Honorable MentionJ. Scott Olson
Office G|O
929 East Main Ave.
Ste. 230
Puyallup, Washington 98372
Phone: (253) 840-5059
Email: info@pva.comBuilding in Teheran, Iran
Today, 75% of Iran’s population is under the age of 35. And while this is a generation with strong emotional and social attachments to their culture and religion, we understand that this is also a country in transition. Teheran is on the cutting edge of this transition as the country’s main industrial, political and socio-cultural center. Our desire in creating this design has been to offer an innovative and modern building to this city that will inspire its population. Dynamism, flexibility, communication, and fluidity are words that define our concept.
Inspired by the very garments created by the Benetton Group itself, this multi-story building in Teheran is an exercise in the dressing of a structure. Investigating the use of “fabric” and its characteristics was key in the development of this design. Just as a quality article of clothing can offer a practical, modern style and also maximum comfort, so shall the clothing that wraps this building offer its inhabitants an attractive, modern and comfortable place to live or work.
Our goal has been to present the community with a concept that has the potential to be part of the evolution of the city of Teheran and its culture. Just as the Benetton Group wishes its retail spaces to be “rich in new messages and cultural ideas”, the design presented here strives to promote the same.
Programmatic forms shape the structure of the building while the silver perforated metal panel that veils it seeks to represent the fluidity and flexibility of fabric. This skin acts in two ways. First, it will no doubt give the building a clear sense of identity day or night. A steel frame pushes and pulls on it to create its shape. Thus the subsequent modulation coupled with the slight reflectivity of the perforated metal panel is meant to give the building a shimmering appearance during daylight hours as the sun’s rays bounce off of it. At night, we envision colored lights behind the screen that will transfer their hue onto the metal, creating a display of color that will be both pleasing to the eye, yet not intrusive. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it will act as a sunscreen that, along with operable windows, will allow the inhabitants to create their own microclimates in each office space if desired. Behind the sunscreen, the majority of the structure is encased in curtain walls with alternating patterns of glass. The light blue glass panels have been arranged in four graduating levels of reflectivity, thus creating yet another subtle dimension of color. A number of these panels shall be operable at the office and residential levels to provide passive cooling during the hotter months of the year.
Milwaukee, WI 53214 IPERF.org
