Competition for the Technology Cooperation Office Building

Designers: Bahram Shirdel, Akam Shirdel, Nazanin Ansari, Rokhsareh Delkash, Morteza Nikoneejad. With: Navid Arabshahi, Ali Naraghi, Shima Bagheri, Negar Nazari.
Structure: Siamak Keykhosrow.
Services: Farhad Taheri.
3D Modelling: Farhad Jafari.
Project area: approximately 10,000 m².

Shirdel's project rests on a single chief idea: a number of broken volumes that lock into a principal structure, such that each functional family keeps its functional and visual independence. This approach is in keeping with the leading mood of Shirdel's current designs, in which the independence of every part is bound up with a complex overall composition. The principal envelope of the building is made of steel and clear glass, so that a report of the rapid activity within the building is given to the urban space alongside it.

In their closing report, the jurors praised this project for “its boldness in presenting a complex form, its inner coherence, and its deep attention to the concept of cooperation between different technological groups.” At the same time, the jurors raised the project's executional difficulties — especially in matters of structural stability and construction cost.

Designers: Mehrdad Tabesh, with a team of architects and engineers from Tabesh Iran Consulting Engineers.

Tabesh Iran's project rests on clear, practical architectural principles: a single, upright volume with regular lines on the elevation, made dynamic by many openings and inter-level terraces, providing an active workplace for staff. Emphasis falls on the order of the repeated module and on the building's capacity for future expansion. The chief idea is the design of a “neutral” building able to host the changing activities of future organisations.

The body of the building, with a composition of light stone, steel and glass — each marking a part of the volume — sets the elevation in keeping with the surrounding urban tissue. Inside, the workspace is arranged around a central glass-roofed courtyard — a sensibility drawn equally from the classical European building and the Iranian bazaar.

Designers: Amir-Ali Montazeri, Khashayar Tajalli, with a team from Mohshava.

The Mohshava project is an effort at re-reading the model of the modern office building from an Iranian standpoint. The principal volume is split into two parts: one transparent, mostly of glass, facing south; and one solid, mostly of stone, facing north. Between the two parts lies a central courtyard with evergreen trees and a pool. By presenting a quiet kind of contemporary Iranian architecture — one that draws back from the showiness of the day — the project drew the jury's attention.

The floor plan rests on a simple grid; none of the spaces step beyond the grid, and the building therefore allows for the future expansion and rearrangement of its interior. On the elevation, the horizontal lines of the window bands and the stone bodies give the building a coherent, durable mood.

Designers: Parviz Moradpour, Maziar Meshkat, with their consulting engineers' design team.

The Moradpour-Meshkat project comprises a horizontal base volume and a vertical tower joined at a common base in the lower storeys. The horizontal volume is given to the public functions — exhibition, meeting halls, rest space — and the vertical tower to the office spaces. This functional split allows both bodies of activity to run side by side without disturbing one another.

The elevation is composed of light stone and galvanised steel with a grilling that, during the day, blocks direct sun. The project leaves an air of dignity and formality in keeping with the public-sector use of the project. At the upper levels of the tower, terraces with city views are set out, providing places for staff rest and informal conversation.

The full jury report will appear in the next issue of Memar. In their general note, the jurors spoke well of the level of architectural culture in the competition, and expressed the hope that the climate created by this competition will, in coming years, lead to more competitions in the area of public-sector buildings.

About the client: The Office of Technological Cooperation of the Presidency was founded in 1368 SH (1989) and from the start has played a substantial part in supporting scientific and technological research in the country. In recent years, with the spread of its activities, it has needed a more centralised setting; this design competition is the first stage of the body's effort to meet that need.

This competition is worth pondering on this account: that for the first time an Iranian state body — instead of directly handing the project to a particular consulting practice — has turned to a democratic, open procedure for choosing the design. This experience, whether or not it is brought to a built result, is from the standpoint of Iran's architectural culture an important step forward; one which, as the editorial of this issue (by Kamran Afshar Naderi) suggests, may be hoped to become a general practice in coming years.

The winning project — Bahram Shirdel — is now in final design and execution. During final design, changes will be made to the project in collaboration between the winning consultant and the client. In future issues of Memar, the project's progress will be published periodically.