CRD
In urban centers, buildings are densely stacked, and their ascent toward the sky symbolizes power beyond ground-level vision. Historically, towers have been dominant structures, creating a symbolic dialogue with the city, its citizens, and the surrounding environment. Today, the relationship between floor plan divisions and level repetition is a key factor in exploring the potential program and financial feasibility of a new tower in the urban landscape.
2024, Self-commissioned
Our goal is to design a public to semi-public plinth with a private residential tower above, allowed to reach up to 90 meters in height. After exploring possible matching floor plans for our program (see Tower Floor Plan in Menu), we have fixed six floor plans and intuitively created tower typologies by stacking these plans into six sections of the tower. In our parametric framework, we assume a fixed tower core and fixed floor plans for each of the six sections of each tower typology. We vary across six different typologies (A–E) and explore different number of floor levels for each section.
Considering the predefined constraints and the freedom of variation we established, we still have 192 tower variations. The output data is revealing: we can identify typologies that create a higher total number of apartments or match specific program ratio requirements. If desired, we could connect this to a financial model to calculate revenue and cost breakdowns based on areas and volumes. In this case, we have sorted the variants by the total number of apartments, with design option 1 offering a total of 237 units.
Legend explaining the data categories in the bar-chart. Blue = Totals; Red = Quantities; Dark-green = Areas
As we stack and the volume ascends, we increase the number of specific spatial types, directly impacting the overall program of our tower. We have considered open, larger spaces in the first sections that form the plinth, followed by sections with a high number of divisions, which decrease toward the upper sections. Thus, after the plinth, there are more small apartments in the lower part of the tower and fewer but larger apartments at the top.
Legend of the highrise exterior sections.
This intuitive design prefiguration, embedded in our parametric model, is visible in the following floor plan overview per tower section. For each apartment, the net area is calculated and assigned to a specific color sector (e.g., social, mid-market, or free-market), further classified by size in a gradient of the same color. These settings are adjustable to your conditions and can be directly linked to your custom financial model.
Legend of floor plan sections.
The façade and interior walls of each stacked floor plan are used to calculate both net and gross areas. Together with the base and foundation poles, they form a first draft of the tower structure. The alignment of internal walls across multiple sections is desirable for a clean downstream of forces; these could become structural interior walls in further detail phases and/or be complemented with a structural column system.
Legend of highrise interior.
Overall, the approach is flexible, customizable, and can be iteratively complemented with other parametric frameworks. During the development of an urban tower vision, it is vital to identify the questions we seek answers to, prioritize, and determine the driving factors for each stakeholder involved. This allows us to develop the best-matching parametric model to explore design variations and make informed decisions.
Legend of highrise exterior sections.