My love for architecture started in college while I was studying fashion, when I looked at structures such as angles and curves as a form of inspiration. It was at the Strand Bookstore where I first stumbled upon a book on Kohn Pedersen Fox. Reading and observing the designs of William Pedersen, founding partner and designer of KPF, I was inspired by how he worked with the geometry of towers, structures slender and strong yet quiet at the same time.
I continued to love the work of Bill Pedersen and his use of glass and curves; his design at 333 Wacker Drive proves that these two key elements are still alive.
Recently, I had the honor of sitting with Mr. Pedersen at his office across from Bryant Park to discuss his love for these elements, specifically how he applies them to his designs and to the masterpiece we all await: The Hudson Yards.
It’s About Glass
In the past 50 years, traditional masonry buildings made of various stones have faded into glass. When glass entered the market, the needed techniques were not yet acquired. However, glass technology has improved in the last 20 years, and architects now often use the material because it is much more efficient.
“There is a great desire from the real estate community to provide—particularly in the office buildings—as much light and view as possibly can,” Pedersen states. “It’s almost impossible not to build in all glass because of the demand for complete visibility.”
And what inspired the shapes we see in Pedersen’s award-winning structures 333 Wacker Drive, One Jackson Square, DZ Bank in Frankfurt and the Shanghai World Financial Center?
“Inspiration comes from specific context: the place where the building is located,” Pedersen responds. “It is a response either to existing buildings or to the general context of the city itself; these inspire gestures.”
Pedersen looks at design as a conversation between structures, in which buildings want to talk to each other. “In a city, there has to be a gestural capacity,” he states. “If you don’t think of the building as being dependent upon where it is located, then it tends to become isolated. Finding ways for tall buildings to gesture is more difficult than for shorter buildings.”
Pedersen incorporates beautiful curves in his structures in order to create a greater energy. Inspired by Brancusi’s Birds in Space, he favors form that is dynamic, almost in motion. He also refers to the symbol of Japanese archery in which the arms fully expand and the muscles are working efficiently—everything is in balance just before the release of the arrow.
“For me, that is a dramatic dynamic moment,” Pedersen explains. “Introduction of a curve gives a greater sense of movement, but at the same time has to be countered by other opposing geometries which give it attention.”
The best example of this specific fundamental balance is 333 Wacker Drive, in which the curve of the building responds to the curve of the Chicago River.
The story on Bill Pedersen will continue in August’s issue.
Maria Hadjidemetriou has been a passionate Downtown resident for more than 14 years. She enjoys life as a mom to her five-year-old daughter and being a Real Estate Sales Agent for the Leonard Steinberg and LuxuryLoft Team; she also contributes monthly to Downtown Mom TM. Maria has been an active Board Member for the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation (Thalassemia Organization) since 1998 and on the Executive Committee since 2013.
You can follow Maria on Twitter @downtownmomnyc
