Teheran, Iran

Designing in Teheran project A

Concorso internazionale di architettura

DESIGN CONCEPT The strategy adopted in the project is to transform the current area of intervention into a “new urban focus” and at the same time a “new sign” functioning as a symbol in the urban landscape of Tehran. This objective has been pursued by conceiving the building as a block that contracts and expands, recalling the buildings with courtyard that characterise the urban fabric of Tehran. The specific reference to the historic system inherent in the traditional layout materialises in the compactness of the building, closed on the exterior by large surfaces ribbed in corten steel. These perimeter elements, that root the building to the soil, have the dual task of constructing the tectonic structure of the artefact and its spatiality, while at the same time mediating the delicate relationship between the building and the context. As a boundary between interior and exterior, the structural framework that enwraps the construction acts as a diaphragm fostering exchange between the system of cavities contained in the building and the urban space. The photochromic glass enables regulation of the natural light and the sunlight, not only in the offices but in the entire building. The horizontal lines of the floors mark out and stratify the volume, while the ribbing elements that metaphorically simulate the helical movement of a whirlwind express the role of the building as a tangential pole in the midst of the traffic flows skirting the lot. It is almost as if, as they change direction at the corner, the straight-line trajectory of the vehicles is transformed into a rotational movement. The torsion of the building effectively deconstructs the corner at the junction of the two streets, where the entrance to the shopping area has been created. The ground floor and first floor have been divided into three commercial units on two levels, linked by an elliptical spiral staircase that functions as a hinge. The main road axis is underscored by the system of elliptical stairs and the lifts that channel the flows destined to the management offices located from the second to the sixth floors, and the apartments of different shapes and sizes on the seventh floor. The separation of the flows directed towards the offices and apartments from those heading towards the shopping area is a crucial node in the organisation of the space. At the level of the apartments there will be a communal green area, inside the courtyard, which during summer will generate movements of fresh air to ventilate the living areas. The shopping area is directly linked to the warehouse via hoists and stairs. The ramp located inside the lot, instead, gives access both to the warehouse, for loading and unloading of goods, and to the car parks situated on the basement floors -1 to -4. As regards renewable energy sources, a system at the same level as the roof has been suggested, featuring photovoltaic panels for the generation of electric power as well as a system for recycling rainwater for the toilet tanks and for watering the green areas planned inside the lot.

Europaconcorsi Beta

Designing in Teheran project A