DNA Tower

New York, USA

Visualization © Studio Franzina

Drawing © Studio Franzina

Visualization © Studio Franzina

Architects: FPA Franzina + Partners Architettura

Location: New York, USA

DNA Tower is a 39 floors mixed use helicoidal tower with an overall height of 136 m. The core of the tower is a cylindrical concrete structure on which the two residential wires screw on, making each residential unit free standing and creating a succession of full and empty spaces; each apartment roof is the private terrace of the upper.

DNA houses: 47 residential units, each one with a private roof terrace; common areas including a fitness centre, a home cinema, a private party room and a roof top with swimming pool and solarium; commercial and office areas with roof gardens. The aim of the project is to reach the rational and responsible use of land and natural resources as a new frontier of conscious architecture. The design goal is creating a higher density building without compromising human comfort and needs: DNA is a high density building that combines high quality of indoor and outdoor residential spaces with innovative technical solutions, that allow not only the use of renewable resources, but guarantee the production of enough energy to cover the needs of heating and daily consumption of hot water.

DNA Tower combines the advantages of a traditional single house (privacy, exclusive outdoor spaces, natural light and ventilation) with different aspects: first a conscious use of land, thanks to vertical connections instead of traditional heavy connecting infrastructures, floor plan optimization and services aggregations; second the use of advanced technologies such as automatic thermal changing panels for external finishing, highly insulated glass windows for thermal comfort and reduced energy consumption, solar-heated brise-soleil system to produce renewable energy; third a conscious use of natural resources such as rainwater collection used for watering plants and recycled drain water from basin and shower.