Fluid Infinite, Bucharest, RO
Bee Architects was instructed to produce and fine-tune a concept for a mixed energy charging and re-fuelling station in Bucharest, Romania. The project went from the idea stage all the way through obtaining planning permission and associated permits (for both electricity and petrol refuelling).
The idealised concept was a fictional world where a Perpetuum Mobile generates an unlimited amount of energy; this was then linked to a three-dimensional endless surface (the Möbius strip) which we then evolved to a two-dimensional representation of the infinity-symbol.
The renewable, sustainable aspect of the concept meant that we wanted to draw inspiration from nature, to include organic elements in our design. Part of this was done by shifting from Euclidean to fractal geometry; to achieve this in the real world, as a concept that can be built, we used software with special algorithms, where gravity is programmed to work naturally and to shape the structure independently. A fluid tape floats on the branches of the tree-shaped columns, starting slow at its tail and dropping down like a heavy waterfall towards the entrance.
The creativity of Bee Architects combined with the knowledge and ingenuity of the Format Engineers team meant that the submitted design and calculations achieved all the on-site specific requirements dictated by geology, earthquake resistance calculations, wind pressure compliance (to name but a few), the project being granted planning permission and passing the local building control regulations