Material and Structure
The exterior of the building is covered by gray green glass and polished granite. The moderately reflective surface keeps changing its texture depending on the angle and the light. The use of transparent glass for the public space emphasizes its openness and lets plenty of sunlight in. The wedge shape building was a challenge in terms of structure because its shape caused more wind load than that to conventional box shape skyscrapers. After wind tunnel tests, original structural system was revised because of the wind load. The frames around the elevator shafts are kept as they were, then diagonal frames were added. Columns on the perimeter of the building were moved closer by half and the spandrel beams were strengthened. Surprisingly, after reconsideration of structure, the total amount of steel decreased. Another interesting the challenge in structure was cantilevered entrance. The point is not how to support the load above but how to keep the stability of the building. Using stronger and bigger columns for the base solved this problem.
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“A structure becomes architectural, and not sculptural, when its elements no longer have their justification in nature.”
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