architects of invention: lazika municipality office building

‘lazika municipality’ by architects of invention, tbilisi, georgiaimage © architects of inventionall images courtesy of architects of invention

along the black sea coast in the developing city of lazika lies the newly built municipality building designed by UK and georgia-based practice architects of invention, who have shared with us previously unpublished images. as the newly elected government decides the future of lazika, the integrated steel frame structure provides an iconic start for the potential growth of its surroundings. rather than the traditional organization of spaces into stacked floors, the architects returned to the historical structure of the region where buildings were built on stilts, and realized the public service hall, wedding hall and municipal offices as three separate sculptural masses existing within the tall angular steel pillars. each supported volume contains a unique space and characteristic and share a special relationship to each other through the voids between them. a central core of reflective red glass reveals the elevator and stairwell that connects each component.

the lowest transparent glass box contains the public service hall, easily accessible to the public as it will have a more frequent use, followed by the semi-transparent wedding hall with a rounded back wall and access to an exterior terrace, and finally topped by a translucent square with a central void that allows light and views to the offices and from the lower levels. this top volume is clad in perforated steel panels that filter out 50% of the direct light.

entrance roadimage © architects of invention