Context

The expansion of the city was rapid and uncontrolled and the result is a lack of a homogenous urban fabric. There seemed to be no rule in the heights, materials or volumetric expression of the existing building.

The site is located in the city of Teheran on Vali Asr Avenue in the south of Vanak Square. The particularity and the beauty of this avenue is the strong presence of green. Towering plane trees are planted on each side of the street. Considered as the longest street of the city, this green structure is embedded in a network of parks and green areas and therefore creates a strong structure on an urban scale.

Concept

Our aim was to integrate the building in the most coherent way in the local urban and commercial settings. The idea was to create a recognizable landmark combining different uses in a harmonious way. Private and public spaces needed to be hosted in the same entity.

The task was to create a multistory building.

The particularity of the form of the building and the fact that the surfaces decreases towards the upper levels, helped us to break the massiveness of such a dense program. The undulation of the façade enhances the impression of not one but several volumes. The use of fins helps us not only to create a skin which creates a combining element, but also to produce a complex play of light and shadow and most of all transparency. The ground floor becomes therefore transparent and open to the public while the more private use of the upper apartments is hidden to the view of the spectator. The use of fins protects also against the rays of sunlight and allows controlling the sun without complex technical means.

Structure and Materials

The building is structured by circular columns and plain concrete slabs. The transfer of loads towards the external columns at the level of the ground floor helps us to optimize the efficiency of the parking garage in the lower level. The façade is build with vertical wooden or aluminum fins which covers the curtain wall.