Markus & Franka
When working in tender teams, maquettes communicate some of the most important aspects of a design. They support the story being told by the project team, revealing multiple layers and ideas at the same time. For the Markus & Franka towers, the team had a strong focus on the ground floor design. The plinth aimed to connect the new piece of city to its surroundings while accommodating the necessary infrastructure of the towers. This complicated puzzle became the centrepiece of the maquettes. A solid yet transparent volume in which the different layers of amenities are visible, hugged by the towers above.
-
-
-
-
The volume of the Markus tower gradually becomes smaller at the top, creating an almost geometric gradient. The slabs extend beyond the façade line, creating balconies and adding depth to the volume. To achieve these crisp lines, each floor was printed separately, worked on independently, and assembled only afterwards. This fabrication method allowed us to respond quickly to the frequent design changes, common in a tender process. For the plinth we wanted to layer transparent acrylic to reveal the different activities taking place at each level. From yoga rooms to entrance zones and parking ramps, the identity of the three separate floors is always visible.
The Franka tower is characterised by deep loggias on both sides. To achieve this geometry elegantly we separated each block from each other, as well as the loggia elements. When assembling all parts back together, and concealing every unwanted joint, we were able to detail the rooftop gardens with their unique identities. While the plinth was only one floor, the colonnades around it had intricate circular and triangular geometries, important to be visible in the final piece.
Both maquettes were made independently, to be fitted in a large scale city model, present at the city hall of the location.
-
-
-
-
