Vantage Point:
A New Way of Interacting with Building Facades

Vantage Point, a sheet-metal façade system designed for the Adidas flagship building on the corner of Broadway and Lafayette streets in New York City, features distinct perspectival views of increased transparency and visibility which pedestrians and passers-by may engage from the ground level. These vantage points are subtle in that they do not demand attention from the causal onlooker, and yet host experientially meaningful potential for those willing to engage and interact with the façade system. The select ‘views’ are oriented to a series of locations upon the sidewalk and street; pedestrians and users of the building alike may interact with and experience dynamic vantage points from which to view the building above or the city below.

Concept

The design of the overall façade was subdivided according to the location of the vantage points, with individual triangular sections corresponding to a particular and unique view. Sections are subtly varied and produce a gradient effect between the lowest (closest) panels to the pedestrian viewer, and those that are farther away.

Perspective (rendering) from Vantage Point 4

Perspective (rendering) from Vantage Point 5

Perspective (rendering) from Vantage Point 7

Panel Design

The façade’s individual panels are designed minimally as 3-sided pyramids, with the outward-facing side of the module featuring an aperture allowing for increased visibility and light to the interior of the building. The outward-face of the module is oriented according to the surface-normal of the respective vantage point, calculated according to ‘standard’ eye-level from the sidewalk or across the street from the site.