ODD architects designs sunflower-inspired tower with arched facades and 'mini forests'

odd architects has designed a residential tower in ecuador, with facades made of rhythmic archways and terraces, which aim to create a bioliphic barrier between the structure and its urban setting. the firm revealed plans for the ‘sunflower tower’ as a direct response to increasing urbanization without consideration for the natural landscape.

images courtesy of the architects

the aptly named ‘sunflower tower’ is inspired by the formations of sunflower seeds and petals. stacked floorplans create a repeated pattern of archways which frame the terraces of each apartment, each one containing a ‘mini forest’ which surrounds the apartment, creating pockets of plant life at each junction.

‘this assembly is based on repetition, generating a biophilic skin that positions the project towards an equilibrium between the built and the natural world’, odd architects said.

working together to create a vertical ecosystem, the tower would serve as a depository of plant and animal life, utilizing its equatorial context. in the city of quito, where it is envisioned, the sun is positioned at an almost perfect 90 degrees, and seasons do not exist. as a result, architecture and particularly high-rise buildings have the immense potential of becoming vertical ecosystems that can take advantage of the equatorial luminance.

‘as cities continue to grow, the natural landscape along with its endemic species is increasingly under threat’, odd architects continues. ‘with the ability to thrive all year round, incorporating a self-sustaining ecosystem into the built environment reduces the tower’s carbon footprint, and creates a constant and direct connection with nature.’