VertPoro
Studio Patrik Schumacher
Tutors Pierandrea Angius
Team Liyuan Gao, Shanshan Li, Meng Wang, Yuling Ma
Due to the increasing land scarcity, high-rise structures become more and more prevalent in the urban environment. At the same time, under the requirements of the network society, our productivity depends on participating in urban life. This productivity requires unprecedented levels of dense communication systems provided mainly in urban concentrations. To achieve such level of high density but avoid the potential visual chaos of crammed agglomeration, the principles of parametricism can provide a unifying base to accommodate the different forces that come into play.
In addition to the urban fabric, the environment is also a key element of Vertporo. Flooding is a central factor affecting urban design in London. Hence, we use the strategy of a sponge city to achieve an ecological city system. We design this specific urban strategy based on different levels. The towers are the main building structures of the city; the base level includes low-rise buildings and the primary traffic network; while the secondary traffic network adapts to the changes of the natural environment and organises the green areas.
Porous structures permit the natural flow of water while they create a network of interconnected spaces. These structures become the three-dimensional connectors between the urban and the architectural scales. Natural sunlight and wind conditions are both taken into consideration for the design of the tower volumes and facades in order to achieve an optimal outcome apropos the surrounding environment and energy consumption of the buildings. In terms of the spatial organisation of the towers, the typical central core found in such structures is replaced by an atrium that offers the maximum visibility between the different surrounding spaces. Finally, bridges transverse the towers connecting both their interior spaces but also their structures with the surrounding spaces and urban environment.