concurso "designing in teheran" | irão | 2009

The building emerges from the silhouette of the winged bull from the Persopolis “Gate of Nations”. These mythological creatures, were called “Lamassu”, which means bull with the head of a bearded man were originated in Babylonia and Assyria, and then adopted by the Persians. The general idea behind the Lamassus was that they warded off evil, helping people fighting chaos. They were often used as gatekeepers as a symbol of tolerance with which the different cultures should interact. The proposal of a “Winged Bull” building intends to inspire the city of Teheran to pursuit a future in which everyone shares a common sense of justice and happiness and presents an idea of friendship and mutual respect. The Lamassu is the metaphoric element that merges the built space with the memory of an existing element.

The main public entrance for the 3 ground level stores is in the intersection between Vali Asr Avenue and the perpendicular street that comes from East. This entrance creates a small exterior square that provides a protection from the sun in summer and from the rain or snow in winter as well as allows people to gather and creates a meting point. The service and car parking access are sitting in the south façade, which allows the the main store display direct to Vali Asr Avenue. The access from the ground level to the offices and residential levels is possible through three vertical circulation axis that incorporate an emergency stair and a pair of lifts, which are placed so that in case of emergency there are no dead ends or closed corridors. This applies also to underground levels. All the vertical circulation areas are connected through a corridor in every level.

Part of the building exterior skin is made out of photovoltaic cells elements that produce some of the building energy. This modules are incorporated in to the building facade so that they are part of the aesthetic options. The windows facing south and east are protected from direct sunlight and maximize the use of natural indirect light in work spaces.