Conceptual Words; 

• Interlock- Overlapping different age group cultures and lifestyles.
• Integrate- Connection between spaces Interlocked.
• Extrinsic- Overlapping and Connecting the environment to the design.

Interlocking different generational cultures which drives the Integration of different age groups in a shared neighborhood, which responds and allows the Extrinsicity of the site and design.

Interlocking different generational cultures which drives the Integration of different age groups in a shared neighborhood, which responds and allows the Extrinsicity of the site and design.

The massing of the design was inspired by “Jenga” which allows the interlocking of different blocks in different directions. By subtracting different blocks integrated open community spaces throughout the height of the massing. The blocks which were kept intact were pulled out to allow the visual and verbal extrinsic connection to the site and different levels. This massing of the design was aimed to attribute to five design solutions;

• Cross ventilation
• Design Porosity
• All direction Openness
• Spatial Continuity
• Circulation Continuity

Based on the developed massing and concept the building is sectionally designed in a way to allow overlapping communal and open spaces to integrate overlapping of different age generations and cultures.This sectional design of the building allows the connection of the design to the context on all the directions. The base of the building was retained porous to allow easy access to the river and seamless design interaction to the site context , because of the site being compact and less dense. The semi- private levels were also connected to the ping-tom park to allow the extrinsicity of the design.

The building is primarily divided into 3 zones, Lower levels- Public zone , Mid and Upper levels - -Private and Semi -Private zone The programs in the building has been zoned in the different areas called as’ Valleys’ based on the function to accommodate specific activities. This allows the differentiation of private, semi-private and public areas and planned overlapping of programs for all age groups.

The amenity floor has been added after every 10 floors to allow division of the building in 5 zones. The amenity floors accommodate various programs for all age groups which are usually provided at the ground level. Hence, allowing the ease of  physical connection  to the activities at upper heights of the building.

The residential floors have been designed into 2 different mirrored modules stacked one above another. These modules are designed with combinations of duplex, one bedroom,two bedroom and studio apartments. Each module is programmed with green spaces, communal spaces which behave efficiently in all weather conditions of Chicago. An urban farm has also been added into each module to allow the building for self production . These green spaces and urban farms in each module also contribute to reducing the carbon-footprint of the building.The volumes and location  of the spaces have been designed based on the function, for example the communal space has west and north opening for less heat gain and indirect sunlight whereas the urban farm has south and east exposure to have more direct sunlight.

The floor layouts are designed in a manner that it is flexible to change in time and generations. The apartment layouts are designed structurally and planned to make changes according to the requirement of the residents based on the generational timeline of the family. A two bedroom duplex apartment can be changed to a three bedroom apartment in future with minimum amount of changes without disturbing the mechanical services.The internal layouts of the apartments are designed to have double height volumes internally to have a better daylight exposure. There are shared  courtyards integrated in the layout between the apartments to increase the intensity of interaction between the different age group residents. This courtyard leads to a common multi-use area which is a shared space for the residents of the adjacent apartment.

The communal space on the north defines specific spaces for landscape, ‘study spaces’ for students and ‘reading spaces’ for adults and other common use functions.The central core accommodates vertical circulation and various services like electrical, plumbing,HVAC etc.

At every amenity floor a facade water collection system has been added to the design. This system collects the dripping rainwater from the fixed  glass facade of the amenity floor in the drain channel below. This water is collected in the storage tanks at every amenity floor. This collected water is stored in the underground water tank and pumped in the overhead water tank whenever required  and supplied to the required areas such as urban farms and the landscape areas in the buildings.This reduces dependency on the external source of water making the building energy efficient and more sustainable.

The building facade has been designed as a window wall system to generate solar energy and reduce heat gain during summers and allow sunlight into the space during winters. The lower floors till the 30th storey have a straight facade  design. The top fixed spandrel panel fits in flexible PV solar panels which absorbs most of the solar energy to generate electricity. The lower fixed spandrel panel acts as a railing when the openable panel in the center is in use letting natural ventilation for the space.

The sun degrees had been studied for both summer and winter seasons.. Based on the angle study the top 20 floors have been designed perpendicular to the sun degree to allow more efficiency of the solar panels on the top.Based on the calculations the energy generation system produces enough energy to allow the building to not depend on the external sources of energy.

Hence, the facade, layout and volumes play a simultaneous role in reduction of energy usage by self generation , reducing heat gain , and subsequent use of renewable sources of energy.By integration of this system the EUI achieved  of the building was 10 making the building sustainable in all the weather conditions of the location

The structure of the building depended on the Reinforced Cement Concrete  core . A thick core has been designed to support the mass of the building. Shear walls were added connecting the core to withstand lateral forces due to wind.

Flat slab systems with columns at maximum of 35 ft center to center were placed.Flat slab allowed to accommodate more floor to floor usable space for habitation and mechanical services.

Open communal spaces were also placed at the corners to avoid ‘vortex shedding’  and alternating spaces to ‘ confuse the wind ‘.  Hence, the building performed structurally stable at the required height and slenderness ratio of the building by  a very simple thick core , lateral wall  and flat slab system which cumulatively behaved as an outrigger system for the building.