Tokyo-based Architect Sou Fujimoto—of Serpentine Pavilion, fancy stick abode, and high-design doghouse fame—recently shared renderings of Outlook Tower and water plaza, both a reinterpretation of Islamic architecture and part of the starchitect's "confidential master plan project" for the coastal resort district of Jeddah Corniche in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The proposed transparent structures are said to reference the shape of bedouin tents; from a distance, their silhouettes are meant to form a "mirage-like" gate to the sea.
The 473,612-square-foot structure—conceptual at this stage, of course—is comprised of stacked arching modules—alternately measuring about 10, 20, and 40 feet. Multiple waterfalls intersect the tower, feeding into a massive water dock at the base. Other natural elements also find their way into Fujimoto's ethereal design, with natural light streaming in through the façade and a "vertical funnel" pumping in cool air. "I believe the architecture of the future lay[s] within some being akin to a forest," the architect says. "Within a forest...myriad of truly diverse matters interrelate and coexist. It is this diversity that I am strongly attracted to. Richness born from space between order and chaos." Head to Design Boom for the full set of renderings.
· Sou Fujimoto master plan with Outlook Tower [Design Boom]
· All Sou Fujimoto posts [Curbed National]