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In the dichotomy of “field” and “figure”, the tower is the consummate “figure”, its autonomy is a product of its stature, its expressiveness is dependant on its singularity and its objectness. Yet it is still grounded to a field whose forces can be
Our project backs up and takes a global run at the local, taking the worldwide “field” of climate, and setting parameters for introducing a figure -“the tower”- that responds to local conditions.  At this level of resolution an initial prot
We begin by defining the field from which the tower is derived. At this level of resolution we command a broad pixel of 3x3 degrees of latitude and longitude. Each pixel is defined by its position and the dominant biome within its scope. This is r
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Our first order of investigation was to establish whether conventional assumptions concerning the thermal performance of surface area to volume ratios hold up to scrutiny. We ran simple extruded envelopes containing a given volume through environmen
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The percentages in the graph above represent the amount of loss or gain through the envelope with all other factors (material, insulation, fenestration) zeroed out.  The ideal here is the closer to zero the less the transmittance, both losses
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Our second evaluation expands on this by introducing corrugation to the primitives, transforming their shape along vectors that maintain their radiality and isomorphism. We reanalyzed the primitives with increasing degrees of corrugation and establ
Note that the triangle is driven only by amplitude with no increase in frequency. This is because the triangle and square become almost identical when they are doubly corrugated, and our interest in exploring the thermal dynamics of these shapes wa
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So, looking at the examples above, the level of corrugation in a cold climate is minimized.  Moscow, for example, is represented by only one shape that deviates just a small bit from a conventional circle, whereas Hong Kong’s mild climate make
Next we looked at the direct solar incidence on each zygote variation as a function of latitude. A shading coefficient is generated, represented on the atlas as a “shadow”, the length of the shadow indicating the coefficient. Closer analysis of rep
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The resulting proto-shapes generated by these steps serve as a basis for further localization as new information is loaded into the analysis and the form zeros in. We maintain the zygotic character of the tower at this point but offer a next level
Fenestration analysis was limited to specific cities representing each macroclimate zone: Moscow, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Kuala Lumpur, the polar climate zone was left out because there are no cities in polar zones.  The analysis was based on de
Further localization is developed in our final study of orientations based on, not just climate type and latitude, but on continental vs. coastal patterns. This study does not read on the larger atlas but offers a potential next step for further re
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