Designed by Hadi Teherani Office + Design Core , the second prize winning proposal for the Tehran Stock Exchange competition is an elegant and simple two-part structure. While the lower main structure is ten storeys high and hovers above the piazza, the 66-meter high building stands as a dominant design motif in the city. The cubature, as well as the ecological and building services concept, is based on the historic Iranian ‘wind-catcher’ which forms a traditional, Persian architectural element to support the natural ventilation of buildings to convey an optimized state of the art technology. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The two-storey-high Exchange Hall towers majestically, separated by a public observation platform – the “Sky Garden” – for the people of Tehran. The new Tehran Stock Exchange is distinguishable by its urban planning scale and its differentiated appearance. The support-free entrance level (Piazza) on the ground floor is unique and appropriate to its utilization, with its water features, footbridges and an upwards rotating feature void, the character of which is reminiscent of the historic domes of some of the magnificent Iranian traditional public buildings.
The main access is via escalators to the ‘information center’ in the first floor. There you will be guided to either: the main entrance core, the visitor core for the Exchange Hall level or the conference center. In the ground floor you will find two separate entrance cores, and a visitor core as the Exit of the Exchange Hall level.
The first 10 storeys are designed in such a way that in every 3rd storey there is a two-storey, transparent ‘communication zone’ which is intended to function as an inviting area for members of staff to spend some time and discuss things with each other. These communication zones all lie staggered to each other so that they afford the beautiful view of the mountains or the Tehran skyline. They contribute towards the outside appearance of the building and stand for openness and transparency.
On the 1st floor the Conference Center is located with up to 200 seats. Large conferences with more than 300 seats can take place in the Exchange Hall level. The visitors can access the various areas via the two-storey waiting lobby. On the 2nd floor the dependent spaces such as the central archive, classrooms and canteens are located. On the 3rd to 7th floor one can find the independent offices such as a broadcasting TV studio. Thanks to the rotating void, a spectacular space is formed that is very suitable for TV programs and therefore also has a recognition value for the TV channel.
The management of the Tehran Stock Exchange is placed on 8th to 10th floors immediately near to the Exchange Hall in the upper storeys. These floors offer a breath-taking view of the city and the surrounding regions. The office floors can be individually extended as open-plan offices or as traditional office cells.
The Exchange Hall is located right at the top on the 11th floor. The brokers sit in a U-shaped, graduated area. This arrangement supports verbal and visual communication. This takes the form of a mechanical lifting platform (retractable seating system) meaning that the Hall can also be level and flexible for other events. A furniture storeroom for the brokers’ desks is positioned immediately next to the Hall.
Visitors can access the Exchange Hall via a separate lift core. They can make inquiries at an Entrance Hall, take a look at the exhibition, visit the Tea House and follow the activities of the brokers from the Gallery above the Hall which hovers at an askew angle above the Exchange Hall and is designed on the basis of the rotating feature void. The brokers, managers have their own lift core with direct access to the Exchange Hall. The bank representatives have their premises immediately near to the Exchange Hall or in the gallery storey. Thanks to the positioning of the Exchange Hall in the upper storey, it also has an effect on the people of the city. It appears open, communicative and inviting – transparent. The observation platform below it, the Sky Garden, emphasizes this impression.
The facade is designed as a double skin, where the inner layer is a curtain wall with triple insulating glazing with sun blinds on the outside. The glass proportion is max. 70% in order to reduce the heat penetration to a minimum. The second layer is another curtain-wall, comprised of perforated metal plate elements. Thanks to the various sizes of perforation holes, from a distance the superimposed figures of a sample Iranian traditional motif are recognizable.
The cleaning of the façade is effected via a 60 cm maintenance catwalk in the interim space between the double layers. This “pixel façade” lends the building a special character. The façade changes when observed from different angles and from a specific distance the image becomes even sharper.
Architects: Hadi Teherani Office + Design Core Location: Tehran, Iran Design Team: Hadi Teherani – Hadi Teherani, Ingo Hartfil, Maryam Farsi, Sven Breuer, Oliver Lösser, Malte Tams, Louisa von le Fort; Design Core – Sam Tehranchi, Maryam Compani, Tahereh Mokhtarpour, Ali Nabi Structural Engineer: Dr. Eng. Henning Kaufmann, Dr. Eng. Matthias Frenz, INGENIEURBÜRO DR. BINNEWIES, Hamburg, Germany Mechanical Engineer: Andreas Schweizer, DS-PLAN (Building Services), Stuttgart, Germany Renderings: Macina, Hamburg, Germany Model: Amin Feyz Client: Tehran Stock Exchange Status: Competition, second prize Area: 30,000 square meters
