kois associated architects: mixed use building, jordan

mixed use building, amman, jordan by kois associated architects all images courtesy kois associated architects

greek firm kois associated architects developed a proposal for a mixed use building; comprised of offices and lofts, located in the centre of jordan’s capital.

the design process begun with the, study of amman’s urban environment, it’s organizational principles and the study of the typology of the structures located in the neighboring area this analysis and the study of  jordanian architecture, informed the volumetric investigation which started with a plain parallelepiped, parallel to the building plot’s shape and attached to the adjoining buildings.

view from the street

the lower edges are consecutively drawn towards the street grid, while the volume is detached from the inner boundaries of the site. the elaboration on the volume’s skin, as the final border with the city and the one that determinately conveys meanings and symbolisms to the contemporary city, is what will form the connection with the specific location.

side view

the pattern that was selected to be processed was  projected onto the primary volume’s faces. the box, the one that will accommodate the building’s functions, is enclosed in this ‘veil, which also defines the extent of the city’s flow into the building, allowing a gradual interplay between indoors and outdoors, differing from floor to floor. the inner border and back planes neighboring the adjacent building plots, are covered with a layer of low plants.

the facade

the main vertical and horizontal circulation to the upper floors (offices, apartments) is situated on the space created by the detached part of the building. in this way the circulation is accomplished outside the main core of the building and allows the visitor to enter the enclosure only through small openings – gradually revealing the interior spaces.

entrance into the residential areas

the layering of the spaces follows the required sequence and reflects the gradual accession of social privacy. the stores, as the most public part of the program, are situated on the ground and first floor levels. the connection between the two floors is established through a single route beginning from the main entrance and resulting at the second floor, symbolizing the incoming of the city into the building. the organization of the commercial units mimics the structure of the traditional bazaar. the architects consider the bazaar as a paradigm structure of the merchandising local practice, which comprises a vibrant hub for social interaction. the core element of the bazaar, the spine of its structure, the main route that fuels the stores, is interpreted here with this very path, with the commercial units being organized around it. 

as far as the offices are concerned, the main goal during the design was to achieve maximum organizational flexibility for the user. considering a single desk as the primary unit, and a library stack as the secondary element that acts as a dividing boundary between two desks, resulting in various configurations. the top level of the building is purely residential and houses two spacious family lofts.

the mixed use building at night

interior

interior

interior

interior

interior

model

first floor plan

ground floor plan

underground plan