(2002) EPICO Residential Tower

This 9144 sqm mixed-use residential competition entry is designed to accommodate two 3 and 4 bedroom apartments per floor as well as commercial spaces on the basement, ground and mezzanine levels.

Located on a prominent plot along Khalifa Street, the building also faces a large public park with clear unobstructed views.

The planning considerations were geared at affording residents optimal orientations towards the park as well as maximize the visual exposure of the commercial functions towards the streetscape.

The building envelope seeks to express a dynamic and sophisticated architectural language.

A central problem for most UAE medium to high-rise constructions is the effective operation of maintenance and environmental control systems and their optimal location on building rooftops. Avoiding the monotonous and straightforward approach of “truncating” the structure at these levels, the current proposal seeks to incorporate all mechanical requirements within the architectural design.

Rather than dissimulate the cooling towers completely, the curtain wall’s gradual dematerialization seeks to integrate this mechanical feature by exposing it in part. The telescopic cleaning cradle will animate the building’s uppermost levels and endow the project with an interesting high-tech overtone