Vandad Ecologic Tower

ZAAD Studio + Challenge Studio Location: Mashhad, Iran Date: 2014 Area: 40,000 sqm Status: Concept Design Client: Mohammad Baghshani Design Team: Mohsen Tajeddin, Marziah Louise Rajabzadeh, Mohsen Marizad Graphic: 2r-Studio, Mona Mirzaei “Vandad Ecologic Tower” was commissioned by an affluent developer from the city of Mashad in Iran, who has recently become interested in incorporating passive green energy strategies to his development portfolio. Originating from a small town himself, the client stipulated that Vandad must implement elements of small-town lifestyle in the design. By analyzing broader problems of urban planning and architectural design which directly influence modern city life, this proposal attempts to identify and embody those attributes of a more sustainable, environmentally conscious, civic lifestyle that were such an intrinsically influential factor in many of our predecessors’ predominantly non-urbanized childhoods. The rigid appropriation of space and spatial ownership has become an accepted aspect of modern urban living, where interaction with the environment and neighboring inhabitants has been minimized to include only that which exists within ownership boundaries. This dramatically reduces what would formerly be a natural sense of responsibility towards society and towards the environment. This proposal attempts to reintroduce a sense of identity into the modern urban paradigm, by investing in community and the natural environment, and encouraging intercommunication through a network of shared green spaces aimed at heightening the quality of life as well as mutual civic dependency. The development strategy is based on a philosophy of void design in which subtracted space is literally an addition of shared green spaces which promotes interaction and communication.