Famous+Works

__**Famou**____**s Works.**__ In this section of my ezine, I'm gonna show you three works that were made by the architectural firm ([|Pei Cobb Freed & Partners] ) where I work and who are from my particular admiration; also I'm gonna show you a design I did for my client:
 * ** [|Belinda's House:] ** My client's name is Belinda. She's a dancer and an aspiring actress, and also works in a bar to pay the bills. She needs a cozy and warm home with rich colors and comfy furniture. That's why; I have designed a space accesible to her needs as a dancer and an aspiring actress.
 * **[|ABN AMRO Bank Head Office (Completed in 2006):] **The new Head Office of ABN AMRO was designed to express the character and identity of one of the world's leading banks (recently created through the unification of two Dutch financial institutions). The architectural composition emblematizes the merger as orthogonal forms in black granite interlock with curved sloped forms of metal and glass. The design responds to a request by the Board of Managers to reinforce the image of the new bank as "powerful, reliable, experienced" and also "professional, dynamic and international."



> The headquarters maximizes its key location in south central Amsterdam where an extensive rail system, the proposed introduction of high-speed "bullet" trains, and the planned widening of the adjacent A10-Motorway all anticipate the area's role as a major international nexus of the emerging EEC. The new Head Office of ABN AMRO is the first major work in the development of this new area. It fronts on a new municipal plaza created by the city of Amsterdam as the main public space of the new district.



> ABN AMRO plays a prominent role on Amsterdam's skyline, while providing welcoming public spaces inside and around the complex. In addition to the 24-story emblematic tower, it includes a supplementary 17-story tower, two levels of underground parking, and a 6-story multi-function Courtyard Building shaped like a hollow square. The latter houses offices and such "special spaces" as a three-story reception hall, 225-seat auditorium, 400-seat congress hall, 20-room meeting center, 500-seat staff restaurant, and a centrally located 600-seat Dealing Room for securities and international exchange. On the roof of the 2-story Dealing Room is a quiet, sun-filled courtyard that serves as the physical and spiritual heart of the ABN AMRO community. > > >


 * **[|Friedrichstadt Passagen (Completed in 1996):] **This project was proposed by the Berlin Senate to resuscitate the Friedrichstrasse, pre-war Berlin's main shopping street. An international competition specified development of three city blocks with connecting links, or Passagen. Ultimately it was deemed economically and politically judicious to award the individual blocks to different developer-architect teams. This proposal was consequently redesigned in specific response to its new location on the central block, retaining only the organic connections of the original scheme with underground parking and a retail concourse stretched across all three blocks.

> The 42,000m2 building is organized internally around a central courtyard with a star-shaped skylight that fills interior offices and upper-level apartments with natural light. Externally, the response is to the street. The strategy was not to disguise the building's bulk by breaking it artificially into smaller components, but to achieve a contemporary analogy to the traditional, more intimately scaled architecture of the Friedrichstrasse.



> Acknowledging that the street wall is perceived sequentially rather than simultaneously, and obliquely rather than frontally, the façade was massed to reflect the diversity and incidental events inherent in the normal pattern of urban growth by accretion over the years. The design aims to demonstrate that large-scale commercial development can indeed be shaped so as to animate rather than oppress the urban scene. > >

> >  > The main public façade follows the curvature of the street. It is counterbalanced by the private "front door" on the opposite side where an enclosed drive-through entry court, richly landscaped with tropical plants, provides secure access to residential areas. The apartments themselves are designed to accommodate a gracious style of urban life, providing the comforts of a private home and the conveniences of a five-star hotel. > >  The tower's 29 condominiums include a penthouse duplex, six full-floor and 22 half-floor apartments. Since the building is only one apartment wide, each high-ceilinged residence enjoys sprawling wraparound views (protected by tubular aluminum sun-grills). Apartments have operable windows in every room, localized climate controls, exit stairs, and private elevators that open off the large living rooms cantilevered out at each end of the tower. Residences have three to five bedrooms, each with private bath; large kitchen and dining areas; separate maid's quarters; and generous communal amenities. The penthouse has its own terrace, pool and "yard" together with a library, gallery and other spaces for elegant entertaining. > > > > > > > > > > However, in this section also I'm gonna show you a design I did for my client:
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">**[|The Tomlinson (Completed in 2002):]** This 20-story tower, clad in Sardinian granite, provides luxury apartments in a prime area of Singapore, adjacent to the government and business districts, and a block from the exclusive shops on Orchard Road. Taking full advantage of its key location, the tower presents a unique sculptural form that changes character and shape from different directions.