Arbor
An exterior architectural precedent demonstrating how a suspended glazed volume and open pilotis can create an inviting urban undercroft that bridges modern office towers with historic context.
- What we like about this project
- The modern glazed tower dramatically hovers directly above historic brick railway arches, creating a striking juxtaposition of eras.
Materials
- glass
- steel
- brick
- concrete
Visual identifiers
- suspended-glazing
- pilotis
- undercroft
- dusk-lighting
- historic-integration
Style tags
- contemporary
- corporate
- high-tech
- glazed
Visual tags
- commercial-tower
- urban-interface
- transparency
- structural-transfer
- facade-engineering
- Geometry
- A monolithic multi-story glazed volume sits on slender pilotis above a transparent, recessed ground floor, bridging over an older brick structure.
- Facade system
- Unitized glazed curtain wall above with structural glass storefront system at ground level.
- Structural guess
- Steel transfer truss system carrying upper concrete or steel frame down to slender perimeter columns.
- Spatial scale
- Large commercial office building with a double-height ground floor and multi-story tower overhead.
- Lighting
- Dusk twilight exterior contrasting with warm, directional interior and undercroft illumination.
- Atmosphere
- Sleek and luminous at dusk, blending cool exterior reflections with warm, welcoming lobby light.
- Environmental context
- Urban street edge integrating a modern glazed tower with historic brick railway arches.
- Spatial experience
- The deep undercroft creates a sheltered, highly transparent threshold between the public street and the building lobby.
- Composition rhythm
- A strict rectangular grid across the upper glass facade contrasts with the irregular rhythm of columns and historic brick arches below.
- Style reading
- Contemporary corporate high-tech
- Program
- Commercial office tower with ground-floor retail and public lobby
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- glass, steel, brick, concrete
- Visual identifiers
- suspended-glazing, pilotis, undercroft, dusk-lighting, historic-integration
- Style tags
- contemporary, corporate, high-tech, glazed
- Visual tags
- commercial-tower, urban-interface, transparency, structural-transfer, facade-engineering
- Geometry
- A monolithic multi-story glazed volume sits on slender pilotis above a transparent, recessed ground floor, bridging over an older brick structure.
- Facade system
- Unitized glazed curtain wall above with structural glass storefront system at ground level.
- Structural guess
- Steel transfer truss system carrying upper concrete or steel frame down to slender perimeter columns.
- Spatial scale
- Large commercial office building with a double-height ground floor and multi-story tower overhead.
- Lighting
- Dusk twilight exterior contrasting with warm, directional interior and undercroft illumination.
- Atmosphere
- Sleek and luminous at dusk, blending cool exterior reflections with warm, welcoming lobby light.
- Environmental context
- Urban street edge integrating a modern glazed tower with historic brick railway arches.
- Spatial experience
- The deep undercroft creates a sheltered, highly transparent threshold between the public street and the building lobby.
- Composition rhythm
- A strict rectangular grid across the upper glass facade contrasts with the irregular rhythm of columns and historic brick arches below.
- Style reading
- Contemporary corporate high-tech
- Program
- Commercial office tower with ground-floor retail and public lobby
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture