A Middle Eastern media company—whose identity remains unreleased—held a competition for its new headquarters. Bjarke Ingels’ firm BIG has released designs of their submission, which designboom describes as a building that “will provide a framework for international broadcasting that simultaneously seeks to remain grounded within the region’s culture.”
The 650,000-sm complex is formed by two rectangular towers with cubes protruding from the structures on various levels, making up a “vertical village” of newsrooms, broadcast studios, and amenities for the company’s employees such as dining facilities, a gym, bank, and auditorium.
The two towers are connected by a giant tensile canopy that slopes down, mimicking the tents traditionally used by cultures of the region, such as the Berbers or the Bedouins. Underneath this canopy is a shared plaza for informal interactions. For workers higher up in the building, the main towers’ protruding cubes create rooftop terraces for relaxation.
Designboom has more on the story.
Related Stories
| Apr 16, 2012
University of Michigan study seeks to create efficient building design
The result, the researchers say, could be technologies capable of cutting the carbon footprint created by the huge power demands buildings place on the nation’s electrical grid.
| Apr 16, 2012
Drake joins EYP as science and technology project executive
Drake’s more than 30 years of diversified design and project delivery experience spans a broad range of complex building types.
| Apr 13, 2012
Best Commercial Modular Buildings Recognized
Judges scored building entries on a number of criteria including architectural excellence, technical innovation, cost effectiveness, energy efficiency, and calendar days to complete, while marketing pieces were judged on strategy, implementation, and quantifiable results. Read More
| Apr 6, 2012
Flat tower green building concept the un-skycraper
A team of French designers unveil the “Flat Tower” design, a second place winner in the 2011 eVolo skyscraper competition.
| Apr 2, 2012
EB-5 investment funds new Miramar, Fla. business complex
Riviera Point Holdings breaks ground on $17 million office center.
| Mar 28, 2012
Milestone reached for LEED-certified buildings?
Total number of major global green buildings now stands at 12,000.
| Mar 27, 2012
Bank of America Plaza becomes Atlanta's priciest repo
Repo will help reset market prices for real estate, and the eventual new owner will likely set rental rates at a new or near the bottom and improve the facilities to lure tenants.
| Mar 26, 2012
McCarthy tops off Math and Science Building at San Diego Mesa College
Designed by Architects | Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker, the new San Diego Mesa College Math and Science Building will provide new educational space for students pursuing degree and certificate programs in biology, chemistry, physical sciences and mathematics.
| Mar 26, 2012
Ball State University completes nation's largest ground-source geothermal system
Ball State's geothermal system will replace four aging coal-fired boilers to provide renewable power that will heat and cool 47 university buildings, representing 5.5-million-sf on the 660-acre campus.
| Mar 21, 2012
10 common data center surprises
Technologies and best practices provide path for better preparation.
