Beyond Ivory Towers
The Cornerstone to a Community-Driven Economy
J.R. Steenbergen (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
J.M. van Zalingen – Mentor (TU Delft - History, Form & Aesthetics)
J.P.G. Holst – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / AE+T)
Hrvoje Smidihen – Mentor (TU Delft - History, Form & Aesthetics)
Alex Wandl – Mentor (TU Delft - Environmental Technology and Design)
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Abstract
The skyscraper has since its invention shaped modern cities all over the world. More than any other architectural typologie it embodies the social-economic tendencies of the context in which it arises. As our urban ideals shift away from a corporate towards a community oriented built environment, aided by the process of densification, the skyscraper will consequently have to change with it. However, its vertical orientation poses serious challenges when it comes to sustaining the social interactive character at the heart of these densification strategies. Therefore the project proposes a rethinking of the standardized elements in tower design, shaping a continuous system of publicly accessible plazas throughout the vertical organization. Plazas that form unique activity spaces that serve both the in-building community as the wider urban neighborhood of the Rotterdam Central District.