Belgian architecture-artist

Koen Deprez

1987

Thermometer

Bored by motionless monuments, Deprez devised a hypothetical structure for the site occupied by the former Martini tower in Brussels. Functioning like a thermometer, this hydraulic tower is designed to react to changes in the economic climate. When the stock market booms, the building rises. A downward economic trend, on the other hand, triggers its descent. Similarly, the tower is lengthened or shortened according to the supply and demand of potential residents.
This movable structure is a commentary on the dominance of tectonic thinking in architecture and urban planning: monumental structures are fixed in time and thus incapable of responding to the changing nature of the urban landscape and its inhabitants, or to any future societal challenges.

Perspective, mixed technique, 44 x 33 x 4 cm

Perspective, mixed technique, 44 x 33 x 4 cm

Global view (Brussels), mixed technique, 44 x 33 x 4 cm

Global view (Brussels), mixed technique, 44 x 33 x 4 cm

Interior (Rollerball), mixed technique, 44 x 33 x 4 cm

Interior (Rollerball), mixed technique, 44 x 33 x 4 cm