BIG proposed leaning the facades of the building outwards until the inclination reaches the average angle of the sun, the facades dodge the sun rays and rest in the shade of the building itself. Due to the relatively high average position of the sun on the sky the total sun exposure can be reduced dramatically at relatively small inclinations. The resulting building volume is a sort of inverted pyramid with the apex buried deep in the desert sand.
The existing terrain is used to form the shell by casting concrete directly on the sand with all its layers including grasses, mosses, and seashells, like an amber sand dune frozen in time. Once the concrete is dry the space is excavated underneath, leaving the thin sheet of frozen beach hovering above. Like a new sand dune vernacular for Fanø, Lycium will appear as if it was always there, shaped by the winds and the water moving sand across centuries.
Students, professors, staff, and visitors will be able to access the new center from two main entrances at the ground floor and the first floor located at different elevations due to the north-south slope of the campus. Students entering through the south side will be met by a cafe and the open auditorium’s grand staircase that leads up towards the atrium. The full-height atrium with open spaces invite collaborative activity embodying both the architectural and educational approach of the center.
The Coral is the cornerstone of the Albany Masterplan. Located at the southern tip of the public promenade, it has a unique relationship with the harbor entry and with the South West Bay beyond. It is one of the largest buildings in Albany with wraparound balconies offering spectacular, panoramic views from the marina to the ocean, and beyond. Different unit sizes introduce dynamic irregularities in the pattern, similar to the staggered elevation of The Honeycomb and The Cube. The rounded motif of the plan is repeated in elevation and creates a natural opening that exposes a dipping pool for every balcony at the demising wall of the units below. These unique pools have a transparent edge towards the marina and ocean, eliminating the visual barrier between the pool and the surrounding environment and allow bathers to become fully immersed in the view of the marina and the ocean beyond.
Running from January through August , Hot to Cold marked BIGs first major North-American exhibition offering a behind-the-scenes look at BIGs creative process and how the studios designs are shaped by cultural and climatic contexts. More than architectural models, mock-ups and prototypes were suspended at the second-floor balconies of the museums historic Great Hall, turning the architecture of the National Building Museum into the architecture of the exhibition.