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The lower floors of the tower - an important element that
all too often falls prey to contextualizing or trivializing
its scale through over-articulation - are handled with finesse
by KPF. The different slopes and masses of the upper floors
meet near the ground, drawing the passerby's gaze upwards
and adding some relief to the lower floors, often the only
part of a building that many people experience. A department
store at street level adds a level of activity to the building,
something missing in many purely office buildings. A nicely
articulated glass wall is set back from the tower's edge,
a gesture that brings the window-shopper into the realm of
the building. This erosion is the only device required to
relate to pedestrians, something that helps the building be
unique at that level and simultaneously separate and integrate
itself with the tower above.
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