Info

Year: Competition 2007
Plot Area: 3939.6 m2

project summary

The design concept is to create a building reflecting the new era of Africa without ignoring the deep past of Africa with its spirit, mysteries, and roots, it comes with benefits from the past to be a base for a new era, the deep mysteries triangular park with the lake symbolizes the past era & the created building with golden color symbolizes the new era of Africa.

Concept:

The design concept is to create a building reflecting the new era of Africa without ignoring the deep past of Africa with its spirit, mysteries  and roots, it comes with benefits from the past to be a base for a new era, the deep mysteries triangular park with the lake symbolizes the past era & the created building with golden color symbolizes the new era of Africa.

Location of the building on designated site:

The suggested building lay on the center of the site for the following reasons:
– It gives reasonable spaces and landscape around the building.
– It makes the building much more secure.
– It Adds deepness and privacy to building.

Structure:
Proposed structural system is steel structure for columns, chamber and outside skin.
Columns arrangement should be fixed at locations which give more flexibility to the architectural design and leads to a rigid, stable and economical structural design.
Arrangement of exterior columns is fixed at such location to avoid any influence of outer exposure and facade requirements.
Structural system for slabs will be either hollow core (post – tensioned ) slab system and /or “cast in site” flat slab system according to columns final arrangement, these slab systems give not only the flexibility for architectural design but also minimizes the contradiction with utilities.

Materials:
Facades: Titanium sheets with golden color are used in cladding the main skin facades and also polycarbonate sheets “30% transparency” with the same color.
Deep mysteries Triangle Park with lake: its organic nature with industrial lake under the building makes the building seems like it is floating, this triangle is 5m under zero level and the walls are covered with mirrors to give infinite extension for the park and the lake.
Shades: steel is used in columns and main framework and it is covered with fabric tents which are near to the African spirit.

Lighting Of The Building:
Day time:
-“The Triangular Park” is deep and dark due to the wild environment created by heavy planting and shades giving us a mysterious feeling of the hidden African secrets which lies under the building. The building makes advantages of the natural light by three means:
– The open courts.
– The part of the building under the shades.
– The Polycarbonate sheets “30% transparency” can be used as lighting strips on the surface of the building.

At Night: Lighting system is used to light “The Triangular Park” it makes the building look like a floating one, giving us a feeling of shine and glow which insure the brightness of the new era & giving hope to everyone who passes by.

Spatial, formal& functional features of design & External character of building:

The building symbolizes the coming age of African continent. The spaces are formed from organic lines inspired from the richness of African nature and giving the feeling of hope in the coming era which help in uplifting the spirits of the parliamentarians. The building form reflects the aspiration of the continent insuring the power of unity.

Further extension:
There is a further extension planned for the parliamentarians’ chamber to seat 500 parliamentarians