Incheon, South Korea

Venus Tower

a zero gravity observatory

Stefano Rocchetti, Gabriel Belli Butler, Francesco Lipari

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.

Perspective view

Skin concept

Main section

Immadiately above the Zero Gravity zone we find a restaurant and sky bar the size of ten stories, staring on level 83. The restaurant enjoys large panoramic views to the sea, and has a series of enclosed terraces the extrude out into the sky. These spaces are big enough for a dinning table of three, or two, and will be considered as potential VIP areas within the restaurant complex. The sky bar is located on the level above the restaurant. Both the restaurant and sky lobby will share a single independent access from the lobby at ground level zero. This elevator will continue into the upper most levels of the Venus tower, the Astronomical Observatory and roof top access for technical floors.

Lobby At its base, the tower splays out, creating an impression of a plant emerging from the ground. The skyn of the tower peel away at the base, creating canopies all around, thanks to a dramatic atrium. The atrium gestures towards the rest of the development and serves as a public linkage space to the retail and tram bus station functions.

The Zero Gravity zone, found on level 73 between the leisure and the restaurant above, takes the shape of a Utero. It represents the heart of the Venus Tower, its beginning and it’s intention, which is to give the City of Incheon a landmark, a sign, and a place to experience the city from a diffrent and unique point of view. This Zero gravity, being suspended in the sky, recalls the beginning of life. The exterior shell will be formed of a teflon material (transparent) tested by NASA on recent reserach for aerospace travel and astronout training camps for space flights. The inner shell forms a second skin which can be adapted, due to it’s plasticity, into any desired shape. During night hours, this shell becomes illumited from the inside, and will be transfromed into a focal point within the Venus tower.

Europaconcorsi Beta

Venus Tower