See the Final Presentations 2004

"Skyframe Tower" by Ahmed Barcley, taking on a particular structural emphasis, with the composition of an exposed steel mega-frame.  

"Like all things in nature, to exist and to flourish, a synthesis must be achieved. True harmony is created by an internal balance within an element and an external balance with its context" - John Portman, 1992

The subject for this project is a mixed-use tower in the City of London, at the St Boltolph's Street / Houndsditch junction. At the time, the site was being developed for a real tall building, the Minerva Tower, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw Architects. The studio schemes were required to accomodate prestigious office headquaters and residential apartments, along with ground floor and high level retail areas. Emphasis is placed on the tower's interface with the ground. 

The project included a fieldtrip to London with visits to the studios of Marks Barfield Architects and Nicholas Grimshaw Architects.

The Minerva Tower final projects incorporate a wide range of design agendas; these include a project inspired by the opportunities of tall building skin, a scheme where the office and residential functions are interpreted as folding, intertwining ribbons, a tower inspired by construction and prefabrication, and a project that explores the possibility of a series of towers interlinked by skybridges across London.