London - Vienna based AS Studio's present their design entry for the Urban Confluence Silicon Valley International Competition.

The idea of the project was to create an urban landmark for San José dedicated to human love and to the love of our planet. The project was inspired by the song “Do you know the way to San José”  sung by Dionne Warwick. Due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic all what the world needs now is love sweet love. 

The design features the word LOVE as a large 260ft tall structure made of red painted recycled steel. 

The structure was informed by the geometry of Silicon molecules and is a homage to American Art. 

Attractions: an observation deck, a super-slide, a community centre, an ecological urban air purifier.

The structure is a contribution to the fight against climate change and will reflect San José’s rich multiethnic community.  

The LOVE structure is oriented towards the Confluence Park as a special symbolic gesture towards the local community. Car drivers passing by the structure on the usually bery busy  Highway 87 can decipher its words only by using their rear-view mirrors. The author is convinced that this structure has the potential to create a smile on each drivers face specially during traffic jams.

LOVE will add soul to San José. 

The LOVE landmark was designed whilst listening to Dionne Warwick’s 1968 popular hit, ‘Do you know the way to San José.’ Warwick’s voice takes the listener on a journey to return to San José where, ‘you can really breathe… they've got a lot of space... to find some peace of mind in San José...’

LOVE is an urban landmark, dedicated to a celebration of San José's heritage, culture, industry, diaspora and global achievements. The term LOVE can also be extended to a love of humanity and our planet. The proposed design features the word LOVE as a large structure that stands out against a surrounding urban landscape. The architecture was designed to be as symbolic and iconic as the Eiffel Tower.

LOVE was informed by the geometry of Silicon Molecules, the same element assigned to the production of computers. The structure will be built from 100% recycled steel painted in red, the colour of a love heart and will incorporate multiple attractions such as a panoramic observation deck, a super-slide, multi-use art and community spaces. The structure will also contribute in the fight against air pollution and climate change with an eco art air purifier, a specially installed air filter system helping to improve air quality and biodiversity in the area. The preferred location is the Eastern part of the Guadalupe River against Highway 87. No trees in the riparian corridor will be affected during construction.

LOVE has a contemporary, signature style and feel, where all visitors, local and international, can come together, enjoy the architecture of the sculpture and celebrate the City of San José. The project aims to be a hub for San José’s rich multi-ethnic community and pays homage to American Art and was inspired by the concepts of pop art and minimalism of artists Jasper Johns, Cy Twombly and Robert Indiana.

LOVE has been designed at a time of the global Covid-19 pandemic and the architect wishes to honour all those fighting the virus and the victims. Dionne Warwick's voice so poignantly expresses in the song, 'What the world needs now is love, sweet love,' and with this message of loving kindness in mind, I hope that this piece of architecture will bring a boost of positivity, love and understanding at a time that has been so difficult for all of us across the planet.

STRUCTURE DIMENSIONS

Height: 200 ft

Length: 450m ft

Width: 30 ft

Website: https://alexander-smaga.com/