USER STORY

John Marx, Architect

Form4 and its Design Principal John Marx are no novices in the department of awards. They have won numerous over the years. 2014 is full of particularly remarkable achievements. Form4 exceeded its expecations collecting 24 significant awards from all over the world. AutoDesSys extends its warmest congratulations, taking special pride in this noteworthy accomplishment, knowing that John has been an avid user of form•Z since the release of version 1.0, in 1991.

JOHN MARX

John Marx is responsible for developing Form4 Architecture’s design vision and language in his role as design principal. His deep concern for listening to clients’ needs, coupled with his belief in creating designs of the highest quality and thoughtfulness, has led to many successful collaborations for the firm. He is the recipient of numerous international design competitions and awards, including an AIA Justice National Design Citation for the Klamath County Courthouse; First Place in 2D Graphics at the Bay Area Computer Graphics Exhibit for Globo; and a BACA 9th Annual Exhibition Award of Distinction. For more on Information please visit http://form4inc.com.

Four of Form4’s projects were shortlisted to be presented at the 2014 World Architecture Festival (WAF), in Singapore, in the Future Competition Entries and Future Office categories. John Marx, AIA, was invited to attend and present the projects to delegates and an international jury. The shortlisted projects were: (1) Crashing Waves, Tongyeong Concert Hall, South Korea - Future Competition Entries; (2) Sanguine Lily: 1916 Centenary Chapel at Glasnevin Cemetery, Ireland - Future Competition Entries; (3) Glass Butterfly, Denmark - Future Competition Entries and (4) The Innovation Curve, USA - Future Office. The WAF shortlist was a definitive compendium of global architectural excellence in 2014 and Form4 was in great company, as other shortlisted firms included OMA, Zaha Hadid, Foster + Partners, Studio Gang, BIG, and KPF.

The Moon-Gate project, Another project that deserves to be singled out as it won multiple awards is Luminous Moon-Gate, in Taiwan, which was designed in 2013 for the Taichung City Cultural Center International Competition. The design intent behind the proposed project hints at multiple interpretative roles for Taichung: a portal into heightened consciousness, a lantern of knowledge, a catalyst for metropolitan living, a cultural lung for the body of the city, a gate toward a responsible future, a center regenerative of community life, a landmark for orientation.

The project replaces various military installations and the former Shuinan airport, as most of these functions have been discontinued. Located on the northern end of the new Taichung Gateway Park, the Library and the Museum act as both a singular Cultural Landmark and entrance to the greater Urban Park. Each building axis points to pivotal parts of the park and the city. The Library, the vertical oval, and the Museum, the horizontal oval, work in tandem to express a gateway, yet are distinct volumes with shared design language. One is counterpoint to the other and laid out programmatically the former vertically and the latter horizontally. The buildings feature largely glass surfaces that draw passersby throughout the day and serve as a beacon of activity at night, following the idea that transparency of knowledge leads to collective achievements.

In traditional Chinese iconography, a Moon-Gate symbolizes a gateway "to the Garden of Paradise." The paradise of our Information Age aspires to be a future where knowledge and culture shape humankind. The combination of a Library and Museum is uniquely suited to provide the basis for this future, and the Moon-Gate-like 10-story form of the Library is a potent metaphor for this direction.

In traditional Chinese iconography, a Moon-Gate symbolizes a gateway "to the Garden of Paradise." The paradise of our Information Age aspires to be a future where knowledge and culture shape humankind. The combination of a Library and Museum is uniquely suited to provide the basis for this future, and the Moon-Gate-like 10-story form of the Library is a potent metaphor for this direction.

It is only fair to quote Form4 directly to describe their vision and purpose for the Moon-gate project: “First, principles in environmental design led to the proposed project form. It is our position that architecture is inherently sustainable when the design intent springs from a genuine commitment to the betterment of society. Porosity is a core driver for this design. From the high porosity of the overall layout allowing for maximum wind penetration in and around the massing to the low porosity of building materials for controlled collection of water and heat, this notion informs all design moves. The curvaceous forms of the library and the museum enhance passive ventilation and stack effect through suction from the wind blowing across the top of the stack. Movable daylight louvers and micro shutters on a 1-meter cavity wall for all the building envelopes delivered controlled diffused daylight adjustable to varying needs of seasonal changes. Super-windows constitute all the glazing surfaces for maximum insulation value. We envision these structures as breathing machines, where natural elements have a controlled and beneficial access to the well-being of their occupants. To take full advantage of the large extent of surface exposed to the sun, high efficiency photovoltaic panels populate the top of the volumes to harness maximum energy.” Best wishes from AutoDesSys for continued success for many years to come.