When I saw this, the first thing that popped into my head was a line from the movie Crazy People, where one of the certified insane ad execs came up with the slogan for Volvo “Boxy but good.” Well, the 22-story high-rise being built in January next year totally fits that description. As a benefit of the structural framework of the building, buyers can put together their homes in many conceivable combinations, using the 1-bedroom ‘blocks’ as the smallest unit of construction. If you look at the diagram, each separately colored combination of blocks is a possible apartment/home. Architect Chad Oppenheim based the design on his 1994 thesis.
via Wired magazine.
Another building that is also on tap and pretty cool (in more than 1 sense) is the Windermere West, a condo bldg designed by Jeanne Gang that has some of the windows sloping at a specific angle that is based on Chicago’s latitude (where it’s located).
The way it works, the sawtooth design blocks direct midday sun in summer, but let them in during winter when the sun is lower.
Click the link to see a picture of the building.