Hyperloop Headquarters
Competition, 2020.
Deep within the Nevada desert, a few kilometers away from Las Vegas, the first test center of Hyperloop- a proposed passenger and freight train that will unite cities and nations at a much-higher speed than planes- has been created.
This project proposes bringing together the scientists of Hyperloop to the public domain by displaying the process of creation to the public. Laboratories and the testing center are sunken below grade and are encased by glazing, allowing visual access to observers above. A spokeless Ferris wheel composed of trams is a major component of the design that allows passengers to travel up into a viewing deck where they can observe the facility and its vast, desert landscape. The interior and exterior are blurred through layers of interiority. Spaces within the ground level are covered, but only some are conditioned allowing for different modes of activity.
The architecture mimics and responds to the sandy context and offers a formal harmony with the surrounding dunes. Punctures on the building allow daylight to penetrate the interiors and expose desert views. These voids offer multi-level balconies at their perimeters. The majority of the program is elevated 70 meters above grade in the tower portion, while both glazed edges of the building are flanked by vertical walking gardens that act both as a strategy for air quality improvement and a place to enjoy nature for visitors and residents alike. The circulation is sensitive to the development of the technology and the researchers by physically separating visitor tours, but allowing visual access to the components of production.
The design proposes a new tower typology that acts as a blend between the horizontal and vertical building elements through its peeling façade that functions also as a roof. The main elevations of the building’s façade are opaque, an unusual materiality for towers, but are interrupted with negative spaces, assuring that daylighting will fill the interiors.
In collaboration with Alican Taylan.
