KFAS Headquarters
An oasis by the bay
Project description
Identity is not defined by an instance it is forged through time; it is not a monument but rather a space. Going back to the Arabian vernacular, the courtyard was used not only as a microclimate modifier but also as a hidden oasis that brings society together and shelters it from harsh external factors. The KFAS headquarters building was conceived as two pure cubic volumes that house offices which appear to float above horizontal slabs, the ground and middle floors volumes are deliberately pixelated to contrast the purity of the offices and recessed to create terraces that are complementary to the public functions housed within them.
The atrium is imagined as a void carved into the heart of the structure creating a generous and connected ecosystem conducive to creativity, interaction and collaboration. In doing so the structure challenges the conventional typology of headquarter buildings by turning vertical segregation into horizontal connectivity and restores the premise of community as a core value in the modern workplace. The structural system aligns with the concept of the building as it consists of large steel trusses spanning across the atrium holding up the upper volume via tension rods so as to allow it to cantilever above the lower part. The atrium thus engages the building not only conceptually and functionally but also structurally to create parallel synergies which overlap to showcase the agency of architecture in optimizing human interaction.
