Technology coupled with traditional iconography provides a design solution for New York-based REX architectural studio for their new, secret Middle Eastern media tower project. The design features two narrow media towers which incorporates Mashrabiya sunscreens which will protect twin buildings from too much heat.
Mashrabiya has been an old architectural practice used in Arabian building to passively cool-off structures in the desert.
In the Middle East where sunny and hot climate conditions have been a problem, architects have been looking for ways to shield buildings from too much. These solutions include avoiding glass fixtures and installing external sun-shading applications. Recently, Siemens installed fin-like shades in their new Masdar headquarters. In Abu Dhabi, the Al Bahr towers have incorporated a moving sun-shading system, but this move proves to require a great amount of materials as well as energy.
For REX, the solution is to use Mashrabiya screens which are rectractable on two sides.
REX explained in their design brief, “To efficiently accommodate the two media companies’s program within the precedent footprint, offices are stacked over broadcast and news studios, which in turn are stacked over each company’s common facilities.” REX added, “The large studios which could not fit within the thin towers, and for which permanent blackout is desired, are organized below grade.”
The resulting design will see how both sides of the narrow towers will be protected with 47.5 ft diameter sunshades. Once the screen overlaps, they form the Mashrabiya pattern. This, according to REX, has helped them address the undisclosed client’s requirement of combining “buildings with local iconography.”
Aside from its sun-shading capabilities, the screen will also serve as a massive media wall where the media company can broadcast their content in real time. At night, the shades which are embedded with LED lights will turn into a 722x722 foot screen which will be visible even from afar.
REX’s design solution will have a huge environment benefit as it will help minimize the load of airconditioning while the LED light installation will prove to be energy-efficient as well.
The two thin towers will be home to offices, studios, theater and auditorium, amphitheater, canteen, cafe, fine dining restaurant, separate lounge areas for executives and regular employees, health club, majlis and an art gallery. The total area is estimated to be 2,600,000 square foot.
