Panorama Apartments Residential Building

This high-density structure is located on a busy street between the town and the seaside park in a port town of Burgas. A system of horizontal stripes of semi reflective screens gives passers-by the opportunity to take a glimpse of the sea just behind the trees. The inclination of the screens differs in a way that there is always at least one reflection of the sea visible no matter the position of the viewer. Thus the spectacular panorama is altruistically revealed not only to the owners but also to passers-by. In long-distance observation, a secondary camouflage effect of the facade emerges to blur the pre-defined by urban planning regulation scale and shape (both in plan and section) of the building. The layout of the plans provides every apartment with a sea-view living space and south-oriented bedrooms. The transparent elevator visualizes the vertical progression from the underground spaces through the sea-view between the steps of the stair to the top of the observation tower.

Materials and construction systems
Reinforced concrete structure, reflective glass on stainless steel structure, dark gray ceramic tiles cladding, anodised aluminium window frames.

I/O architects

Photograph by: I/O architects

Source: Mies Arch Prize: http://www.miesarch.com/