Steven Holl’s “Linked Hybrid” building, currently under construction in Beijing, is a series of linked towers containing 750 apartments, a hotel, a kindergarten, some retail/commercial space as well as a cinema. A ring of sky-bridges at Level 20 links the towers which are intended to represent a “city within a city” are “organized according to movement, timing and sequence generating random city-like relationships”. As always, Holl’s concepts are layered and multi-threaded. Shades of Simmons Hall at MIT (colour-coded window reveals, punched facade openings) and his 1991 Fukuoka Housing project (hinged space) – if you ask me.

A key element of the success of the project will hinge (excuse the pun) on the implementation of the extensive landscape, in the form of green roofs, and environmental measures such as the 600 geothermal wells.

More details over at Mr Holl’s refurbished website and lots of stats, images and drawings at Europaconcorsi.

Meanwhile, below is one part of a video about the Linked Hybrid building that’s worth a peep. Whilst it’s clearly a promo, the direction, editing and score is thoughtful and insightful enough to raise the video above your run-of-the-mill marketing blurb.

Better still, the original uncut source video of “Linked Hybrid” is available at Miao Wang’s website as well as a wonderful video titled “Luminosity Porosity” which manages to capture the essence of Holl’s architectural concepts on voids and light.

• Linked Hybrid (10min 38sec)
• Luminosity Porosity (11min 26sec)

By the way, there’s a recent article on Holl over at Wired with the quirky title “Architect Steven Holl Combines Geeky Aesthetic, Environmental Elements”.

Happy viewing!