Project Description
The fenestration and cladding on this structure are exciting–zinc scales set in horizontal bands that slide over each other, slightly offset to obscure the different levels of the building. The amazing skin introduces low-maintenance energy efficiency in the form of natural ventilation, protects the building from rainwater infiltration, and prevents interstitial condensation. It also involves the optimization of acoustic and thermal insulation of the building to avoid possible thermal bridges. The structure comprises three distinct forms, including a tower, a block, and a connecting bridge. It meets the street with a white, translucent wall. The designers intended to blur the lines between the front and rear of the building, the beginning and the end, and designed a building that responds similarly to the access road as it does to the green zone that runs lengthwise on the other side. This is a well-evolved, very serious but still playful project that is especially noteworthy because it is subsidized housing.