Pelli Wins Seville Scraper Competition

Yet another design contest has been held. This time it was Seville in Spain in search of a skyscraper worthy of being the first skyscraper to grace the city's skyline.

Five internationally renowned firms of architects put forward designs but in the end it was a design by Cesar Pelli that wowed the judges.

Choosing a simple elliptical shape, it will stand at 178 metres have 40 storeys above ground and 3 underground which will provide 2,700 parking spaces.

The towers size tapers gradually as it rises, it facades will be glass and steel with ceramic lamas which are apparently something to do with heat control and not related to camels in any way.

At its base it will be flanked by two commercial buildings 3 and 4 floors in height with undulating forms, offices will occupy the upper floors whilst public and retail space will occupy the rest.

These buildings will face each other, forming a typical "Seville Street" in the middle, and two squares on the end. These buildings will be covered with a vegetative cover which will work as an insulator for the summer heat.

Other entries included -

Arquitectonica's 225 metre tall tower which was a slim wavy affair with a long extending canopy which formed the "Seville street" look.

Isozaki penned a 225 metre wavy tower also but opted for a more deconstructed, the compactor broke half way through look that was tethered to the ground giving it a somewhat unstable appearance.

Alejandro Zaera's 187 metre tower went for a more geometrical look and strayed from the typical glass façade opting instead for a continuation of the geometric theme on a white honeycomb façade instead.

Valode and Pistre designed a 120 metre tall arrangement of rectangular boxes stacked beside each other, each with a sloping peak and to give it extra height a 100 metre aerial is added although it looks like it was an after thought.

If everything goes to plan then they hope that construction can be completed by 2010.