Grid II

Designers: Kaiho Yu & Aaron Choi

Advisors: Russell N. Thomsen & Dylan Krueger

Co-Advisors: Marcelo Spina, Devyn Weiser, & Darin Johnstone

 

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Created by partners Kaiho Yu and Andrew Choi, is a beautiful mesh of how a structure’s core and envelope beautifully intertwine in a relationship of both autonomy and dependence. The result is that neither component relies exclusively upon the other, but they are both reliant on the balance created between core and envelope.

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Inner Core in 3D. Click and hold to rotate.

The core, or monolith, acts as a constant variable, solid, legible, an iconic matter. Yet, its span and scale are justified by the intricate mass that weaves through it, the envelope. The two components, outer and inner, are not made to fit together, but instead meet throughout the structure in different conversations and create a dynamic, but heterogeneous, whole.

As the two components fuse and unite, both core and envelope evolve in a way that changes the interior as much as it does the exterior. In other words, the outer frame pushes and pulls the inner mass to define the spatial interior planning and creates a harmonious form integrating both interior and exterior.

This pushing and pulling of envelope and core acts as a natural creator of walls, columns, and slabs. This process makes the space within the building flexible, using the grid as the spatial reference for defining programs, while the outer frame is used to create the habitable spaces.

More about the project can be seen on Kaiho Yu’s portfolio.