A residential tower in the US city of St. Louis, Missouri, will have an unusual design reminiscent of an animal's layered scales. Stacked tiers of four floors each will fan outwards as they rise up the One Hundred building, with the aim of giving residents better views and improving energy performance.
The angled nature of the tiers means they will give residents views along the length of the building as well as straight out. In this way, each apartment will have its own corner living room, with views of a park to the west and the Gateway Arch to the east.
"In a climate with four distinct seasons, we wanted to make it possible for residents to enjoy the different views and natural changes in light over the course of the year," says Jeanne Gang, founder of project architect Studio Gang. "By experimenting with the geometry of the facade and refining the apartment layouts, we were able to make every apartment into a corner unit perched above the park and city."
The angled design of the window units will also allow more light into the apartments, helping to reduce electricity usage.
One Hundred will cover an area of 540,369 sq ft (50,200 sq m) and rise to a height of 385 ft (117 m), housing a total of 305 apartments. The 36 stories of the tower will be split into eight tiers of four, which will sit on a five-story podium at the base.
The angled tiers will make space for terraces on top of each set of four floors, with residents also able to make use of a green roof and shared social space at the top of the building. Rainwater will be collected and stored for irrigation, which should help to reduce stormwater runoff.
The podium, meanwhile, will accommodate space for retail and other amenities. There will also be 355 below-ground parking spaces.
The design for One Hundred was unveiled at a public meeting yesterday. Construction is scheduled to begin next year and the building is expected to be complete in 2019.
Source: Studio Gang
