Question of scale

The ziggurat takes the archetype of steps and uses it very differently to what we see in contemporary architecture. A staircase as an accessibility feature is usually next to a building or inside it. The ziggurat makes the steps and ramps its very outer skin and its actual design. It is a filled-in volume under very large stairs. As with any object it becomes infinitely inspiring when you change the scale. If you look at it as a product or a piece of furniture it gains completely different appeal and usability while keeping its looks, proportions and character.

A transfer of form

Taking the ziggurat form out of its natural context of ancient architecture includes all of its typical design language. Here we have the simplest expression with a few steps, slanted sides and one axial ramp or staircase to the top level. There were however much more complex versions that play with the level connections. It seems that ziggurats rarely had any inner spaces and were largely a solid mass with perhaps a temple on the top. The negative bowl-like inside shape of a ziggurat is therefore also an interesting direction worth exploring.

Visions