Rancho Mirage

PALMS SPRINGS, CA, USA, 1988

Clearly a mixed metaphor, hybridizing bio and geomorphs. The site is in a desert town near Palm Springs and the building was to be located on Bob Hope Drive, if you take my drift. Like most of our competition projects, this one sank without a trace.

The radial piece is for municipal offices, narrow limbed to get each desk next to a window, to maximize natural ventilation, and to share shading. The anemones are skylights and windscoops and chimneys.  The City Council chamber allows meetings either indoors or out and the outdoor space was meant for performances as well.  The long section is a giant drafting room for the City Engineer's Department and the little flower at the end is an autonomous child care center and public classroom space.

Credits: Michael Sorkin, Kent Hikida

Photos: Ilisa Katz