Sphere building by EQUIP Xavier Claramunt

Article source: EQUIP Xavier Claramunt

Sphere Building: ‘un globo, dos globos, tres globos’

One could say that the Sphere Building is rooted on a distinguished tradition that says that the Earth was a tiny sphere suspended stationary at the geometric centre of a much larger rotating one which carried the stars. In other words, the planet Earth was the centre of the universe. It’s a start. The origin of such idea has to be found among Greek astronomers and philosophers. For some of them, the sun moved in the vast space between the earth and the sphere of the stars. Outside of the outer sphere there was nothing at all. No space, no matter, nothing! Frightening and at the same time exciting idea.

Exterior View

• Architect: EQUIP Xavier Claramunt
• Name of Project: Sphere building

These two spheres (earthly and celestial) draw to the idea of the ‘two-sphere universe’, a theory that lasted with some strength for at least two thousand years, guiding the thoughts of most astronomers and not just a few philosophers.

Interior View

Definitely, we can say that the concept behind the Sphere Building is such a theory, but, to be honest, would be more accurate and fair to state that ‘la luna es un globo que se me escapo’ which can be translated as ‘see the moon up there, well, it was a balloon that flew away’. In that way, the origin of the Sphere Building could be better found in a contemporary tradition of misleading innocence, expansive audaciousness, and a clear tendency to integrate the complex inputs of our past memories.

Sphere building

The Sphere Building can be described as a nested ball where the first balloon, which is a sphere, distributes a mixed-use scheme along its perimeter: offices, greenery and leisure facilities. A second sphere, which contains the first one, fulfils its built perimeter again with a mixed-use scheme, this time adding housing.

Model 01

The open space in between the two spheres grows an oasis, a green area protected from the hostile exterior. The whole nested ball is pass back and forth through and over by four gigantic cones that allow the light gentle winds and breezes to flow into the Sphere Building. Also the sunlight uses the paths open by the cones to access the interior areas of the spheres. Both techniques are fundamental to create a controlled microclimate for the comfort of it inhabitants.

Model 02

The third balloon, call it sphere but actually more like an oblate spheroid, is the Earth planet itself, positively big. The other two sit onto this one:  ‘Un globo, dos globos, tres globos’ and, as previously stated, the Moon, which by now every one knows is a balloon that flew away, in other words: ‘es un globo que se me escapó’.

Model 03

Model 04

Model 05

Plan 01

Plan 02

Plan 03

Plan 04

Category: Building

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