The concept for this tower arose from the vertical aggregation of identical pyramidal components at decreasing scales. The component itself was developed through the distortion of simple geometries to find opportunities for self-replication without the use of additional components. The slight distortion of the resulting pyramidal form creates multi-planar vertices that can be utilized for vertical expansion. A simple stacking method generated a tall tower and presented an intriguing combination of height and density.

In an attempt to uncover further potential within the component, we re-examined the geometry and derived an alternative ‘sister’ method for stacking the pyramids which increased the suspension between the components to achieve greater height while using precise notching on the triangles to create connections of greater strength against laterally applied forces. The resulting product is a combination of digital processing and precision hand modeling, and has a playful twisting profile due to the duality of systematically generated connections and empirically derived custom connections.

Joshua Ranjit Pio John   //   Miguel Angel Juarez Diazbarriga   //   Robert Douglas McKaye

The tower raises through the combination of three types of joints which work with friction and blocking strategies. The first type makes possible the connection between the external X pieces, the second one allows the interlocking between the X shaped pieces and the horizontal frame, while the third type joins the vertical crosses with the horizontal frame.