As tall buildings displace low-rise communities, cities have grappled with issues of exclusivity combined with inhuman scales inherent to the building type. Exclusivity in tall buildings results from diminishing connectivity as one ascends away from the surface of a city. Additionally, building footprints rarely do much to recreate the lost land resulting from intensive construction of high-rises. Can the varied experience at surface level be recreated in the sky?

Tai Lake Plaza addresses these problems by creating a ‘mirrored landscape’ bridging across two towers. The bridge echoes an undulating ground-scape covering the base of the towers. In contrast, the towers are simple and sleek, connecting the world of the surface to the world of the sky.

This ‘sky world’ provides a large expanse of space at the summit of the building that can house more diverse programs and experiences than either tower would be able to on its own. The sky world re-introduces the site area lost to construction at the top of the building—new land which can be used to replenish a natural ecosystem displaced by urbanization. Two

Two results emerge: first, a duality of experiences allows the public to experience both the lowest and the highest levels of the project. The inhuman scale is partially alleviated by the ability to look up at and down on the mirrored landscape, making them less intimidating and more familiar. Next, the expansive bridge is large enough to support a natural habitat—an aerial ecosystem designed for local flora, butterflies, and birds. The building thus performs a parallel function to bridge between isolated patches of nature within a city. In transfering area from the vertical back to the horizontal plane, the project presents a case for a different type of density—one which is more engaging, connected, and human.