Next Steps

For Wednesday’s midterm, I presented my revised project statement and a series of exploratory sketches, plans and diagrams. The sketches show an overall form starting to emerge for the encasement of a vertical forest, as well as the physical connection between the forest and this encasement – a series of buildings composed of a variety of community clusters and public spaces. Marziah noted that the tower’s façade is currently too conservative. While the emergence of the forest onto the exterior skin at various points in the façade, shown in an attached sketch, is dynamic, the façade remains flat. Marziah challenged me to explore building volumes from my folding pattern, rather than simply applying the pattern to an expansive façade. How can the folds really help dictate the tower’s form?

Marziah had similar comments for my grid-based community clusters. By deviating from a fixed 12’ by 12’ box, and offsetting ceilings, floors and walls to various extents, each community cluster can help the tower’s overall form match the dynamism of the forest’s expression. Stacking 12’ by 12’ boxes, no matter what their arrangement, can be done indefinitely without any compelling transformation occurring to the tower’s form.

In further developing my design, I plan to construct several models, at different scales, to get a three-dimensional perspective of what the forest and tower could be. I will abandon the purely circular form for a more asymmetrical, oval-like form that is more emblematic of my attached plan concept. As my peer reviewers noted, this move could allow for a portion of the south façade to be entirely cut away, bringing plenty of light on to the forest.

VERTICAL

FOREST

THE FOREST AS EXTERIOR SKIN

THE VERTICAL FOREST RISES AT THE TOWER'S CORE, LEADING RESIDENTS AND VISITORS ON A HIKE TOWARDS THE SKY. COMPOSED OF SEVERAL PIECES, THE RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM IS INTERRUPTED TO PROVIDE SPACES FOR WORK, RECREATION, DINING, EDUCATION AND ENTERTAINMENT. THESE SPACESEXIST BOTH INSIDE THE FOREST AND IN "CUTS" THROUGH THE BUILDING'S FORM. BRIDGES ACROSSTHE CUTS PROVIDE CONTINUOUSHORIZONTAL CIRCULATION AND ACCESS TO NEIGHBORING COMMUNITYCLUSTERS, OF WHICH THEREARE A VARIETY OF TYPES AND SIZES.

P R O J E C T S T A T E M E N T

T Y L E R D U N C A N

PLAN CONCEPT

F O R M D E V E L O P M E N T

FOREST WRAPS AROUND EXTERIOR SKIN

CUTS IN FACADE ALLOW FOR LIGHT AND PUBLIC SPACE

VERTICAL FOREST AT CORE OF BUILDING

HOUSING

C O M M U N I T Y C L U S T E R S

SECOND FLOOR