Designing in Teheran - B project

A thousand and one marbles

The Benetton competition brings together two seemingly conflicting domains: the dynamic world of fashion on the one hand and the static domain of architecture on the other. The central objective of this project is to design a timeless building for an industry that creates new collections and appearances every season.

On the site on the Vali Asr avenue a projected volume roughly covering the entire site, is split into two parts; a cube and a thin slab. In between, they form a space that adds an intimate shopping cul-de-sac to the city neighborhood. On top of several levels of parking and storage spaces three shops are located on the lower two ground levels. One is situated in the thin slab and two in the base of the cube. The latter two literally shape each other. The upper shop is formed as a mountain of display cabinets that receives daylight through the opaque glass floor of the terrace above. The reverse shape of this ‘mountain-shop’ forms the spectacular cupola-ceiling of the shop underneath on ground level. All three shops have their entrance at the intimate space flanked by the two buildings. The presence of large window displays on the side of the avenue is deliberately avoided in order to retain a certain modesty and class, which can equally create public curiosity. The entrances to the offices and apartments are situated on Vali Asr avenue. Both cars and suppliers, who bring their goods, enter and leave the car park by the two ramps running parallel on the same avenue.

The programme in the competition brief implies a thinning from the base upwards. This thinning is purposely internalized in this project by means of a large void that gets larger towards the higher levels. This allows the building to maintain a massive silhouette. Except for the glass facade of the slab facing inwards all facades are built up entirely of structural glazing covered with marble. With a technique developed in France, 4mm thin slabs of local cream-colored Persian marble with a clear grain are mounted on the outer glass panels of the curtain walls. This elegant facade creates a tension between its massive appearance on the outside and the surprisingly light and open atmosphere on the inside.

The offices are organized around the central courtyard. The circulation spaces are situated on the outer ring. The full span of the translucent facade intensifies these dignified hallways and the spacious staircase. Light that filters through the stone panels renders the beautiful textures in the marble and brings calm and character to the working spaces of this inner world. During the day the appearance will change with the light intensity of the sun. Bridges between the office spaces in the cube and the slab allow flexible use. Floors can be used by multiple or single tenants. Some floors have access to the patio, providing pleasant outside spaces to the complex. Each of the luxurious penthouse apartments on top has a private patio as well.

At night, the expression of the two forms changes from massive and distant to blissfully radiant. Light from office spaces, shops and apartments filters through the facade in the opposite direction and lights up the silhouette like a lantern that can be distinguished from as far as the elevated highway and further to the South.