SOPHIA UNIVERSITY BLD.6 SOPHIA TOWER

摘要

The Sofia Tower is a renovation project of the Sophia University campus and facilities to reorganize functionally and to serve as a more global conceptual center. It is a complex that consists of school facilities in the lower part of the building and offices for rent in the upper floors. The building site is located at the cross section of the city, which is an irregular shape of land sandwiched between a 45-degree-angled street and campus road. In responding to complex functional needs and site irregularity, a unique identity for Sophia was required. It was designed as a "new face in town" and together with the existing Buildings #2 and #7 places the office part of a high-rise building section at the center of a regular shape. The lower part of the building, which holds the school facilities, was designed according to the shape of the site： determination of the height took into consideration other school facilities and townscape for a good balance. Overall, it was planned to blend in well with its surroundings and city skyline. Alternating setbacks were repeated intentionally by folding in volumes from the lower part and higher part, which results in a unitary shape. These vertical rib-shaped volumes were enveloped by precast concrete gasket curtain walls with openings varying in places according to rib heights and widths. Functionally different facilities were integrated into the design of building with a sense of unity.