TOWER OF WINDS

Situated in a new residential area of small houses, this secondary school is important to the community; it is also a significant reference point. Entrance is through an interior court after passing under the administration building. The sculpture on the sidewalk becomes the real entrance.

The community is named "Windmill". It seemed appropriate to supply the wind. The theme is taken from an ancient Athenian tower honoring the eight wind gods. The myth becomes a symbol for the community, a bridge between antiquity and the present...

The triangular plan is intended to reconcile the building line with the street line. A ring 2m75 (9') in diameter is fixed at the rear, parallel to the street. The sculpture is a space-cage -- a prism defined by three posts with one facet parallel to the street. Sculptural elements are held in place by springs.

The foundations required careful design in order to drain the run-off of the corrosion-product of the weathering steel and thereby minimize staining the concrete. This problem was resolved by standing the sculpture above red concrete pavers with drainage grills provided for each leg.