This is a new, landmark, low-energy office tower in the centre of Zagreb, Croatia. It is developed in collaboration with local architectural firm, Agro Inzenjering, the tower will be part of a new cluster of buildings on Vukovarska Street that will mark Zagreb's new business district. Its floor-to-ceiling height glass facade will achieve spectacular panoramic views of the old town, the meandering Sava River and the mountains. We applied thoughtful approach to context and careful, sustainable designs.
The design respond to the local climate and maximise energy efficiency. At roof level there is an energy farm with five wind turbines and 450sqm of photovoltaic panels that not only generates energy throughout the year but is also a highly visible and distinguishing feature. The fully glazed double-skin façade with integral blinds mitigates glare, and a ceramic patterned fritting to the glazing protects the building from the excesses of solar heat gain. The layout of the building has been designed to meet the specific demands of the Zagreb office market.
Each floor can be divided into six tenancies with over twenty different arrangements. The specification of the office space aims to achieve a working environment with higher standards than are currently applied in the rest of Europe. Croatia's long-standing tradition of lively and active cafés is introduced at street level off a double height entrance hall, where a restaurant bar and café stretch along an entire face of the building. The full length of the glazed wall can be rolled away for tables to spill out in the shade of mature trees.
press:
e-Architect January 2009;
e-Architect January 2009;