tank farm one

test of the flywheel system

these are the basic numbers on the hubs to get an idea of overall distribution. The entire program would fit if all 35 hubs were filled solid with program.... It also shows the four hub types

this is a programmatic diagram
this is a massing diagram picking up from a scheme by Jessica and Ed where the west side of the site shows solids in water and the east side of the site shows voids carved out of poche. Also included is the primary circulation route that links the site together... five figures dominate the setting: one flower, two boomerangs [one small, one large], a flywheel and a single dot...

possible flywheel organization

this diagram juxtaposes the composition and the aggregate structure from which it was made... aggregate infrastructure beneath a compositional superstructure...

the ultimate intention is not to make the grid illegible in the final composition, but to simultaneously aggregate and compose relative to the needs of each program area. The example above is apparently compositional with very little indication of the 50 meter grid which constitutes its aggregate structure....

the circles represent collective programs of any size while the stretchy space between supports these collective spaces with ancillary facilities when needed. When not needed, and collective areas support themselves, no bands occur. Alternately, the stretchy space can be cleared out for a larger collective space. In their capacity as formal theatre spaces, the single center space functions as an arena stage while the combined centers function as a proscenium theatre.... The grid is spaced at approximately 50 meters...

OMA: GENOA PORT, ITALY, GENOA, 1997

The port of Genoa is the geophysical condition, beautifully located on the slopes of the coastal mountains the city overlooks the Mare Ligure and the harbour. There the steep seashore forces the city and the harbour to coexist on the same stretch of coast. Result is the historical city in front of an ever modernising harbour: nostalgia facing the pure contemporary condition. So we realised that no conventional waterfront rehabilitation could be the answer.

As by magic the economic growth of South East Asia has forced the re-emergence of Genoa as an important European harbour. This is the incentive for a drastic change in the scope and the ambition. Our plan proposes an aggressive welcome to the new condition: the further improvement of the harbour, preparing quays for more berth and the newest logistics for ships, cranes, trains and lorries. At the same time our plan proposes to reclaim Genoa’s relationship with the seaboard.

After the outward expansion of the post war era Genoa is forced to expand and improve on actually occupied territory. Genoa has the chance - almost non existent in Italy - to restructure an area central in the city, important to both civic life and economic activity.

We propose a combination of manipulations; efficient infrastructure and logistics restructure a former infrastructure clot, freeing land for new program. Mutual exchange of territory between city and harbour improve conditions for development. The introduction of port related manufacturing and assemblage allows the city to generate income from the passing flow of commodities between sea and hinterland.