Dynamic of rising
A sleeping giant, a dominant building in one of the Mediterranean’s largest harbors, it is a part of the city’s history and defines its horizon.
The main theme of the composition is the relation between the built environment and the wet element. It’s a virtually a dialogue between the constructed and the natural horizon. The main goal was the transformation of a building that would act as the frontier of sea and city, making it thus an element that would unify the two.
The inspiration of the concept was the dynamic of a huge fish once asleep at the bottom of the sea and now rising to the surface.
The building bellow the tower gives the impression of water formed according to existing mass. The rectangular shape of the tower is maintained but covered with glass in a fashion that would both allow the view from the building and also create reflections on its surface. In the towers interior there’s constant dance of shadows created by the exterior wrapping and offering the illusion of being surrounded by water.
In order to achieve the shape of the giant fish and at the same time maintain the structure of the existing building we dress the tower in veil the white vertical parts of which rotate and create a weave that reminiscent of the skin of a marine mammal while the facets of the veil define its shape.
At the summit we add a light construct to convey a lighthouse image, and accentuate our wish that this building is transformed from a sleeping giant to a harbor hallmark.
This building can be experienced by all and that is the reason we created the park and the sports facilities , to attract people that are passing by , and have it function even as an observatory. That is why we form the space like a boat jetty and by means of elevating the mass the view remains unobstructed while a walkway is created on the circumference where the stairs meet the ramps.
