The concept design for the master plan and city tower of the city of incheon comes from a single moment, an inspiration, hence, a rediscovery and re-interpretation of a master piece: Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. we strongly believe that contemporary architecture, today strongly attached with time and politics and socio-political issues, needs to also form a dialogue with the past. A dialogue not only understood as literal interpretation but subjective definition, a metamorphosis of form and meaning. propose to base our design concept on the Birth of Venus, reinterpreting the act of birth, the birth of a new that rises from a large body of water and a rich blend of cultural diversity: the cosmopolitan city of past, present and future. Venus is our inspiration. Venus is life, breath, power, and above all things, beauty. master plan takes all these elements, proposing a large public space for recreational uses and a city centre as landmark, as well as landscape. One important aspect of the design concept is to express a sense of fluidity and flexibility throughout the tower, yet to propose not just a landmark for the of but an ever changing sign, an image that represents the city and its instances. inner life of the tower will be projected on it’s outer façade, allowing for a strong visual morphosis and colourful transitions. Fluidity will also be expressed through form on the upper, more flexible spaces of the tower, such spaces as the auditorium, the rock climbing wall, and the Zero gravity Zone where people may take a moment to challenge the laws of space, time and weight. The shapes of these spaces will be fluid, and they will be a literal interpretation of the birth of Venus, rising from a vast sea into a new world.

Team members:

Stefano Rocchetti
Francesco lipari
Gabriel Belli

Chiara Marchionni
Enrico Falchetti

Project published on the Korean architecture magazine
"CONCEPT" September 2008