Niko Kapa

Portfolio

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  Drift

  “Drift” is inspired by the natural landscape, combining elements of contemporary design and traditional handicrafts and capturing the essence and distinctive identity of the location. The linear motif of panels recalls geometric patterns of Islamic culture and the crests of sand dunes, the waves on the sea and textured fabrics. The effect is obtained using curved and parabolic lines inspired by the topography of the local landscape. Inspiration for this special design lies in Dubai’s unique geography, where the dunes in the desert and the contours of the land sculpted by the wind bear witness to the interplay of human action and the passing of time. The lines highlight the common roots and profound connection with earth, the sea and craftsmanship as a symbol of local cultures, underlining relationship between the shape and the material they are made of.

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  Oculus Complex

  Photovoltaic arrays used for electricity generation, create an arabesque pattern that also shades the deep windows of the building’s base. Water pipes form a pattern of solar thermal array that absorbs the external heat and shades the interior. Heated water that circulates inside the pipes is used for the building’s domestic needs. Seawater is additionally used for the building needs that don’t require potable water such as toilet flashing and fire sprinkler system, reducing the amounts of energy required for water desalination.

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  Mosque of the Water

  With a sensitive implementation on the site, the building becomes a continuation of the sea through a lifted platform serving as a Prayer Hall that expands towards infinite. Fluid formations refer to the motion of the sea in an effort to connect the building to the surroundings.

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  Dubai Maritime Museum & Research Center

  Relating to both the sea and the city and in constant dialogue between them, the building is an extension of the city to the sea and vice-versa. Conceived as a continuation and a transition through the wide public space, the building dives into the ocean and merges with it. It develops as a triangular sharp form, which concentrates the public routes to the museum, through an inviting shape that draws visitors to the entrance and distributes them to the interior.

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  Mosque of the Light

  A flexible building framework that can be easily assembled forms the building’s structure. On this simple structural steel framing, series of fabric elements are hanged in order to define the interior space. Fabrics are distributed following a specific modulation and are used not only as cladding material but also as spatial organization elements, as they allow for the powerful plasticity of the building’s design while responding to specific functional demands.

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  Y Tower

  This shaded public space is the “heart” of the tower that allows the street life to enter the building. The base develops as a fluid formation that emerges from the ground, while the concrete surfaces of urban space wrap around and “root” the building to the landscape. The shell of the building features patterned metalwork that filters light through during the daytime, relieving from the irritating external stimuli and noise, while blurring of the undesired intensity of external sunlight. Avoiding formalistic mimicry, the building belongs to its era while maintaining dialogue with the place and the past.

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  Waterfall Towers

  Located in the Ertan dam in the Yalong river of Sichuan, the building transcends location as it reformulates an artificial site that becomes part of a unified natural environment. The limit between the city and nature is defined and intensified by the presence of the dam. The smooth transition between the horizontal and the vertical explores how the building’s form interacts with the horizon line. At the same time this highlights the sculptural monumentality that a dam has due of its considerable scale and its simple form and connects it with the verticality of a tall building.

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  Gaudí System

  The idea behind the design of the Gaudí System lies in the conversion of the bathroom to a versatile and multipurpose living space. A living surface reciprocates to the moods of the user, in an effort to “humanize” an object that we use in our daily lives. Users can create their own space by reshaping the bathroom floor in a form-follows-function approach, that responds to a basic need: the desire for individuality. People’s needs are reflected to forming and reshaping of space in real-time. The design is about the positive feelings humans get from their interaction with living systems.