ASAR Consulting Engineers shared with us their winning proposal in the competition to design the JAY mixed-use complex in Tehran, Iran. With the aim of a long-term plan to create a vibrant urban complex in a 54 hectare area site, their proposed response to these challenges begins with a public garden which improves the existing green spaces and plays a role as an urban structure to integrate the 4 different zones of the project. The program includes about 173 hectares of commercial, recreational and administrative activities. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The competition organizer, University of Tehran Architecture and Civil House (UTACH), announced the two-stage competition of Jay mixed-use complex design in April 2012. The first stage of competition announced publicly to call the architecture groups which are qualified for this program. UTACH finally elected 15 companies among 85 registered groups to attend the next stage. In the second stage, the groups were required to offer their proposals in three different scales included a master plan of the whole site, an urban design of one zone and an architectural design of a particular building.
The main challenges of this project were: 1. Preserving and improving the internal existing green spaces. 2. Making spatial connections between the inner spaces of the site and the city. 3. Creating a flexible urban structure to integrate the elements of the project. 4. Preventing intersection of footpaths and roadways to have the most area of free surface for pedestrians. 5. Obtaining a flexible plan which can be implemented in case of changing the requirements and feasabilities in different phases in future.
The character of the green space changes in different parts. In the middle part of the site it is based on the capability of existing old trees and is used as a regional public park. By permeation of green space to each zone a surrounded plaza in connection with buildings will shaped. To have a continuous urban space between the city and the project, a north-south oriented network of pedestrian accesses which were inspired by local streets is designed. These paths are connected to each other by a main west-east oriented pedestrian path in the middle part of the public garden. Two main underground roads supply the car access to each zone and its buildings. The surface of the public park continues with gentle slopes to the surface of the underground roads to make legible spaces for drivers.
The design strategies of buildings trigger continual spaces between the public garden and internal spaces of the buildings, and connect the public garden to the surrounding residential fabric. The buildings which are located in the middle part of the site are shaped with sloped roofs toward the garden to keep the continuity of public green spaces and views. Other buildings which are away from the middle part of the site and surround the courtyard of each zone have free ground floors. These ground floors allow the green and open space to continue among the buildings. Besides, the upper floors are connected to the ground floor by some green voids in the place of existed old trees.
Design: ASAR Consulting Engineers Location: Tehran, Iran Project Manager: Ahmad Abrishami Design Team: Shervin Abrishami, Farhad Khandan, Amin Monsefi, Ali Andaji Garmaroodi, Reza Rudneshin, Samad Shahidi, Samira Barati, Asal Rasouli Area: 1,735,000 square meters Status: Competition – first prize
