Old Post Office Plaza, St. Louis, MO
Photography by Sam Fentress
The winning entry of the invited architectural competition for the renovation of Old Post Office Plaza channels Daedalus, a figure in Grecian mythology who is known for morphing public space and art into one, in its design concept.
From elevated positions on ramps and platforms, the design is seen as an artistic composition, but once inside the plaza, guests actively become a part of the piece by utilizing the public space. A perforated stainless steel screen shades the cascade while functioning as a surface for projections.
Daedalus, as the myth goes, built the Labyrinth of Knossos for the Cretan Minotaur to get lost in. A maze-like design represents the story, laden with American Beech trees and filled with a multitude of benches, stretches across the square. Igor Mitoraj’s sculpture of Daedalus’ son, “Torso di Ikaro,” or the torso of Icarus, blends into an extensive water feature.
Architect Barry Sampson with Baird Sampson Neuert Architects transformed the once parking lot with the help of project coordinator Mauro Carreño, Blackwell Bowick Partnership Ltd., Optimal Engineering Solutions Inc., EDM Incorporated, Arcturis Quantity, Vermeulens Cost Consultants, Kozeny-Wagner, Inc. and Water Architecture.
U.K. Pavilion, Shanghai Expo 2010, China
Photography by Iwan Baan
Heatherwick Studio designed the U.K. Pavilion that would represent the country among more than 200 others in the 2010 World Expo, located in Shanghai, China. Named the Seed Cathedral, 60,000 identical 7.5-meters-long rods of clear acrylic burst outward to create a box spanning 15 meters high and 10 meters tall. A total of 250,000 seeds were implanted into the tips of the rods. The purpose was to follow a theme of nature and cities, with the building branching out to merge as one with the sky and the seeds symbolizing the potential and promise of the future.
A large carpeting of silvery-gray Astroturf sat underneath the pavilion, angled into a form resembling wrapping paper as a sign that the building was a gift to China from the U.K. Troika designed a series of artistic installations for the landscape’s ramps into the pavilion, while structural engineer Adams Kara Taylor helped with the pavilion’s geometrical setup.
The Battery, San Francisco, CA
Photography by David + Esther
The three-story Musto building, which once housed a candy store and a crating company, now provides San Francisco’s inquisitive intellectuals with an exclusive experience in the financial district’s Jackson Square. Michael and Xochi Birch dreamt of a members-only club comprised of a diverse group of bright minds. They purchased and renovated the historic 1907 building, originally designed by architect William Mooser II, turning their dreams of the club into reality.
BCCI Construction Company led the renovation with FME Architecture and Design, interior architect Ken Fulk, structural engineer Holmes Culley and landscape architect MPA Design. The 57,000-square-foot building needed mandatory seismic upgrades and restoration work that required a skillful overcoming of numerous design and technical barriers. Expansions, including the addition of a glass-enclosed fourth-floor penthouse, provided approximately 16,000 square feet of more usable space. The club contains numerous bars, hospitality suites and conference facilities, as well as a library, restaurant, pool, spa and gym.
