title. IFF INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
date. 2009
city. New york
size. 45,000 sq.ft
status. Proposal

Home to an international fragrance company, the building was designed to challenge the typical column grid layout and introduces a new typology where the structure performs differently as it goes up. This performative aspect of the structure was deliberately explored in order to carefully respond to the specific needs of the company. A unique program calls for a unique building, The structural gradient starts from a column-to-slab layout or "flexible space", which allows for the company's office and administration to be laid out without any obstacles. In the mid-section the structure forms "mega columns", which free up the floor plates and create ample space for labs and research areas. At the top it becomes a porous construction, which blends the boundaries between facade, slabs and columns into one contiguous system. This space is then used for the cultivation of various plants and trees to serve for the basis of fragrance development.




