The competition for the Benetton Centre in Teheran, spring 2009 Benetton stands for modernity and originality, and the new centre in Tehran was to express these qualities. The site is located at the crossing of Vali Asr Avenue and Salmak street, near the Tajrish Square. The programme consisted of two shop-levels, starting from the ground floor, followed by five office floors and a roof storey with apartments. The site offered unique possibilities for these different functions. With its sharp corner, it requires not only an “infill” along the avenue, but also opens onto the side street. This dualism is shown in the design : the building alternates, as it were, in between. The main elevation towards the Avenue is , starting from the first office floor, diagonally split : the vertical part, with the horizontal lamellas for sun protection, is in line with the Avenue, while the slanting corner facade bends towards the other side. In this way, the building expresses itself in a unique way and contributes to the shape of the city, as only this unique site makes possible.
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