Vincent Callebaut is an architect who developed the concept of "Archibiotect" which combines architecture, biotechnologies, and information technologies. His designs focus on sustainability through concepts like biomimicry, bionics, and generating energy from renewable sources. His Tao Zhu Yin Yuan project in Taipei, Taiwan is a residential tower covered in 23,000 plants that absorbs carbon and generates energy sustainably through features like a Vierendeel beam structure, rainwater recycling, and solar panels. The tower's twisted form is designed to maximize garden space, views, and resident privacy through its rotation.

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2. PHILOSOPHY OF VINCENT CALLEBAUT
• Archibiotect is the new transdisciplinary approach invented by Vincent Callebaut in 2008.
• Archibiotect is a word combining the prefixes of the words ARCHItecture +
BIOtechnologies + Technologies of Information and Communication.
• Whereas the primary reason of architecture has been to protect man against nature, the
contemporary city strives to reconcile human beings and their natural ecosystems. The
garden is no more placed side-by-side to the building; it is the building! The architecture
becomes cultivable, edible and sustainable.
• He uses Bio-mimicry, bio-morphism, bionics as his main concepts and inspirations for
design.
• Believes in sustainable design and self sustaining concepts (wind turbine, thermal and
photovoltaic solar energy).
• His vision is to create an energy saving, carbon absorbing civilisation to fight global
warming.

3. • NAME: TAO ZHU YIN YUAN (AGORA GARDEN)
• Carbon-absorbing green tower,
• Taipei, Taiwan
• TYPE: International Competition - First Prize Winner in November 2010
• ARCHITECT: Vincent Callebaut Architectures, Paris
• SURFACE AREA: 42,335.34 m²
• AREA: 3,264 m²
• 20 Storeyed
• The residential complex will be covered in 23,000 trees and shrubs.

4. CONCEPT
• Double helix of DNA
• Balance
• Harmony
• Dynamism
Four main ecological objectives the
building will accomplish:
• The reduction of the climatic global
warming.
• The protection of nature and
biodiversity.
• The protection of the environment
and the quality of life.
• The management of natural
resources and waste.

9. This twist of 90 degrees answers to four major objectives:
• 1. The first objective is to be perfectly integrated in the North / South pyramidal
profile of the Building Volume. Actually, the morphology of the project changes
according to its orientation. Its East / West elevations draw a rhomboidal pyramid
whereas the North-South ones represent a reverse pyramid.
• 2. The second objective is to generate a maximum of cascades of suspended
open-air gardens, not part of the F.A.R. (floor area ratio). Thus, the planted
balcony surface area can easily exceed the limit of the required 10 percents. The
global framework of 40 percents of building coverage ratio, i.e. 3,264 M2 is thus
totally respected.
• 3. The third objective is to offer to the inhabitants exceptional panoramic views on
the skyline of Taipei by multiplying the transversal views, especially towards the
very close Taipei 101 tower and the Central Business District in full emergence.
• 4. The fourth objective is to generate from a flexible standardized level a
progressive geometry with corbels which assures the intimacy and the
confidentiality of each apartment by avoiding the indiscreet vision axes.

14. • Floorplans of the units follow two typical layouts on alternating floors, so to
best fit into the Vierendeel beam structure.
• Each unit contains 550 square meters of column free floorspace, allowing for
maximum flexibility of the interior layouts.
• Two huge rooftop clubhouses under the pergola are surrounded by sky
gardens that will naturally filter and purify rainwater with the action of the
plants. The purified rainwater is injected into the building’s water distribution
system by gravity.
• The technical flexibility is obtained by the integration of the double deck and
double wall concepts
• The network of the flows (rain water, used water, hot water, electricity, under
floor-heating, cool air, hot air, optic fibre, etc.) crossing the central core can
thus irrigate without any difficulty on the horizontal way all the surface area of
each storey.
• In order to protect the organic substrate tanks from the heating coming from
the solar radiation, the planting beds will be covered by a layer of Bethel
white granite on honeycomb.
STRUCTURE

16. Vierendeel beam structure

19. • The building will integrate the recycling of organic waste and used
water, BIPV solar photovoltaic energy, rainwater recycling, and
composting into its plans.
• The building will include car parks, a swimming pool, a fitness center,
and lobbies that will connect the indoor spaces with the surrounding
outdoor spaces.
• The central core of the building will be a vertical twisted garden
surrounded by sky entry foyers.
• The core itself does not pivot but is surrounded by a naturally lightened
horizontal circulation loop welcoming the entry foyer dedicated to each
unit.
• This “buffer loop” enables the main entrance to always be in the axis of
each apartment despite the 4.5 degrees rotation story by story.
MAIN COMPONENTS

22. The tower generates through its morphology in rotation two types of
very specific landscape balconies:
• The balconies called ascending or positive:open-air, they benefit from
a maximal sunshine and enable to cultivate their trees and shrubs of
subtropical essences. We will preferably set up the living rooms on
this side. It will be also possible to inlay photovoltaic sunshades at
the extremity of the slab according to the wishes of each resident.
Thermal captors could be also set up in order to produce sanitary hot
water.
• The balconies called descending or negative:Covered by the superior
level, they offer half shadowed relaxing spaces to cultivate flowers,
vegetables, aromatic plants and falling and climbing species. We will
preferably set up the bedrooms on this side.

24. American Journal of Engineering Research
“Optimum Position of Outrigger System for High-Rise Reinforced Concrete Buildings Under Wind
And Earthquake Loadings”
-P.M.B. Raj Kiran Nanduri
-B.Suresh
-MD. Ihtesham Hussain
“The Vierendeel”
Author: David J. Wickersheimer
Source: Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Mar., 1976), pp. 54- 60
http://vincent.callebaut.org
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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25. References:
- archdaily.com
- https://www.bradford.gov.uk/media/1932/specificrequirementsf
orhostelsandsharedhmo.pdf
- https://www.houseplans.com/collection/cottage-house-
plans#sf%5B%5D=0&s=MOST_POPULAR&p=1