The Atlas Tower: Internal Perspective

Brion O’Reilly, Ashni Patel, Rachel Cummings, Sian Opie

Don’t Panic!

Gifted a new spotlight by the recent Covid-19 pandemic, Panic Buying is a topical phenomenon described as ‘the buying of large quantities of a particular product or commodity, due to sudden fear of a forthcoming shortage or price rise’. Despite its newfound relevancy, our thesis group discovered that that this subject was yet to be thoroughly investigated from an architectural lens.

The Atlas Tower: Internal Perspective
The Atlas Tower: Internal Perspective

Although panic buying may seem like a relatively minor affliction in today’s world, it could also be viewed as a symptom of the wider failings of the UK’s consumer infrastructure. Our investigation revealed distinctly architectural ramifications, both at the scale of the supermarket, and much further afield into the layout of our cities, and the structure of our global trade networks. The topic of panic buying, therefore, resides within a large architectural discourse.

The Atlas Tower: Plan and Elevations
The Atlas Tower: Plan and Elevations

For our Thesis, our group aimed to investigate the hypothetical consequences of transforming our consumer industry into a system designed to curtail panic buying, and the other fragilities which currently exist. As a critical commentary of the existing conglomerate paradigm, this project provides a necessary, pre-emptive response to the present insubstantiality of our consumer trade network.

The Atlas Tower: Sectional Perspective
The Atlas Tower: Sectional Perspective

Our thesis introduces ‘The Atlas Tower’ – a self-sustaining mega-structure, which provides food for its residents in an efficient, yet regimented system. This structure exists within a hypothetical future-Liverpool and is, at its core, a utopian design that interlaces dystopian qualities in order to question – but not solve – the existing fragility of food production, and the future of sustainable living.

Don't Panic! Cinematic Poster
Don’t Panic! Cinematic Poster

As part of the Cinémethods studio, our thesis group was challenged to employ a cinematic approach to our design methodology. Because one of our intended outputs for this project was the promotion of a discourse surrounding the panic buying phenomenon, this somewhat unconventional approach was highly successful, as the medium of film lends itself to the communication of ideas.

Don't Panic! Film Scenes
Don’t Panic! Film Scenes

Ultimately, this project is critical in that it brings to attention the highly topical, yet largely overlooked, phenomenon of panic buying, and the far-reaching societal structures that influence it. By formulating a hypothetical future-Liverpool, the existing fragilities within the consumer trade network were explored without the expectation of resolution, or the limitations of our existing systems. From a societal viewpoint, this investigation has revealed that there are many benefits to growing food close to the population; however, doing so exposes an entirely new set of vulnerabilities that have intense social consequences.

Camera Tracking Diagram
Camera Tracking Diagram
Zoning Strategy
Zoning Strategy
Living Mechanisms
Living Mechanisms
Room Typologies
Room Typologies
The Living Units
The Living Units

Thesis Tutors

Dr. Hamid Khalili
Prof. Richard Koeck

Thesis VP

Helen Roberts
Josef Maria

Thesis Critcs

Mary Shepperson
Lucretia Ray
Luke Bushnell-Wye
Peter Farrall
Neil Swanson

Special Mentions

Dr. Hamid Khalili
Prof. Richard Koeck
Han Wu
Kushagra Jhurani
Nick Stath