The building was planned in Lagos, Nigeria. The program called for a 9 floor parking lot building, with a total area of 9,000 sqm, next to an existing office building. Planning a parking building based on functionalism and maximal land utilization, is far from the poetic domain.

 

As part of our search for an architectural language, we researched local dwelling tradition, people's clothing and the intensive use of color. Simultaneously we explored how the city deals with architectural planning in the 21st century. In fact, these two worlds (tradition and the desire for progress) represent the daily reality of Africa. Beyond the functional and planning solution, there is an attempt to create a building that connects naturally with the environment and the city of Lagos.

 

We chose color as a design strategy. The horizontal surfaces of the ceilings in the building are colored in orange and blue. Thus, the color becomes an important element to define the interior space, converting simultaneously into a tribute to public space (the street).

 

In David Leatherborrow’s words: "Once the skin of the building became independent of its structure, it could just as well hang like a curtain or clothing"[1].  

The Aluminum façade freely hangs like traditional clothing: sometimes sealed, sometimes completely open and occasionally functions as a "mashrabiya".

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Daniel Azerrad Architects

Team: Daniel Azerrad, Keren Gabso, Naama Aricha

Render: Evolve Media

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[1] David Leatherbarrow, Moshen Mostafavi - Surface Architecture – MIT, 2002