A new type of office building is adapted to climate and culture. The building is developed as a site specific, energy efficient, flexible 20-storey office tower.
The headquarters is a key element of the masterplan for the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), the Saudi Arabian national science agency and its national laboratories.
A group of stacked atria provides light deep into the structure and supports communication via views both horizontally and vertically, while the core becomes a shading device facing east and west.
Together with the Fraunhofer Institute, LAVA used a voxel program distribution for the design and arrangement of the office spaces. Flexibility is defined as providing many specific qualities at each floor in different areas. The density of the work force can be adjusted by rearranging modular office elements.
This integrated view of building mass, energy consumption and user interaction has created a forward looking high-rise design that is both cohesive and highly sustainable.
LAVA’s design demonstrates that the right environment not only encourages productivity and efficiency, but also promotes creativity and ideas.
See the KASCT masterplan here
The project won an award at the 2016 International Architecture Awards.
