Cascadia- Joint Entry by Collaborative Architecture & J. Mayer.H und Partners, Berlin
Mujib Ahmed
Co-founder and Principal Architect COLLABORATIVE ARCHITECTURE | Co-Founder & Director COLLABORATIVE ARCHITECTURE SA
The BCDA ICONIC TOWER, the new landmark, sits in an urban park that surrounds the building. CASCADIA Tower is a three-dimensional structure with various programmatic intersections. The stacked volumes refer to ancient landmarks of stone piles for orientation and place making. The volumes of CASCADIA Tower can be seen as pebbles or rocks that create a vertical park – a park for plants, a park for working, a park for free time and relaxation, a park for retail and for culture.
Another reference point was the national flag- a symbol of unity and peace.
The innovative architecture of CASCADIA unequivocally represents the nation’s intentions to be in the forefront of future innovations
The URBAN PARK set the project apart as a unique public space and experience. The park intends to accommodate one of the most important collections of public art by known artists from Philippines and abroad, making it a cultural destination of national importance.
The park also complements the urban design vision of the linear park along the east west axis in the new city.
PROGRAMMATIC ORGANISATION:
Each pebble or unit has specific programmatic definitions.
- The groundfloor podium contains drop-off, café, dedicated entries to retail, museum, office floors and entry to parking basements.
- Pebble 1 is for high street retail, grand lobby and musuem galleries.The retail space is dedicated to speciality / luxury retail, as Uptown mall caters to mid-high retail segment.
The museum has two floors over ...... sqm, acts as a contemporary museum of culture and art. Part of the museum is dedicated to the permanent exhibits of the armed forces – the legacy of the place, its rich and often painful history, valor and sacrifice.
- Pebbles 2,3 and 4 are dedicated to office spaces that have clear adresses within the buildings form. A variety of unique spatial experiences occur on different levels.
- Pebble 5, the top pebble, contains some office and conference floors, and offers great views, a sky restaurant and mechanical areas.
- Underground basement floors are for parking and mechanical rooms.
The park is a meeting place for the area and offers various spots for relaxation. Sculptures and art installations will be embedded in the overall layout of the public spaces. The grand stairs leading up to the retail floor also work as seating area and acts as a gallery for outdoor performances.
