It looks like one of those towers that were made as children with legos but it could also have come out of Georges Braque’s notebook. Let’s see how it is and where it is.
The CUBIST SKYSCRAPER that looks like a lego construction
# The Independent: the tallest skyscraper in Austin, Texas
The cubist skyscraper is the signature of Texas-based architecture firm Rhode Partners founded by Brett Rhode in 2005, an award-winning firm specializing in master planning, architecture and interior design.
This modern company that has been combining design and attention to the environment for years has built a residential skyscraper in Austin that looks incredible.
Called The Independent, it consists of 58 floors, for a total of 212 meters, thus surpassing the Austonian, a 56-story residential tower completed in Austin in 2010, officially becoming the tallest tower in the city.
# The cubist skyscraper
The Independent has a unique feature: it is made up of several blocks stacked one on top of the other in an irregular way, creating overhangs on different levels.
The visual result is crazy, the skyscraper in the Texan capital seems to have come out of a drawing by Georges Braque.
Each level is scrolled and mirrored around a central core, so as to ensure different types of views depending on the blocks.
The terrace on the 34th floor, for example, overhangs about nine meters from the level below.
# A luxury yet sustainable tower
The tower is able to function as neutral energy for a significant part of the year thanks to an efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
A regenerative elevator system captures heat from lifting operations and converts it into reusable energy, making this luxury skyscraper also sustainable.
But how does the tower stay stable? At the base of the skyscraper there is a podium and the crown is occupied by a 50,000 gallon damping tank, so as to make the tower well planted.
# A vertical upscale neighborhood
Rhode Partners describes the new condo as a “vertical neighborhood”. The tower is made up of 363 design apartments, arranged on four parallelepiped levels staggered vertically from each other.
Nothing is missing from the Independent, there is also a corner outdoor swimming pool for residents on the ninth floor deck that guarantees a unique view of the city. On the ninth floor, however, there is not only the swimming pool but many other activities: from the games room to the gym and even a park for dogs.
# Living in a cubist skyscraper
Credit: @theindependentaustin
The various rooms of the tower are finished in walnut and white oak and everything is studied in detail; each apartment is designer and extremely elegant.
But how much does it cost to live in the cubist skyscraper?
The prices are obviously very high: the lowest figure that can be found is almost 800 thousand dollars.
It probably won’t seem like such an exaggerated price but did I mention it’s a 60sqm studio apartment?
ARIANNA BOTTINI
