I have been a fan of the firm Reiser + Umemoto since reading their book, Atlas of Novel Tectonics while at school. The memorable diagram of their O-14 tower has stuck with me through the years, so I jumped on a chance to visit it in person on a very long evening layover in Dubai (hence the nighttime pictures).
The tower inverts the traditional skyscraper typology, moving the main mass of the structure to the exterior of the building. This frees the office floorplates of the 22 storey tower from columns, and shades the building from the harsh Dubai sun with the perforated structural exoskeleton.
The concept is simple yet striking, both efficient and culturally specific!
Images by Jonathan Choe
