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Architects: Bureau XII
- Area: 3950 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Assen Emilov
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Manufacturers: Reynaers Aluminium, Agglotech, Dekko, MARAZZI, Multipor, VMZINC
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Lead Architects: Peter Torniov, Milena Filcheva
Text description provided by the architects. The project aims to provide an office building with flexible spaces for rent for a private investor. The building plot is located in a high-density area in the historical center of the city of Sofia. The area is heterogeneous with buildings predominantly from the beginning to the middle of the 20th century and a variety of architectural styles. The fragmented image of the city is united by the "patina", the trace that time leaves and gives the organic and warm character of the environment. Meanwhile, the location, which is near the ancient Roman city of Serdikarequires an archeological investigation of the plot. In the course of the archaeological research, the remains of a late antique tomb were discovered, which were subsequently integrated into the project.
In this context, the aim is to contribute to the volumes and materiality of the new building to preserve the DNA of the urban environment, while at the same time looking for a contemporary approach that meets the project program. The facades of the building are a monolithic grid of exposed concrete and large-scale windows with aluminum frames. The program envisages an office building with an underground garage and generous landscaping. The offices are designed flexibly on the "shell and core" principle for renting. On the highest level, a glass pavilion with a view over the surrounding roofs and a landscaped roof garden is planned. The pavilion is intended to be shared by the offices as a place for meetings, conferences, and recreation. Two underground levels are dedicated to parking.
The plot on which the building is located is bordered by three firewalls of neighboring buildings and the front to the street with a length of 38m has a northern orientation. According to the town planning rules for that area and the requirements for a closed perimeter block, the building must be attached to the three firewalls. The long facade in front of the street would appear overscale compared to the neighboring buildings. In this regard, a solution was sought that would "break" the long front without harming the project program, but on the contrary, to create additional value for the functions, architecture, and environment. The facade is interrupted by "cascading terraces" towards the western firewall, which in turn becomes an additional facade intended for vertical landscaping.
The terraces, which connect the main volume with the firewall as a kind of bridge, are arranged offset from each other, which allows the interruption of the facade to be perceived as a kind of "opening", through which additional light penetrates from the south to the street space. The main approach to the building is over a large passage – a public/private piazza, which is a natural extension of the streetscape to the building and leads to an inner green courtyard. The garden is constructed as a large plant pot hanging over the garage with trees and there is exposed a late antique Roman tomb discovered during the archeological investigations. The piazza is also a communication space with direct links to the elevators for the floors, the lobby, and a retail gallery on the ground floor.
