Commercial and office Tehran. No. 1
Facade Design for a Commercial-Administrative Building in Sohrevardi, Tehran
Facade design by Fatemehsadat Mehdizadehdiva
Overall project by Avrin Design Group (led by M.Amin Sadeghiyeh)
Modeled in SketchUp
This commercial-administrative building has six office levels above three commercial floors, with a private garden terrace connecting the first office floor to the podium roof.
The main idea behind the facade design was to create an urban facade that appeals both to the general public and to those with a professional understanding of architecture. The client requested a solution that would maximize natural light for the interior spaces, which led to a design strategy that retained as many window openings as possible. In order to meet the client’s requirements, we initially selected GFRS (Glass Fiber Reinforced Stone) panels as the primary facade material. These panels are porous, allowing filtered natural light to enter the interior spaces.
The pattern of the panels was inspired by the surrounding urban fabric, which is irregular. This unpredictability became a key design reference, translated into a dynamic and non-repetitive arrangement on the façade.
Unfortunately, our idea to use GFRC panels did not meet the client’s needs.
“This facade is too different from the surrounding buildings — in this case, the municipality will not approve it,” the client said. But the overall shape of the facade was acceptable, so we changed the materials to light-colored travertine, which is more common in Tehran’s buildings.
The black elements used in the facade were black stainless steel.
Even though we had to adjust the final design to meet local rules, the main concept stayed the same — creating a balanced facade with enough light that still connects to both the context and contemporary design ideas.
