PRIZMA by Biothing, an English Architectural design laboratory, is a fiercely technical attempt at generating an architectural response to the environmental conditions of Budva, Montenegro through the form of high density urban housing. The architectural tectonics of PRIZMA have been designed in order to direct, capture, and maximize environmental elements of the site in an effort to fully utilize the building’s efficiency. The wrinkled, pixelated facade of PRIZMA is designed to increase the square footage of the building’s skin, providing ample surface area for the placement of windows (to maximize views) and solar panels(to collect sunlight). The complex and articulated facade is inspired the architectural fabric of Budva’s Old City, which is largely ad-hoc, small scale, and mixed use, manifesting in an equally complex and pixelated aesthetic.
PRIZMA echoes this rich architectural expression through its ‘heterogeneous packing of rectangular volumes’ along the building’s facades. Although inspired by the existing architecture of the site, PRIZMA is meant to stand apart from it, simultaneously contributing its own complex and advanced set of geometries. These geometries, derived from the relationship between the different vectors and parameters associated with intensity and location of light and the slab setback location, define the building’s architecture. The locations and size of its terraces and bay windows are mathematically pre-programed to provide diverse and specific views towards the Old City and to the ocean. The variety with regards to the positioning of these window units contributes to the architectural richness while also providing efficient shading for the building’s interior spaces. These windows also signify the potential for various internal arrangements for the flats inside, which can be small or large, depending on the configuration.