asdfg architekten: sky stack

‘sky stack’ by asdfg

image © asdfg

many old buildings, bearing testimony to their time, take up a position wedged between being and not being, sense and senseless, between heritage, present use or potentially even becoming a hinderance in the future. what if these buildings wouldn’t exist? how much past do we need? hamburg-based asdfg architekten’s ‘sky stack’ reflects many of these questions. the proposed additions to the chimney not only engage the viewer with these issues, but also physically creates an architectural manifestation relating to these themes.

attaching five reflective rings to the chimney, asdfg visually induce the apparent disappearance of the chimney’s upper third, depending on weather conditions and viewing angle. the senses are being tricked into questioning the chimney’s existence and hence underlining the importance of this vertical structure within today’s clasen business park. this central symbolic structure brings together the various uses and acts as a unifying element within the complex.

visible from afar, this landmark is also a visual reference point for the area of rothenditmold, a rather isolated part of town, despite its proximity to the centre of kassel. the cognitive dissonance created by the ‘sky stack’ installation draws renewed attention to the competition area which is at the centre of three regeneration programmes: ‘ab in die mitte’, ‘innenstadtoffensive hessen’ and ‘soziale stadt’. though it was created as a temporary intervention, an existential question is also being raised about project itself: the business park clasen retained the installation for the time being, allowing for a prolonged position between the antipods of ‘to be or not to be’.

sky stack, business park clasen image © asdfg

sky stack, perceptions around the city image © asdfg

sky stack, day to dusk image © asdfg

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