DMO TOWERS

TYPOLOGY : Office Buildings – Corporate HQ
CLIENT : Halcrow Infrastructure Ltd.
SIZE : 5025sqm
LOCATION : FCT, Nigeria
STATUS : Design Proposal

We started out by creating basic “box-towers” that are cladded with glass curtain walls. However, giving the high temperature in this region, which could sometimes rise as high as 40°C, an enormous amount of energy will be required to effectively cool these massive buildings.

Still retaining the box-tower concept, we introduced winding terraces to wrap around the entire perimeter of the buildings on each of the twenty floors.

The terraces expand slightly as the buildings rise into the Abuja skyline to offer them distinct character. But beyond giving character to the buildings, the terraces are our answer to the question of the sustainability of the scheme. They provide shade for the floor below (preventing direct sunlight from hitting the interior spaces and thereby reducing the amount of energy required for cooling), they can be used as break-out spaces for occupants (where uninterrupted view of the city can be enjoyed), and critically they serve as service ledges from which the buildings can be cleaned & maintained (costs accrued by hiring cranes and scaffolds for façade maintenance are eliminated)