Runner-up entry in an international competition for a sculptural tower on Cotunduba Island, Rio de Janeiro, to promote the 2016 Olympic Games.
An international competition, held in December 2008, to design a tower on the island of Cotunduba just off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, planned to promote the 2016 Olympic Games. This entry was awarded runner-up.
The idea was to create an iconic sculptural building that could be clearly identified from every approach. The form offers a different silhouette depending on the angle of approach, both vertically and horizontally.
A long circling ramp coils down, rotating your view of the tower. As the ramp descends, the perimeter wall stays at one height, slowly reducing your view back to Rio and focusing your attention on the tower. Halfway down, you can step out onto a vast open piazza at the base of the tower, whose edge offers a place to pause and enjoy the panoramic view of the Rio coastline.
The ramp continues from the piazza into the belly of the island to the underground entrance. From there you travel up the tower, past floors of gallery, dining and function space, to a unique viewing platform at the top.
