A first glance at this wondrous conception may make you feel like a fleeting reverie of fantasy has clashed with our real world. Such is the simplicity of this design concept by BIG Architects. The design deservingly won the first place in a competition for an entrance portal into the city of Stockholm, at the intersection of a newly planned super junction.
Conceived by a collaboration of BIG Architects, engineering consultants Grontmij and Spacescape, the fastidious concept is basically a gigantic hovering sphere which mirrors the surrounding landscape to create a 180 degrees view from below for the travelers. However, it is not only about the immaculate visual aesthetics, 30% of the total surface area of this sphere will integrate photovoltaic films. The resultant clean energy can power up 235 neighboring residences.
There are other unique spatial modifications incorporated in the overall 580sq meter plan, like creation of a hollow bowl shaped valley to mitigate the sound pollution from the city. There will also be circular zonal stratification, each one being composed of variant landscaping features like pine-and oak forests to wetlands and grass lawns to even hilly terrain.
Founder and Partner of BIG, Bjarke Ingels said:
The project is a cross-over between urbanism, landscape, architecture, art and infrastructure into a new neighbourhood of stockholm. Harnessing the momentum of the massive investment in tunnels and highways and putting the excess excavation to use as a man-made valley, we create an interdisciplinary hybrid of logistic, economic, environmental and social infrastructure.
Via: DesignBoom
