Arado
(Arab Administrative Development Organization)
​1998 - Cairo, Egypt | ​Completed

Wind movement and direction were taken into consideration while designing the building. In fact, the mass was influenced by the wind direction; the mass is divided into two vertical components with a linear space among them parallel to the wind direction to maximize the natural air/ ventilation/ circulation. The cut through the mass is deep enough to provide natural ventilation and natural lighting to the lower floors as well. A big central core was created in the building, as an atrium. The building regulations of the site played a primary role in the design process. The regulations stated that the built-up area of the ground floor plan is 50% of the total area of the plot where prof. Abdelhalim took the advantage of this and created the atrium. Creating a welcoming core in the center of the building, plays as the heart of the project, to provide ventilation and natural lighting instead of the dark narrow light wells and serves as a communal and gathering node between the building components on the lower floors. The core played the role of a central square in a neighborhood where the functions and activities are clustered around it.The project was designed in the late 90s when technology was taking a new level in the 21st century. Therefore, the floor plan of the building side that is facing the street was designed as a flexible floor plan, which means the user can freely design the space in terms of the walls themselves.Since the project was designed for the “Arab Administrative Development Organization”. The design obtained elements from Arabic traditional architecture and was reintroduced in a contemporary way. The central core is covered by a glass ceiling that resembles “Shukhsheikha”. The façade was a perforated precast reinforced concrete screen and considered as an equivalent of “Mashrabiya”.