ONE-NINETY
CAIRO / EGYPT
Business district buildings façade design
The palm, which strongly characterizes the whole Egyptian
territory and North Africa in general, is the inspiring element of the project from a formal and functional point of view. In particular, we analyzed the shape of the cortex, focusing our attention on the texture that forms during its growth. The streaks are repeated on the facades of the six buildings and become lines that wrap and connect the towers visually and physically. They are formed randomly from panels of the same size, becoming also luminous elements that characterize and mark the streaks during the evening and night hours.
From it we extracted a module (h=1 m) that has become the basic element for the entire composition of the skin.
The bark of the palm, with its streaks, even when exposed to the sun, creates shaded areas that maintain a lower temperature on the surface.
The connection between the buildings allows a much more flexible distribution of the working spaces, allowing the combination of various functional levels not only vertically but also horizontally.
The bands link the buildings, creating a system of horizontal connections in order to allow passage between them. Even the last levels of the buildings are connected with the same system in order to have a large garden roof with different functions.
Restaurants and outdoor activities are accessible not only to those who work inside buildings during the day but also open in the evening when the offices are closed.