flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Bjarke Ingels' BIG proposes canopied, vertical village for Middle East media company

Office Buildings

Bjarke Ingels' BIG proposes canopied, vertical village for Middle East media company

The tensile canopy shades a relaxation plaza from the desert sun.


By BD+C Staff | February 3, 2015
BIG proposes canopied, vertical village for Middle East media company

Two towers are connected by a giant tensile canopy that slopes down, mimicking the tents traditionally used by cultures of the region. Renderings courtesy BIG.

A Middle Eastern media company—whose identity remains unreleased—held a competition for its new headquarters. Bjarke Ingels’ firm BIG has released designs of their submission, which designboom describes as a building that “will provide a framework for international broadcasting that simultaneously seeks to remain grounded within the region’s culture.”

The 650,000-sm complex is formed by two rectangular towers with cubes protruding from the structures on various levels, making up a “vertical village” of newsrooms, broadcast studios, and amenities for the company’s employees such as dining facilities, a gym, bank, and auditorium. 

The two towers are connected by a giant tensile canopy that slopes down, mimicking the tents traditionally used by cultures of the region, such as the Berbers or the Bedouins. Underneath this canopy is a shared plaza for informal interactions. For workers higher up in the building, the main towers’ protruding cubes create rooftop terraces for relaxation.

Designboom has more on the story.

 

Related Stories

Mixed-Use | Sep 28, 2021

BIG designs new Farfetch HQ on the slopes of Leça River in Porto

The project is situated within the larger Fuse Valley site.

Office Buildings | Sep 26, 2021

Not your father’s office: Workplaces showcase their panache

Three recent projects take very different design routes.

Market Data | Sep 1, 2021

Bradley Corp. survey finds office workers taking coronavirus precautions

Due to the rise in new strains of the virus, 70% of office workers have implemented a more rigorous handwashing regimen versus 59% of the general population.

Laboratories | Aug 31, 2021

Pandemic puts science and technology facilities at center stage

Expanding demand for labs and life science space is spurring new construction and improvements in existing buildings.

Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021

2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.

The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.

Laboratories | Aug 30, 2021

Science in the sky: Designing high-rise research labs

Recognizing the inherent socioeconomic and environmental benefits of high-density design, research corporations have boldly embraced high-rise research labs. 

Giants 400 | Aug 27, 2021

2021 Office Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. office building sector

Gensler, Jacobs, Turner Construction, and STO Building Group head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest office building sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.a

Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021

White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners

A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.

Office Buildings | Aug 4, 2021

‘Lighthouse’ office tower will be new headquarters for A2A in Milan

The tower, dubbed Torre Faro, reimagines the company’s office spaces to adapt to people’s ever-changing needs at work.

Office Buildings | Aug 3, 2021

‘Lighthouse’ office tower will be new Headquarters for A2A in Milan

Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel designed the project.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Sustainable Design and Construction

Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure

Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.


MFPRO+ News

San Francisco unveils guidelines to streamline office-to-residential conversions

The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection announced a series of new building code guidelines clarifying adaptive reuse code provisions and exceptions for converting office-to-residential buildings. Developed in response to the Commercial to Residential Adaptive Reuse program established in July 2023, the guidelines aim to increase the viability of converting underutilized office buildings into housing by reducing regulatory barriers in specific zoning districts downtown. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021