Teheran, Iran

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Designing in Teheran Competition – Site A

Most, Giacomo Butte

external view of the building

CONCEPT The design originates from the combination of the analysis of media and graphic research of Benetton campaigns, with the prerogative of maintaining the project suitable for Teheran, and reinterpreting traditional values of Middle East design in a more contemporary way. Historically, Middle Eastern design has paid a particular attention to privacy and discretion, maintaining a very physical and recognizable identity on the exterior and more discreet one on the interior. The diaphragms, textures of geometrical patterns that artistically shape holes on physical supports like wood or brick walls, traditionally work as layers of division between the two functional aspects in which the architecture is divided. The design for Site A reinterprets the theme of the diaphragm by the very same material that makes the object of the company’s business: fabric layers envelop the building in interlacing stripes, overlapping bright colors and resulting in an entanglement that filters the light and provide a useful screen for direct sunlight exposure. Cloth, fabric, “dresses up” the very same architecture and defines its very perception. Stripes create a defining line between the “outside” and the “inside”, thus providing a founding definition of the internal areas, yet never obstructing the view completely, always allowing a communication in between spaces, a direct interrelation of the building with the city and vice versa. Inside, the cloth opens itself to a public volume, a multilayered space in which the connection and relationship between entities multiply indefinitely, recreating the very same basis of a small community center. Like a giant quarry, the internal environment is shaped by the subsequent subtractions of square volumes, creating an emptiness facing upwards. The irregular profile of every level’s layout enhances the experience of the space, creating infinite perspectives and views in a constantly changing environment. The light, filtered by the façade fabric net or bouncing from the rooftop opening, makes the ambient variable, reflecting colors and creating shadows that affect the perception of it as time passes.

entrance to the building site

STRATEGY The focal point of the design is the inner public space and the consequent various relationships generated by it. The recent demand and programmatic action towards the reestablishment of public areas, parks and squares in contemporary metropolis, is here finalized by the destination of the vastest area possible for public usage, maximizing the possible value of shopping areas, working units or apartments. Accessibility, freedom of movement, creation of a central micro-universe in which several interrelated relationships might take place, are all paradigms of the project; a lively public square, positioned in the very center of the building, enhance the visibility of shopping windows, which are doubled outside along the road and inside towards the square itself, provides a fresher leisure spot where to stop and meet. Several suspended terraces and passages are animated by the people working in the offices above, linking the world of business to the one of leisure. From the top floor, residents of the rooftop apartments can enjoy the energy of the building’s sparkling life, retaining a private position and not becoming directly involved in it. Terraces, on each floor, constitute the physical element of passage between public and private, while private areas are shaped into rectangular, cubic elements facing diverse directions and thus ensuring a high level of privacy inside.

view of the central courtyard

FUNCTIONS The project evolves following closely the requirements of the competition brief, maintaining the surfaces and floor destinations as specified, but trying to reinterpret each specific area in a contemporary way, privileging open spaces and natural illumination but still keeping a high standard of privacy. The first two floors above ground develop in double-layered shopping areas, where business and shopping is strictly interlaced with public leisure. Visitors accede directly to the first floor via an automated escalator, reaching directly the heart of the building. A central square, perfect place for meetings and gatherings, offers a high commercial value to the shopping areas around. Windows cover the highest amount of surface possible, increased by the particular layout shaped along various intricate paths, thus raising the commercial potential of the shops themselves. From the second to the sixth floor, office and directive areas characterize the whole surface, divided in three different working sectors each floor, and into different office typologies. The working spaces are open, made of series of workstations paired by conference rooms and managers’ office rooms. The latter are provided with vast amount of natural illumination coming from windows that never face each other, thus providing for light, view and privacy for each office areas. Terraces open towards the central square add additional value. Each floor is also connected together by common pathways, suspended passages that animate the whole inner life of the building. The top floor is composed by four penthouses, apartments designed keeping in mind the necessity for luxury, privacy and contemporary spaces. A dedicated vertical connection allows easy access to the common platform. Ample windows and terraces provide for the best connection with the outside.

office areas, internal view from the courtyard

SUSTAINABILITY A modern building cannot escape the call for a more sustainable future and an ecological interpretation of contemporary architecture. Sustainability as a paradigm becomes an element of design, and the architecture that originates from it has the responsibility of communicating a new intention, a different programmatic vision of people’s future. The project aims to answer this call concentrating on natural light as vehicle of energy, illumination and profit. The maximization of the transparent surfaces at each floor enables vast amount of natural light flowing inside the internal spaces, reducing the cost for artificial light and electricity supply. The light coming from the outside is filtered by the façade system, and bouncing over the stripes of fabric, it allows a uniform indirect illumination pleasant for every activity. Rooftop solar panels provide for a sustainable, ecological supply of electricity for the three penthouses at the seventh floor. In addition to screening the light, the façade stripes reflect their bright colors, becoming a whole building-scale icon, a recognizable symbol for the company brand and a proud statement of environmentally friendly solutions for contemporary Teheran. The air flowing in between the stripes and the internal façade also constitutes a filter helping the acclimatization of the internal areas. Sustainable is also the use of the public space, encouraging the meeting of different people, becoming a natural showcase for the commercial areas and a relaxing spot for a break from the offices above. The architecture as a whole comes to life in these areas thanks to the people, moving, talking, standing, and sitting, thus naturally creating the network of relationships that characterize and qualify the whole project.

interior-offices

typical plan_level1

typical plan_level2

section

concept

Europaconcorsi Beta

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