LOFT

Herbie Hancock, the client for this project, is a legendary jazz musician and pianist. His first international hit, “The Watermelon Man,” was the chosen inspiration for the design of the entry door and loft. As Herbie has explained, the rhythmic and groovy tune of the song was inspired by his memories of “the watermelon man” riding along the city streets of Chicago. Taking inspiration from this pulsating rhythm, the door attempts to create its own rhythmic tune. As it rotates on its circular axis, the wooden, conelike dowels clang and beat against each other. The track, which operates the movement, also creates a memorable pattern of its own. Circular architecture follows the geometry of the rotating door. The forms and curves are molded by the circulating rhythm of the watermelon man’s rhythmic tune. These forms not only circulate the space but also follow an organization logic, as their centerpoints create an angled axis.