Uffizi is the office building of nowhere and for no one. It is empty yet alive inside with layering of volumous spaces vertically. The structure and geometry is opposite of those typically assumed for towers.

Type: Office, Cafe, and Shops

Location: Hypo-sphere

Structure: Concrete

Area: 37,100 m2

Floors: 26

Year: 2016

Criteria: Banality and Void

Professor: Sharon Johnston & Mark Lee (Gehry Chair)

School: University of Toronto Daniels Faculty

A major and minor set of grids were used to place structure and objects. Objects break the grid to place obstructions for movement and visual patterns. Each object not only provides a personal experience it houses the critical elements that make the building function.

As the main part of the investigation, the shapes create a dialogue within the planning of the building. The forms, as three-dimensional objects, break the grid to create space. The building houses two plan types, atria-plate and flat floor plate, only deviating to house the voluminous structures.

Detailing of the facade was centered around the interaction and placement of windows and structure. The windows are placed rhythmically on the grid between structural elements. Concrete panels provide a smooth yet textured surface while blackened glass provides a vertical continuity. The rhythm provides an exterior with a hyper banality which is reflective of the lack of context.

Uffizi is the office building of nowhere and for no one. It is empty yet alive inside with layering of volumous spaces vertically. The structure and geometry is opposite of those typically assumed for towers.

Type: Office, Cafe, and Shops

Location: Hypo-sphere

Structure: Concrete

Area: 37,100 m2

Floors: 26

Year: 2016

Criteria: Banality and Void

Professor: Sharon Johnston & Mark Lee (Gehry Chair)

School: University of Toronto Daniels Faculty

A major and minor set of grids were used to place structure and objects. Objects break the grid to place obstructions for movement and visual patterns. Each object not only provides a personal experience it houses the critical elements that make the building function.

As the main part of the investigation, the shapes create a dialogue within the planning of the building. The forms, as three-dimensional objects, break the grid to create space. The building houses two plan types, atria-plate and flat floor plate, only deviating to house the voluminous structures.

Detailing of the facade was centered around the interaction and placement of windows and structure. The windows are placed rhythmically on the grid between structural elements. Concrete panels provide a smooth yet textured surface while blackened glass provides a vertical continuity. The rhythm provides an exterior with a hyper banality which is reflective of the lack of context.