The precedent study focused on Richard Meier and Partners tower cores across both office and residential projects, using a comparative layout method that starts from the simplest core and scales up in complexity. The study maps how adding rows and columns within a core boundary enables more elevators, introduces service elevator requirements, increases stair count for code compliance, and accommodates vertically connected systems such as restrooms and wet infrastructure.
To keep comparisons consistent, each precedent was abstracted into a shared diagram set that tracks core-making decisions in order, including defining the floor plate and core boundary, establishing corridors, and organizing a grid before evaluating how elevator banks, service elevators, emergency stairs, and restrooms attach to circulation. The sample set includes Mitikah Office Tower, The Rothschild Tower, Reforma Towers, and Kiwoom Finance Square Headquarters, selected to capture a wide range of core organizations and program shifts across floors.
Key takeaways
- Elevator bank typologies repeat in legible families, especially one-side versus two-side arrangements and expandable bank counts that scale with core depth.
- Service elevators and stairs tend to be governed by edge and adjacency logic, where placement is constrained by circulation hierarchy and avoidance of primary public zones.
- Restroom and wet-spine integration becomes a major driver of core thickness and corridor structure as the layout scales up and shifts between floor types.