Upbuilding
SOLANGE FABIÃO IN COLLABORATION WITH STEVEN HOLL ARCHITECTS, Copenhagen Harbor-front Tower, DENMARK, 2001
For this new skyscraper on Copenhagen’s harbor front, I introduce a crane-like design, bridging two towers—initially autonomous as requested by the competition—into a new, conjoined form pointing “From the City to the Sea.” With views toward Fynhav and the Baltic Sea, the new “Upbuilding” has as well panoramic views of the capital. The linked towers center a public experience and space unlike the typical high-rise or skyscraper. Their presence on the skyline becomes a positive expression of new community-oriented spaces. Rising 21 floors (76m) to a skybridge, the structure expresses a collective pair, distinctly different from a show of corporate power.
UPBUILDING
Initial sketches and 3D rendering
Integration with the city
High-rise integrative dynamics
Upbuilding integration scheme
Note: In 2008 a new competition by the same client and for the same harbor front area in Copenhagen took place. The design requirement for the LM competition involved Upbuilding's original idea of two towers connected by a bridge, this time over the harbor's main water channel to become the gateway to the city.
Watercolor 5 © Steven Holl
image credits