Dubai, UAE
Given the context of Dubai and its harsh sunlight, Office Tower’s concept was to minimize direct sun exposure on the façade during office hours, while maintaining a fully-glazed exterior and a comfortable interior environment. The typical Gulf office tower combats the intense temperatures with high-specification, tinted glass, or a louvred façade. Another common architectural response is a patterned mashrabiya, applied as a sunscreen and intended to filter direct sunlight. However, Office Tower opted for a different approach than these less-efficient alternatives.
After conducting thorough sun path studies, it was determined that a leaning tower could reduce the amount of surface-exposure to the sun. Further, by breaking the leaning tower into three cubic volumes, the project increased its amount of shade, and allowed for a straightforward, vertical core. The resultant architecture maximizes indirect sunlight and limits interior temperature gain, making the project economically efficient, low in energy consumption, and low in cooling costs.
