Client:                                         Tehran Municipality

Function:                                    Permanent Book Exhibition

Gross Floor Area:                     60,000 sqm building + 75,000 sqm landscape

Realization:                                2009-2015

Building:

Tehran Book Garden is one of Tehran Municipality's set of ambitious projects to boost cultural infrastructure of the Iranian capital.

The aim is to create a center for books and publication of all sorts with both national and international range. It will accommodate 16 permanent book exhibition areas categorized by genre, as well as book stores, galleries, lounges, amphitheaters, cafes and restaurants, and a large, overall roof garden all supported by an elaborate administrative part and service utilities.

It is a super large structure covering 60,000 square meters of building in its 500-meter long, two-storey bulk which could somehow be categorized as a 'ground scraper'.

The architectural concept has been to unify the building with its surrounding landscape creating a 'garden' having an environmental attitude toward design in mind while paying attribute to the title of the building.

The spatial organization is in the form of modular blocks with repetitive structural spans to give the building a unity in form and function while helping to quicken the construction pace. Each modular block has two stories in the form of open space which accommodate book exhibition areas with upper level overlooking the lower.

The building has a North-South alignment with modular blocks looking towards west and into the adjacent vast landscape through a full-height, overall inclining glass façade. To the east are artificial mounds making access to the roof garden while at the same time burying the administrative offices and service utilities of the building inside them.

Landscape:

It is aimed for the exhibition spaces to continue into the landscape in good weather conditions. Therefore, vast platforms of open space have been created in the landscape design adjacent to the building to play as the key elements of landscape and as a continuation of the building modules.

These platforms are connected together via pedestrian ways that continue throughout the site where two water features surround the building at its two ends. They also take the shape of stepped walkways combined with flower boxes or tree beds according to the topography.

Several ancillary buildings such as café, restaurant, green-house, etc. are scattered throughout the site.

To the east exist lawn-clad artificial mounds that lead to the overall roof garden.

My responsibilities:

• Supervising a team of ten people with the main responsibilities such as coordinating all engineering disciplines engaged in the project (around 24 could be mentioned); review, modify and creation of new or complementary Detailed Design and Construction Documents for many different contractors involved in the project
• Coordinator of international teams involved in the project
• Project communication manager
• Ensuring prevention of construction conflicts with the architectural design through checking shop drawings or creating guiding construction details.
• Contract Manager
• Selecting proper finishing materials both for the façade and interior design