Principles + Elements

Designed by Burka Architects and MAD Studio in 2010, the residential condo complex has an unusual FORM as each floor of the building is the same SHAPE they are just offset to create a tower that spirals on itself as it increases in height. The building itself allows an abundance of natural LIGHT into the interior though the wall of windows that creates a PATTERN of LINES along the single floor as well as creating a PATTERN when all the floors are layered on each other.

Scale

This image is used to help show the scale of the towers. The towers are larger than most of the surrounding buildings. Essentially this shows how the project was used to help “elevate” the surrounding areas and to create visual interest in the city.

Materials

This image shows the outer shell materials which follow through to the inside as you will see later on. The materials not only allow the building to withstand most types of weather but also allows the building to keep the sleek and modern design. The building consists almost entirely of reinforced concrete, glass, and steel materials.

Light + Color

The building itself is quite bland in terms of color. It is neutral colors such as black, gray and white. There are windows lining the walls of each floor allow for the interior to be lit by natural light throughout the day. This also means however at night the building gets a different kind of lighting and this helps to create the illusion that the building is made of different materials. The windows allow for the lights of the interior to shine through the exterior lighting the building in different colors.

Experience

This building is meant to be a modern representation of a condo building. The buildings surrounding it are also high-rise buildings, but these stand out for their oval and spiraling shape. The exterior builds the experience by having this shape that is a stark contrast to those around it. The interior continues this idea with the sleek and modern materials such as chrome posts and marble flooring and even textured walls.

Technology

To build a building such as this one there needed to be numerous forms of technology being used to allow for the building to spiral at just the right amount so that it wouldn’t fall onto itself. This can be see on past images as well as upcoming images that show the floors at which way they spiral. The machinery that was used and just how exactly it was built is crucial to ensuring that the building is a stable form for people to live in.

Finishes

As said before, the finished of the building help to create the experience. While being neutral and monochromatic, the materials create a modern feel to the building. With chrome posts, lights inlaid into the ceiling, marble flooring and more, the building feels almost futuristic in a way. This allows residents to create their own living spaces and essentially have a “blank” canvas to work on when they move into their condo.

Furnishings

The furnishings in the building tend to change as it is a place for people to live and design as their own, however the lobby of the building, like the finishes, ties into the sleek and modern ideas. The tables and chairs are all more rounded and you cannot see the connecting points. The rugs also have geometric designs along them and again the lights are inlaid and have led colors that can change.

Representation

These towers are more knows as the Marylin Monroe towers for their curves in their designs. People from many places will come just to see these towers even though they are condos where people live. They were a part of a project to create more interesting buildings in the surrounding area.

Theories

The designers intentionally designed this building with the idea of contrast and juxtaposition to the buildings that surround them. The building is shaped in oval floors that spiral onto themselves which directly contrasts the other buildings that are squares/rectangles that stack atop themselves unlike the Absolute World buildings. This goes back to what was mentioned before where the towers were apart of a project to create more interesting buildings in the area.

Links

• Absolute World Towers in Mississauga, Ontario
• Absolutely Amazing: A High-rise Competition Thrusts a Canadian Suburb into the International Limelight
• Moneymaking Machines #7: Absolute Towers
• In Progress: Absolute Towers / MAD Architects
• Skyscraper Center: 60 Absolute World
• Exploring Toronto Architecture: The Absolute Towers – AKA the Marylin Towers by MAD Architects