Two references fascinating me professionally

The references below fascinate me in a professional way. This means that I either like the overall design or the underlying concept of these projects so much that I could use these projects as a reference for my own (future) design or development work.

Reference I: China Central Television Headquarters

Keywords: CCTV Beijing Rem Koolhaas anti-gravity loop symbolic OMA

The design of CCTV headquarters defies the popular conception of a skyscraper and broke Beijing’s building codes so it required approval of a special review panel. The standard systems for engineering gravity and lateral loads in buildings didn’t apply to the CCTV building that is formed by two leaning towers, each bent 90 degrees at the top and bottom to form a continuous loop. The engineer’s solution was to create a structural ‘tube’ of diagonal supports. The irregular pattern of the ‘diagrid’ system reflects the distribution of forces across the tube’s surface. Designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren and engineered by Ove Arup, the new CCTV tower rethinks what a skyscraper can be. It’s scheduled for completion in 2008.

Source: Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Reference II: Villa dall’Ava

Keywords: Villa dall’Ava Saint-Cloud glass house swimming pool hovering

The client wanted a glass house with a swimming pool on the roof and two separate “apartments” – one for the parents, the other for the daughter. They also wanted a panoramic view – from their swimming pool – of the surrounding landscape and the city of Paris. The house is conceived as a glass pavilion containing living and dining areas, with two hovering, perpendicular apartments shifted in opposite directions to exploit the view. They are joined by the swimming pool which rests on the concrete structure encased by the glass pavilion.

Source: Office for Metropolitan Architecture