During the 14th century the city of Antwerp commissioned the
construction of a new cathedral. Due to a failing budget, the
city ran out of money and construction was brought to a halt.
While the structure did meet functionality, it unfortunately
lost one of the towers planned in its original design. This
absence has left an overhanging sense of incompleteness to the
building, but a competition called “Designing the Absent” is
challenging designers to generate a new idea to fill this void.
One entry that caught our attention is this beautiful design by
Tim Hobbelman and Chris Idema that forgoes overwhelming Ghery
curves and Meier starkness for an organic and self-sufficient
solar powered eco tower. The duo’s new tower framework follows
the shape of the original tower. It has been designed with
living wall panels able to maintain a consistent water supply
for the vegetation adhering to the façade. Rainwater that falls
upon the tower will be collected at the base of the vegetation
panels, and the water is then r