing of tower and podium, we provide a
legible canvas for the development of a series of layered readings at smaller
scales. Our proposed façade design is derived primarily from the manipulation
of a single surface. The application of a fixed exterior screen, or veil for
the office floors, set outboard of the curtainwall, provides the most effective
shading for the typical workspace and permits the use of a relatively
transparent and operable interior layer.
As the the program transitions to less restrictive use within the cultural
program floors, the screenwall moves to the interior in the form of operable
bi-fold panels. The curtainwall then moves to the exterior to provide a
transparent venue for viewing the cultural activities within and affect a
active dialogue with the city.
The
required addition of an exterior stair, not in the form of a traditional
switch-back stair, but conceived more as a ships-ladder, that dynamically
zig-zags across the façade, makes a clear reference to the sea; however, the
introduction of this highly sculptural element, clipped on to the building’s
western façade is deeply routed in the contextual history of the area. The
meandering historical pathway up the western slope of the acropolis directly to
the east of the tower is the subtext for reading the rhythmic movements in the
facade.
MATERIAL USE
Corian
is the primary material we have utilized to develop a response to the
architectural challenges posed by the recladding of the tower. Corian is a
unique material, it is produced and engineered in sheet form for use in
panelling where jointing is desired; however, the panelling can also be joined
together to create large seamless surfaces and monolithic volumes. This
inherent duality and abstract quality of finish, makes corian a expressive
cladding material well-suited to our proposal. Our design suggests the
introduction of a screen layer whose relative position in a “double skin”
façade is determined based on performance, and use. In principle, it relies on
the varied application of this single product.
The
proposed exterior screenwall extending from roof level down to the 8th
floor is composed of perforated 19mm Corian sheets. These point-supported
panels span floor-to-floor, and are held away from the tower on a steel strut
system cantilevered from the tower’s structure. The specific perforation level
and pattern is determined by balancing optimal shading requirements and the
level of visibility suggested by the tower’s privileged views. By employing a
perforation density uniformly across the screen, the effect on the view is
minimal, yet the uniform shading provided by the fixed Corian screen
significantly reduces solar gain, glare and energy use, effectively reducing
the load on mechanical cooling systems. The interior layer is comprised of a
high-performance curtainwall with operable units, utilizing advanced low-e
coatings to achieve thermal and solar performance with maximum visible daylight
transmittance. This permits the use of clear(low-iron), non-tinted glass, for
the façade and significantly increases the quality of the work environment.
As
the program transitions from general office use to multi-function cultural
space at the 8th floor, the Corian layer shifts in to become the
interior layer. It is transformed from a fixed panel system, to a bi-fold
operable shutter system. This interior shutter system permits for the localized
adjustment of the interior based on the particular use, light conditions and
the level of visibility desired. The glass curtainwall layer moves to the
exterior and utilizes Dupont low-iron Sentryglass w/structural inter-layer to
achieve a minimally supported transparent exterior façade. The relative transparency
of the exterior glass layer reveals an ever changing interior façade composed
of shutters both open and closed. The façade comes to life particularly at
night when the interior lights up to invite the public to view the activities
within.
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