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The Hyper Building Design Parameters: |
Form
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The form of the Hyper Building is an analogy. It explores the difference between male and female and
the possibilities inherent in Eros.
The Tower is the lingam, the male. Two concentric Exedrae, semicircular edifices, are the female , the womb. The fecundity of the city, the richness of invention and complexity it germinates, is produced by the interpenetration of the two forms.
Many facets of the design are tied together by one guiding idea: the Radial versus
the Orthogonal. While the orthogonal is neutral, the radial implies center, radius
and circumference. The tower is at the center, the radial is the stage for the
horizontal mobility, the circumference is made of two multilevel exedrae.
The sun's daily and seasonal trajectories define a north-south plane of symmetry.
Since in the multistory structure a great variety of activities are juxtaposed,
the structure has a stratified sequence of focal points , points which would
be scattered in a flat grid. People are attracted to and released from those
points in 24-hour cycles, |
generating a sort of invigorating pulse. The
concentric exedrae define a third set of spaces which are neither indoors
or outdoors. When fitted with transparent
or opaque "Garments", temperature, light, wind,and rain can be modified
within these spaces. Garments are changed from transparency to parosol
and vice versa at the spring and fall equinox, moments which become seasonal
pageantries.
Eight main Terras or grounds delineate the towers. These are multilevel public spaces. Centers for culture, the arts, and education are locates throughout the Terras, while others are microclimates where parks flourish.
The self-contained, three-dimensional landscapes of the one kilometer by one kilometer Hyper Building marks a clear distinction between nature and the city, while putting nature at the feet of the city.
The identity of the city will develop a powerful signature in its very structure and form. |
EXEDRAE (Female)
The two concentric exedrae are womb-like,
semicircular structures, the female in this analogy. The circumference of the
initial Hyper Building is defined by the exedrae. They, along with aspects
of garment architecture, generate spaces between them which are neither indoors
nor outdoors, where temperature, light, wind, and rain can be modified. Their
shape and orientation generate some of the passive solar effects important
to the design.
| The Apse
Effect
An exedrae is a truncated apse.
The same effect, more shade in summer when the sun is overhead, more
sunlight in winter when the sun is low on the horizon, is at work in
an exedra. Garment
Architecture
Membranes, modifying the
climate, stretching from one exedrae to the other help define
the space between exedrae as neither inside nor outside. The seasonal
changes from opaque to transparent "garments" can become pageantries
or celebrations. |
Green Mantle
Small trees planted on terraces
on the outer face of the exedrae help moderate temperatures, producing
shade and a cooling effect when they are wateres with misters. Radial
Form
A radial form implies center, radius and circumference,
while orthogonal from is neutral. The radial form allows for a
focus or a series of foci in the three-dimensional structure. The
circumference of the radial form, defined here by the exedrae,
has an enveloping character, differing greatly from the "indifferent" orthogonal,
flat grid. |
| TOWER (MALE)
The tower is the lingam, the male, in this
analogy. A 1,000 meter tower, however, can be intimidating to those
who inhabit the Hyper Building because it lacks human scale. Here that
problem is addressed by delineating the the tower with eight Terras,
or artificial grounds. These mulilevel open spaces provide parks, community
and cultural spaces, and give residents "breathing space." The Terras,
spaced througout the tower, give it human scale. Midway up the tower
in a "bubble level" is a very large, mulilevel Park Terra. Developed
into a greenhouse, it can provide an entirely different climate for
residents from the arid zone where the Hyper Building is located. Other
Park Terras at high levels in the Hyper Building bring other microclimates
to residents, climates affected by height. |
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The Hyper
Building
by Paolo
Soleri
a paper describing the proposed arcology
The Quartet
in A (Arcology) Major
a paper adding to the Hyper Building concept
The Hyper Building Design
Parameters:
Concept
Circulation
Construction Process
Energy
Form
Functional Composition
Population
Site Selection
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