Flower Tower is a flexible system that optimizes the construction of high quality office space. Its design takes as a useful reference the efficient and beautiful systems found in nature, in particular the flower, observing its form, its structure and its function, to achieve an equally balanced design. The result is a dynamic system, alive and adaptable, that feeds into the infrastructural network provided by the context becoming an active element of it.
Project: Flower Tower
Location: Zhengdong New District Sub CBD, China
Date of Project: January 2012
End of building construction: September 2014
Author of the project: Antón García- Abril & Débora Mesa
Collaborators:
Ensamble Studio:
David Santamaría
Sara Nunes
Valentina Marchetti
Karlien Van der Linden
Noelia García
Aukje Gossens
Alberto Buldón
José María Lavena
Quantity surveyor: Javier Cuesta
Developer: Zhengzhou City
The structural scheme is simple but rich: a series of floor plates (calyxes), formed by 60 identical beams (petals), stack vertically connecting through their central core, where loads are transmitted to the ground. Perimeter cables tie the outer rings of the calyxes stabilizing the cantilevered structure.
Petals are accurately engineered elements of great technological sophistication that contain everything the space needs to function, this is: structure and infrastructure. Their repetition and combination generates the whole tower.
Calyxes concentrate structure and services in a dense center, liberating most of the space for the activity, achieving a very efficient ratio (service space /served space). They are made up of 6 concentric rings that include everything the contained space needs, from inside to outside: energy, circulations, services, structure, space and landscape. The inner rings contain the service and support space and constitute the vertical core of the tower that connects all levels, providing them with the necessary services and installations; and the outer rings, the main activity spaces, served from the inner rings. Thanks to their radial open plan they provide an optimum flexible space, able to adapt to multiple functional demands.
The system allows great flexibility in its configuration. Variations can be introduced in the definition of the space both by changing the orientation of the petals or by the elimination of a number of petals in a calyx. These variations enable different scales enriching the interior space and increasing its functionality. Petals then, depending on their position within the tower are able to accommodate multiple programs responding to their space requirements. With this design, the proposed system solves both space and infrastructural requirements with a simple and efficient scheme that is able to respond to the complexity of real changing programs.
The system is thought to be built using precast concrete technology, trying to match statics (efficiency in structural behavior and construction) with aesthetics (expressive and high quality finishes), by means of a very industrialized and rigorous process. Space and technology innovation, quality and economy, are pursued. The structure is structure, façade and finish at the same time, including three construction systems in one. The dimensions of the architectural elements repeat constantly, what allows their prefabrication. To achieve efficiency in construction, in addition to space operation, the building process can easily combine industrialization of the structure and the infrastructure, and customization of the interior space.
The building, from its conception, takes into account the climate and environmental conditions of the site to achieve a responsible behavior and to help achieve hygrothermal comfort inside. The exterior glass façade is recessed generating a perimeter covered balcony that acts as a transition bioclimatic space to control and filter views, natural light and ventilation throughout the whole year, enabling real transparency. This intended transparency will expose interior activity to the exterior, favoring the dynamism of the tower and its connection with the context.
ENSAMBLE STUDIO
Flower Tower is a flexible system that optimizes the construction of high quality office space. Its design takes as a useful reference the efficient and beautiful systems found in nature, in particular the flower, observing its form, its structure and its function, to achieve an equally balanced design. The result is a dynamic system, alive and adaptable, that feeds into the infrastructural network provided by the context becoming an active element of it.
The structural scheme is simple but rich: a series of floor plates (calyxes), formed by 60 identical beams (petals), stack vertically connecting through their central core, where loads are transmitted to the ground. Perimeter cables tie the outer rings of the calyxes stabilizing the cantilevered structure.
Petals are accurately engineered elements of great technological sophistication that contain everything the space needs to function, this is: structure and infrastructure. Their repetition and combination generates the whole tower.
Calyxes concentrate structure and services in a dense center, liberating most of the space for the activity, achieving a very efficient ratio (service space /served space). They are made up of 6 concentric rings that include everything the contained space needs, from inside to outside: energy, circulations, services, structure, space and landscape. The inner rings contain the service and support space and constitute the vertical core of the tower that connects all levels, providing them with the necessary services and installations; and the outer rings, the main activity spaces, served from the inner rings. Thanks to their radial open plan they provide an optimum flexible space, able to adapt to multiple functional demands.
The system allows great flexibility in its configuration. Variations can be introduced in the definition of the space both by changing the orientation of the petals or by the elimination of a number of petals in a calyx. These variations enable different scales enriching the interior space and increasing its functionality. Petals then, depending on their position within the tower are able to accommodate multiple programs responding to their space requirements. With this design, the proposed system solves both space and infrastructural requirements with a simple and efficient scheme that is able to respond to the complexity of real changing programs.
The system is thought to be built using precast concrete technology, trying to match statics (efficiency in structural behavior and construction) with aesthetics (expressive and high quality finishes), by means of a very industrialized and rigorous process. Space and technology innovation, quality and economy, are pursued. The structure is structure, façade and finish at the same time, including three construction systems in one. The dimensions of the architectural elements repeat constantly, what allows their prefabrication. To achieve efficiency in construction, in addition to space operation, the building process can easily combine industrialization of the structure and the infrastructure, and customization of the interior space.
The building, from its conception, takes into account the climate and environmental conditions of the site to achieve a responsible behavior and to help achieve hygrothermal comfort inside. The exterior glass façade is recessed generating a perimeter covered balcony that acts as a transition bioclimatic space to control and filter views, natural light and ventilation throughout the whole year, enabling real transparency. This intended transparency will expose interior activity to the exterior, favoring the dynamism of the tower and its connection with the context.
