The use of tunnel forms as climbing formwork carries considerable economic and time advantages so a vertical extrusion becomes inevitable for high-rise residential towers where each floor can have the same structural layout as the next.

Drape

TYPE Residential, Interior
STATUS Commission, Study
LOCATION Tehran, Iran
YEAR 2010
CLIENT Sabat Naft

DESIGN TEAM Eva Castro, Ulla Hell, Hossein Kachabi, Holger Kehne, Nicola Saladino

Hence the repetitive nature of identical residential plans within a high rise results either in repetitive horizontal banding, excessive glazing or arbitrary formal escapades.
For this 16 storey condo development concept, we propose a rigid internal coreZonen  and systematic structural grid that then frees the North and South façades to express movement. In order to make complex façade elements at a feasible cost we devised a geometry that relies on a single set of moulds that can simply be turned around every second level. Using double-curved bands rhythmically is a pragmatic solution that combines the economy of repetition with an exciting and animated visual appearance.
The façade design engages with the social and cultural context in providing various degrees of visual openness and enclosure so the zones behind can be occupied in accordingly.