In the architectural competition for the new headquarters of the Viettel Group in Da Nang, the design by gmp von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects, was selected, and they were commissioned to execute the project. For the Viettel Group, the leading mobile telephone provider in Vietnam, gmp has designed an office complex consisting of two high-rise blocks.
The site for the project in the Hai Chau district lies between the airport and the historic city center at the intersection of two main transport arteries. The design by gmp provides V-shaped floor plans with central circulation cores for the two high-rise towers. The high-rises are placed offset from each other on the site, thus allowing an unobstructed view from all stories in all directions across the city landscape and the Hàn River. The multistory “sky windows” in the façade are the prominent features of the high-rises’ elevations: the windows extend over several stories and are recessed inwards with large reveals angled at 60 degrees.
The openings in the V-shapes create large, loggia-like recesses in the façades that can be seen from afar; they provide space for planting and are used as communication zones. The plans provide for a highly insulated facade with natural ventilation for a good room climate. The western elevations of the buildings are to have double-skin façades with integrated solar screening that would help prevent overheating of the interior when the sun is low. The ground piles are activated in order to use ground heat as a source of renewable energy.
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