Earlier this year, ODA revealed plans for a pair of unusual towers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The firm has now followed that design with another pair of eye-catching residential towers elsewhere in the city, which will be defined by their tapering form and exoskeleton exteriors.
The project, named Ombelle, will be located at 300 NE 3rd Avenue, adjacent to a former industrial area undergoing redevelopment, and will measure roughly 1.5 million sq ft (140,000 sq m).
The towers themselves will consist of 43 floors each. We've no word on their exact height, but to put that into perspective, Fort Lauderdale's current tallest tower, the Icon Las Olas House, reaches a height of 455 ft (139 m) and has 42 floors. Most notable though is their exterior design, which will feature an overall form that widens as it rises, incorporating an exoskeleton outer shell – rather like Zaha Hadid's Morpheus hotel, albeit not quite as dramatic.
"The exoskeleton accentuates the transition of the tower forms, from an L shape at the base to a rectangle at the crown, creating clean lines for the eye to follow as the towers step away from each other," explained Olivera Grk, Principal and Project Director at ODA. "We designed an intricate, layered facade, with the exoskeleton as the outer shell, followed by the gradient of balcony projections from full wrap-around to individual balconies, creating a unique feeling of private homes at the top. These layers make for a visually intriguing structure, as well as unify the building into a single, refined form."
The towers will be anchored by a large base, which will host some greenery on its facade, as well as a public plaza, retail space, restaurants and some apartments – in all, Ombelle will feature 1,100 apartments. There will also be amenities available on top of the base, such as lounge areas, two swimming pools, an outdoor bar area, a chef's kitchen, a garden, a gym, a games room and a library.
We've no word yet on when Ombelle is expected to be completed. The building joins a long line of unusual designs from ODA (formerly ODA New York), including its Jenga-like towers and an upside-down tower that's currently nearing completion.
Source: ODA
