When designing a residential building for a location with a great waterfront view, it's a good idea to maximize the number of occupants that can actually enjoy that view. ODA New York recently proposed a building for Toronto, Canada, that would do just that thanks to its novel twisting form inspired by the way plants follow the sun.
Currently in the proposal stage (and with no immediate plans to build), the building is envisioned as being part of Toronto's Bayside development. ODA began with a plan for a basic L-shaped building, before raising, staggering, and twisting its profile by 45 percent.
ODA says that in all, some 71 percent of the 24-story building's units would enjoy a view to the waterfront. This compares to what the firm says would otherwise be around 25 percent with a typical design. The twisting design offers plenty of opportunity for outdoor areas too – some 68,550 sq ft (6,368) – and 221 out of the 228 units would feature a terraced area. Shared amenities include a large shared terrace, pool area, and a large retail area.
The proposal follows the firm's East 44th Street tower, an ultra-svelte skyscraper that will offer residents outdoor terraces in the sky, and both can be seen as part of ODA's larger aim to create flexible urban residential projects that boast more outdoor space than we might usually expect.
"We are leading a quiet but unyielding revolution to replace the dogma of resigned and compromised city living for one that enriches our lives," asserts Eran Chen, ODA New York's Founder and Executive Director. "We can and must rethink our reliance on the extruded big box concept and instead, design permeable residential buildings more as a collection of individual private homes. Restoring our relationship to nature within our most private spaces is a crucial element in maintaining both our physical and psychological well being."
Source: ODA New York
UPDATE (Mar. 14/16): Bayside's developer, Hines and Tridel, has informed us that ODA's proposal doesn't "reflect the intention of the developers or key stakeholders."