Solange Fabião
Art and Architecture
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Xky Xcraper (23.5°)
Design Collaboration with Steven Holl Architects – 1999 (all rights reserved)
Received Honorary Mention from SAFA in 1999 (Finnish Association of Architects)
The new center for the town of Vuosaari is a double tower forming a gateway on a raised plaza facing the horizon of the Gulf of Finland. The tilt of the earth's axis, 23.5 degrees, defines the geometry of the towers. (T.23.5° and T.90°) Vuosaari, near Helsinki, the northern most metropolis on earth, is a place where the northern end of the earth's axis always points to the same place (North Star.)
Read Full TextDesign Collaboration with Steven Holl Architects – 1999 (all rights reserved)
Received Honorary Mention from SAFA in 1999 (Finnish Association of Architects)
The new center for the town of Vuosaari is a double tower forming a gateway on a raised plaza facing the horizon of the Gulf of Finland. The tilt of the earth's axis, 23.5 degrees, defines the geometry of the towers. (T.23.5° and T.90°) Vuosaari, near Helsinki, the northern most metropolis on earth, is a place where the northern end of the earth's axis always points to the same place (North Star.)
Public spaces of the "X" Towers at the base are earth-bound:
- a rough Finnish granite plaza at the "Gateway" opening
- sloped grass play area ramps for children
- enclosed cafe and shopping area
- a "snow-tank" fountain
Public spaces at the top of the “X” Towers are sky-bound:
- an observation level "Polaris" café on T.23.5°
- an inside-outside terrace with "Diurnal Circles" stairs
- a "blind room" arrival area with computer screen exhibits dedicated to the motions of the earth and time
- a wooden sauna topped by a helicopter pad on the T.90°
- hinged-Space apartments.
