The Cactus Apartments

My kumpareng Gilbert who is also an architect working in Dubai emailed me this article with pictures of an interestingly designed apartment building. I just thought that it deserves a space in my blogsite, so here it goes...


DUTCH ARCHITECTS CREATE BEAUTIFUL APARTMENT COMPLEX THAT LOOKS LIKE A CACTUS

Urban Cactus is a housing project on the harbor in Rotterdam by the Dutch firm UCX Architects.

There are 98 residential units on 19 floors, using the pattern of outdoor spaces to determine the overall appearance of the project. Form follows function which leaves ample room
from the interior living spaces for much greenery.
The whole effect creates a building which appears to be living and growing with its inhabitants - A waterfront cactus.

The slightly irregular pattern alternates these outdoor spaces to create more sunlight than a typical stacked composition and a beautiful design that has originality and adds vitality to citylife.

My take on this :

Nature offers unlimited inspirations for architectural designs and talented architects also abound. But what is rare is the patronage for such beautiful and functional creations specially during the conceptual stage because of lots of factors ( commercial viability, practicality, general public's natural rejection to something untried, etc. ). So, when I see something like this come to life, I rejoice at the triumph of the design architects against all odds in convincing all the people around this project. Cheers!