In 2005, MAKE architects designed the Spiracle Tower for the city of Leeds, UK.

‘The Spiracle Tower reinvents the residential tower as an urban icon. Offering 100,000ft² of residential accommodation and rising 25 stories above ground, the tower’s slender profile is further softened by its cylindrical form.

Each circular floorplate has an identical layout, with the arrangement of core and service risers accommodating a 30 degree rotation in plan which allows the building to be tuned by apartment size, aspect and view. An amphitheater radiates outwards from the base of the tower, with cafes, stepped seating and softly sloping ramps creating an informal public zone.

The cladding consists of flat, rectangular anodized aluminium panels applied in undulating horizontal bands which emphasize the stacking of the floors. The rippling effect of this external skin is determined by the interior spaces beyond, with the paneling extending downwards to create glazing slots for bedrooms and opening up to enable views out from generous balconies that lead into living spaces.

The building features a vertical axis wind turbine and a centralised heating plant that can be adapted to run on biofuel.’