Loop-The-Loop | NL Architects

Loop-The-Loop. Here is another project comprising shipping crates in an interesting, graceful, yet referential way. This proposal by NL Architects was for a 2004 invited competition asking for ‘a stand for a building site’. In the words of the architects, ‘what the f*ck is a “stand for a building site”?’ ‘The foundation Leve de Bowput aspires to counter the negativity that normally surrounds building sites’. Can they in some way become attractive? Can they be a positive rather than annoying spectacle? Loop-The-Loop utilizes the easily recognizable shipping container for its inherent strength as well as its relationship to a building site- both are seen often as unfortunate necessities, to create an enticing info booth‘. These usually drab forms are bisected, and rotated and reassembled as ‘inhabitable bricks’. Connected end-to-end they form a continuous loop with observation points, lounge and here’s the kicker- a bar at the apex. Climb, learn what’s being built below, and have a drink with your friends and the view.

The simple complexity of this idea is its main appeal. These things are made to be strong shells, they seem to want to do more than hold things on their floors and be stacked one on top of another. They are a structural skin with so many more possibilities than those we typically ask of them. All it takes is a cut and a twist and suddenly, a wonderfully contemporary form is created and some engineer solved all the structural problems some 75 years ago!