Regardless of their size, all buildings in urban contexts contribute to the greater morphology that ultimately defines a city. The larger the project however, the more the architect becomes under pressure to sensibly balance land use ratio and design. Although this may again evolve in the future, the most current and commonly accepted approach to sustainable urban design is a degree densification in and near cities, allowing a greater number of people to rely on public transport, live closer to their work and city centers, rely on local businesses to ultimately create vibrant neighborhoods.

What we aimed for in this project was to design a building that could respond to the above paradigm but also create – despite its very large site footprint – a clear morphological relationship with the adjacent urban fabric by means of massing, inner courtyards, material selection, window opening sequence and size.