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climate problems. The form and layouts of the office block are the outcome of
ongoing design work based on the functional requirements of the principal
and the formal, structural and energy requirements specified by the multidisciplinary design group.
Thanks to its irregular form, reflecting in part the orographic features of the
site, the paved surfaces link the street with the upper level of the square,
where we find the main entrance to the offices and commercial area. A pair of
escalators directly join the public space and the two floors of the underground
car park. Even the underground floors are configured considering the
typography to the site and present technical solutions for structural
earthquake resistant.
The building envelope is the key element that demonstrates the integration
between form, structure and environmental strategies. The building, which
is compact in form, contains within it a large hall the function of which is to
provide lighting and to facilitate natural ventilation of the interiors. Variation
of depth of the shafts determines the configuration of three office types: maxi,
midi and mini. A defining element of the building is the movement generated
by the projecting terraces, which gradually recede as they rise, floor by
floor. These section variations enable increased flexibility in configuring the
environments in accordance with the varying requirements of prospective
tenants.
A further defining element consists in the reinforced concrete structure, the
ARCHITECTS: Mario Cucinella Architects
LOCAL ARCHITECTS: Deweger Gruter Brown & Partners
LOCATION: Accra, Ghana
CLIENT: Actis London
SIZE: 17 000m²
TEAM: Mario Cucinella, Luca Bertacchi (Architect in charge
and Site Architect), Hyun Seok Kim, Giuseppe Perrone, Nada
Balestri, Luca Sandri, Giulia Pentella, Alberto Bruno, Yuri
Costantini (model maker)
CONSTRUCTION COMPANY: Micheletti LTD
PHOTOS: Fernando Guerra, www.ultimasreportagens.com
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