Description
The initial client for the project Laila Tower (United Square) was the United Group Limited, even though the property was later on sold to the SA Group.
The United Group had a vision for their project as a commercial establishment right beside their Head
Office at Gulshan on the South Avenue. As Gulshan Avenue is a gloriously vibrant street, brimming with commercial & social activities; in obvious coherence to that mood the architect kept an entry plaza to accommodate and welcome public gathering.
As the new building was to be built right next to the United Group Head Office, with that in mind, there comes the obvious issue of a relation between the two buildings. To achieve that relation, we proposed an intermediary courtyard in between the newly built United Square (Laila Tower) and the United Group Head Office that is located at the southern side of the plot; with the thought that it can be used as a space for daily breaks as well as other socio-cultural activities.
As for the building form, it is organized as a stack of various boxes aligned in different angles at each floor so that it can add a different dimension to the courtyard and the entry span.
The glass curtain facade is a collage of different colored glasses, working as an envelope for the building. The color for the base of the new structure remains the same as the previously built United Headquarters.
The constantly shifting blocks projecting out of the core creates an opportunity to enjoy different scenic street view from different angles in different places of the interior.
Laila Tower is one of the foremost examples of any commercial building developed under the new construction rules that made mandatory to follow certain issues like the Floor Area Ratio, Maximum Ground Coverage etc. The other issues relating to the safety issues have also been addressed in the project which attracted multinationals like Citi Bank NY to set their local head office in the building.
