REX clads media headquarters with retractable sunshades

REX clads media headquarters with retractable sunshades
image by luxigon
all images by / courtesy of REX unless otherwise stated

new york-based architecture office REX has developed the conjoined headquarters of two middle eastern media companies. the brief from the sister organizations calles for two elegant structures that pay homage to traditional emirati architecture, while satisfying their programmatic demands. starting with a long slender precedent – approximately 100 m x 22 m (328 ft x 72 ft) – the design team seeks to simultaneously accommodate offices alongside smaller broadcasting and news studios.

as the sun tracks across the sky, the entirety of the building’s western façades transform
image by luxigon

in order to house the complete program within the narrow footprint, volumes are stacked vertically with the large studios, which are unable to fit within the thin towers, positioned below ground. providing external views and generous amounts of daylight, common areas of the design are contained within the lower region of the structures where an exposed ‘X-ray’ effect reveals their internal functions.

the towers’ elevations can ‘blossom’ in less than a minute
image by luxigon

shielding the building from the region’s hot sun, the building’s elevations are clad in large retractable sunshades. their geometry references a traditional arab mashrabiya pattern, infusing the project with references to local craft. during the evenings the shades are withdrawn, revealing simple, stone-clad towers with floor-to-ceiling glazed windows. as the sun tracks across the sky, the entirety of the building’s western façades transforms, while the eastern elevations simultaneously retract within 60 seconds. powerful LEDs integrated within the sunshades create an enormous 220 m x 220 m (722 ft x 722 ft) media wall, broadcasting the companies’ content in real-time.

common areas of the design are contained within the lower region of the structures
image by luxigon

the large studios unable to fit within the thin towers are positioned below ground
image by luxigon

typical office space with sunshades in operation

during the evenings the shades are withdrawn

in order to house the complete program, volumes are stacked vertically

the shielding screens measure 14.5 meters in diameter

beneath the canopies, simple, stone-clad towers with floor-to-ceiling glazed windows are revealed

powerful LEDs integrated within the sunshades create an enormous media wall

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project info:

client: confidential
program: headquarters buildings for sister media companies, including offices, studios, and common facilities (agora, amphitheater, auditorium, café, canteen, employee lounge, executive lounge, fine dining, gallery, health club, majlis, and theater)
area: 240,200 sqm (2,600,000 sqf)
construction budget: confidential
status: invited competition, 2013
design architect: REX
key personnel: alberto cumerlato, tomas janka, gabriel jewell-vitale, roberto otero, joshua prince-ramus, aude soffer, alex tehranian, cristina webb
consultants: barker mohandas, front, magnuson klemencic, !melk, structure, transsolar