
Description
The towers in a contemporary city are known to host their contiguous environments, helping to shape the city's unique silhouette. At the same time, they are symbols of a country's technological and social-economic development. In our design process, we do consider all these aspects in harmony with the surrounding environment.
The shape of the 'Hadi Tower' is neither rectangular nor square. Since the project site is trapezoidal, the tower is trapezoidal too, which has made it a new and unique typology of vertical structure.
The atmosphere of the tower is very inviting. The pedestrian entrance ramp has been derived from the trapezoidal site and stairway, which ascends from the ground floor over a double-height threshold into the first level. As such, Level One of the tower has been linked to the nearby upper floor via a double-height space viewing the mezzanine. The resulting double-height open area blends in with the surrounding landscape, lake, and road to form a bay that stretches to the nearby lake. Finally, a wooden staircase has given access to the mezzanine.
A lake in the west has glorified the beauty of the corner plot. Therefore, we have played with each façade through a climate-responsive solution. However, to protect from the heat, window screening has been used. Thus, the tower approached to behold nature as well as protect itself from the natural elements i.e., bright sunny light, heat, etc. The core of the tower is on the North. The offices receive diffused sunlight from the other three sides. The served and service area is distinguished. The service area houses lifts, stairway, fire stair, pantry, washrooms, electrical room, ducts for telecom, electrical lines, and fire. Served area contains office spaces from levels one to thirteen. The partially covered upper terrace operates as a restaurant. Because the heat gains issues, challenge was on the west and south-west corners, which was resolved with thoughtful resolution. Besides, the interior is prone to the west scorching sunlight and hence pursued protective measures by embracing horizontal wooden louvers. Both fixed and operable horizontal wooden louvers are employed in the structure. The solution lets a subdued light lit the interior and allows an uninterrupted view of the lake by allowing the double bay structure to breathe. The monotony of the façade of curtain glass, vertical concrete members, and horizontal aluminum composite panels is broken by terrace gardens with two different heights. Thus, we get vertical spaces for interaction. These raised garden terraces and verandah spaces connect the shape to the outside more visually and render the transparent shape with terraces blend in with nature and give people walking along the main road a sense of relief. The form attains a sense of completeness with the curved roof.
The first level of the form is also accessible through a vehicle ramp. All the administrative and security personnel and the receptionist are on this floor. The tower houses office spaces from first to thirteen floor. This building has one semi-basement and two basement parking. The semi-basement area contains stores, a washroom, a drivers' waiting area, a fire pump house, and an electromechanical room with a generator and transformer. The second basement is at the underground- contains a drivers' waiting room and an underground water reservoir which extends up to the third basement. The maintenance and mechanic room is at the third basement.
The form attains a sense of completeness with the roof. Like a neighbor that has always been around, 'Hadi Tower' blends considerately into the surrounding high-rise landscape at the intersection of Gulshan and Kamal Ataturk Avenue. It is distinguished by its clear design vocabulary and elegance, combined with exemplary understatement. The tower conveys a sense of integrity.
Information
Client: Abdul Hadi
Location: Gulshan, Dhaka
Project Leader: Ar. Md. Iqbal Habib
Design /Project Team:
Ar.Md. Ishtiaque Zahir
Ar. Md. Ehsaan Khan
Ar. Kawsary Perveen
Project Timeline: 2010-2016
Video
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