Abstract:
The rise of the office building was not driven by programmatic needs or artistic
desires, but rather suitable working conditions coupled with turn-of-the-century
technological innovations. As it evolved, systems were developed and
modernized to make buildings to work in it. The office building has reached its
evolutionary plateau in the 1950’s when mechanized systems transformed the
building type into air-tight homogenous structures, maximizing efficiency and
economy. This was based on an office culture that today, due to innovations in
communications technology, is growing ever more obsolete.
This thesis reconceived the government office building as a vertical neighborhood
- a dynamic workplaces for employees to work comfortably. The inverted design
process prioritized the community by focusing upon the internal social and spatial
systems of the skyscraper - two systems that are essential to fostering a
community yet do not currently exist as design considerations. The influence of
this prioritization also redefined the currently parasitic relationship of the
skyscraper to the city into a symbiotic one: the living sculpture becomes part of
an urban food chain, dependent on the environment to insure its own survival,
and on the city to provide identity and culture. The design exploration thoughtfully
integrates systems as a result of a social agenda, creating a dialogue that raises
questions and aspirations about the social validity and potential of the habitable
working spaces as it exists today.
