Panorama deck Panorama deck Urban O Urban O Height lo bse Height lo bse au rv au rv P a P a o to o to ã r ã r São Paulo Urban Observatory y y +114600 S Layout of +114600 S View of Panorama deck Panorama deck Bar/Restaurant Bar/Restaurant Masterplan observation Bar/Restaurant WCs Bar/Restaurant WCs (polar projection) deck MSc3 Research Kitchen Bar/Restaurant WCs Kitchen Bar/Restaurant WCs Plant room The research of the MSc3 semester for the Border Conditions Studio Helipod Plant room Helipod took place in 12 different cities: Plant Room Plant Room Almere, Antwerp, Athens, Beijing, Berlin, Delft, Londen, Maastricht, Shanghai, São Paulo, Thessaloniki and Veroia. Heliport Reception Heliport Reception The research consisted of a photographic documentation of these Heliport Administration Heliport Administration cities, gathering over 7.000 images. From these images, virtual “panoramas” were constructed. These Offices panoramas are the result of the juxtaposition of the photographic Offices Offices Offices documentation, so that the information contained within the single Plant room image would blend with the other images and a more abstract Plant room Plant room Plant room atmospheric impression could be given of each city. Offices Offices Panorama deck Panorama deck Urban O lo bse au rv P a o to ã r S View of y gallery Panorama Galleries Panorama Galleries entrance WCs WCs Plant Room Plant Room Circular projection room Circular projection room Panorama Galleries Panorama Galleries Plant Room Plant Room Visitors reception - Ticket desks Visitors reception - Ticket desks Panorama Galleries Panorama Galleries WCs WCs Almere Open air performance space Panorama deck Outdoor Expo Open air performance space Panorama deck Outdoor Expo WCs WCs Auditorium Auditorium Panorama deck Panorama deck Auditorium Auditorium Athens Reception - Ticket desks WCs Reception - Ticket desks WCs Exhibition Space Exhibition Space Exhibition Space Exhibition Space Plant room Plant room Exhibition Space Exhibition Space Exhibition Space Exhibition Space Urban O OMNIMAX Theatre OMNIMAX Theatre lo bse au rv Exhibition Space WCs Exhibition Space Exhibition Space WCs Exhibition Space P a o to ã r S y View of Exhibition Space Exhibition Space Exhibition Space Exhibition Space Cobogòs Panorama deck Outdoor Expo Beijing Panorama deck Outdoor Expo Plant room Plant room Furthermore, within the panoramas, specific layers - such as parts Restaurant - Bar Terrace Restaurant - Bar Terrace Bar/Restaurant Bar/Restaurant Restaurant - Bar of the spectrum, or thematic layers such as window openings, Restaurant - Bar pavementsMeeting rooms etc - were isolated in order to disclose the information Meeting rooms WCs WCs withheld within the virtual panorama. Offices WCs Offices WCs Offices Plant room Offices Plant room Panorama deck Floorplans Panorama deck Floorplans 15900 15900 Offices WCs Offices WCs Open air performance space Open air performance space 13100 13100 Plant room Plant room Exhibition Space Auditorium Exhibition Space Auditorium 10200 10200 Wardrobe Exhibition Space Wardrobe Exhibition Space 7500 7500 Patent for a panoramic painting exhibition, WCs Panorama Mesdag,Visitors painted reception - Information 1884 and Ticket desks WCs Visitors reception - Information and Ticket desks Urban Ob R. Barker, 1787 lo se au rv P a o to ã r S y Window frames 1400 1400 Visitors Information Archive reception MSc4 Design Visitors Information Archive reception 000 000 Plant room Reading rooms Plant room Reading rooms Reading rooms Reading rooms The fascination with theReading rooms “panorama” as a 2-dimensional document Reading rooms Archive Archive -4000 -4000 that discloses information on a place led to someReading research rooms of the Reading rooms WCs Kitchen WCs Kitchen history of the panoramic paintingArchive and the building types that started Archive -8000 -8000 to evolve in the same period. Connection Connection Bar/Restaurant Archive to Metro Bar/Restaurant Archive to Metro Since the dawn of the Industrial Metropolis a longlasting tradition of -9700 -9700 buildings finalised in observing the environment that surrounds us has developed. The explosive expansion of the city during the early years of the 360 ° East 270 ° South 180 ° West 270° North 0 ° East Industrial Revolution, together with the rise of an entertainment industry freely accessible to the masses lie at the basis of new building types that dealt exclusively with observing the urban Urban O panorama. Giving an overview of the city (which was lost as a result lo bse au rv P a o to ã r of the vast size of the metropolis) was one of the motives, providing S y Section a spectacle for which entrance fees could be asked another. West-East Urban O lo bse au rv P a o to ã r These new typologies were the panorama buildings with travelling S y View of canvases, dioramas with mechanically moving scenes, camera upper deck obscura observatories, the Ferris Wheel, miniature replicas of cities, observation towers such as the Eiffel Tower or other unique buildings such as Wylde’s Globe in London that later evolved into widespread phenomena such as the cinema, the IMAX Dome, the panorama terrace and eventually Google Earth and other (digital) means of providing an overview of the (urban) environment. What all these have in common, is that they provide a perspective on the city that is normally not achievable. The design brief (resulting from the MSc3 research] is therefore to develop a contemporary version of the urban observatory seen in the aforementioned tradition. A hybrid form between the observation tower and a more internalised observatory (including an urban studies centre and exhibition spaces) is designed. The area around Luz Station, where the site is located, is currently known as Crackolandia (crack-land) because of the strong presence of prostitution and drug-dealing. The Municipality of São Paulo has started a vast operation of urban renewal which includes the demolition of many buildings, the creation of new subway-lines and general attempts to reduce crime and provide a more safe and attractive urban environment. 150 m Urban O lo bse au rv P a o to ã r S View y of central atrium 0 m 360 ° 270 ° 180 ° 90 ° 0 ° EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST ban ban ban ban Ur Ob Ur Ob Ur Ob Ur Ob lo se lo se lo se lo se r r r r u v u v u v u v a a a a a a a a P P P P t t t t o o o o o o o o r r r r ã ã ã ã Horizontal y Horizontal y Horizontal y Horizontal y The starting point for the design is a 360° panorama surrounding S S S S section section section section the site. This panorama is reconstructed on the basis of various -8m -4m +1.4m +7.5m sources of information, such as Google Earth, Panoramio, and a personal site visit. Urban O A second starting point is the spiral. Spirals provide a route that lo bse au rv P a o to ã r gradually ascends and enable the observer to view a panorama that S Con- y is larger than 360°. struction build-up Design of a helix Polar space Cartesian space Height of building -> chosen panorama 150 m rban O 150 m U b ban o s Ur Ob l e lo se u r u r v v a a a a P P Panoramic rooftop t Heliport o t o o r ã o y r Basic Layout ã S y on panorama S Unfolded Panorama bar Panorama Spiral Gallery Bridge Gallery Lifts Lifts Gallery Galleries Offices Panorama Gallery Outer shell: Outer shell: Inner shell: Inner shell: Inner and outer shell: Reception / tickets 0 m 0 m columns and beams columns, beams and floors columns and beams columns, beams and floors columns, beams and floors Connection to Luz Train Station Connection to square 360 ° EAST 270 ° SOUTH 180 ° WEST 90 ° NORTH 0 ° EAST 360 ° EAST 270 ° SOUTH 180 ° WEST 90 ° NORTH 0 ° EAST Archive library / reading rooms Connection to Metro 180° 0° rban O rban O rban O rban O rban O rban O rban O rban O U b U b U b U b U b U b U b U b lo se lo se lo se lo se lo se lo se lo se lo se u r u r u r u r r r r r v v v v u v u v u v u v a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a P P P P P P P P t t t t t t t t o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o East r r r r r r r r ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã West Horizontal y Horizontal y Horizontal y Horizontal y Horizontal y Horizontal y Horizontal y View of top y S S S S S S S S section section section section section section section platform 360° 270° 180° 90° 0° -8m -4m +1.4m +7.5m +10.2m +13.1m +15.9m East South West North East 270° South Aided by the tools provided by scripting software, a structure is designed in polar coordinates on top of a polar projection of the 360° panorama around the site. This structure, designed in polar space, is subsequently curved around the same cylinder used for the polar projection of the panorama, so that it is converted to cartesian space. In this way, the orientation of the spaces towards the outer panorama Height of building can be controlled. -> chosen panorama 150 m rban O 150 m U b ban o s Ur Ob l e lo se u r u r v v a a a a P P Panoramic rooftop t Heliport o t o o r ã o y r Basic Layout ã S y on panorama S Unfolded Panorama bar Panorama Spiral Gallery In opposition to most sight-seeing towers, in which the ascension is Urban O lo bse Bridge Gallery u r Lifts Lifts a va P t Gallery o o Galleries ã r y usually done as quickly as possible and where the final goal of the Offices S Panorama Gallery Reception / tickets View from 0 m 0 m ascension is the unobstructed view from the panoramic terrace at street level Connection to Luz Train Station Connection to square 360 ° EAST 270 ° SOUTH 180 ° WEST 90 ° NORTH 0 ° EAST 360 ° EAST 270 ° SOUTH 180 ° WEST 90 ° NORTH 0 ° EAST the top, a 2.4km gradually spiralling route upwards is envisioned, in Archive library / reading rooms Connection to Metro which details and elements of the view are framed, and where the ban ban ban ban Ur Ob Ur Ob Ur Ob Ur Ob lo se lo se lo se lo se r r r r u v u v u v u v a a a a a a a a P P P P t t t t o o o o o o o o r r r r ã ã ã ã Horizontal y Horizontal y Horizontal y View of top y ascension becomes a process, rather than just a quick elevator ride.