Urban in the sky: a vertical transition

The high-rise structure has been the ultimate urban solution to high density growth and the need to expand upward. lis image not only represents the character of a particular city or business, but also a period of time in architecture. Throughout history, there have been a variety of reasons for vertical expansion, thus resulting in an image which defines the particular aspirations during that period of time and place.

This thesis attempts to explore the image of the skyscraper through vertical transitions. Architectural transitions may be viewed as the result of combining different conditions which thrive to co-exist. The horizontal layering of floor planes, combined with the support of various vertical structural elements, allow for an extension beyond the external reality - thus resulting in the articulation of internal, hierarchical experiences. The transition addressed here is generated by two opposite human environments which co-exist within one frame work. This investigation strives to combine the scale of the work environment with that of the [?]ng environment in the vertical dimension. The solution fo this irregularity is ultimately explored through a transitional layer of connective elements.

"Buildings perform their highest function in relation to human life within and the natural efflorescence without; and to develop and maintain the harmony for a true chord between them, making of the building in this sense a sure foil for life." Frank Lloyd Wright