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Situational solution
The building was built on 97, "St. Petersburg" blvd., on the opposite side of park "Lauta", and it is close to the Technical University’s campus 2. The plot has an area of 4112 sq. meters, and it was purchased at an auction held by Plovdiv Municipality. Next to the office building there is a direct road and pedestrian access from the already existing road structure in “Gladno pole" neighborhood. Parking is designed entirely on the underground level with 120 lots. The main entrance for visitors is located in the southern part of the building. The free space around the building is planned for the development of lush landscaping and places for recreation.
Functional zoning
The building consists of 3 volumes - two tall bodies with nine ground levels and a lower body with three ground levels. Its total height is 30 meters. In each body, there is a separate staircase, which acts as a vertical communication core. In the two tall bodies, there are two speed elevators, which are compliant for use by people with disabilities.
The underground parking is designed on elevation -3.05. It is connected to the office floors and provides an exit to the adjacent streets through a two-way road and two covered ramps.
There is a separate large lounge with an open planning on elevation ± 0,00 (built-up area of 2343.50 sq. meters and height +4.50 m.), which connects the main entrance for visitors and other functional areas of the level: a restaurant for employees of the building with 147 places; sports and fitness center, two conference halls with 100 places, and an amphitheater for 50 people.
In the lobby, there are separate areas for people to sit and rest, a registration, and for the organization of temporary and permanent exhibitions.
Also in the lobby a spiral staircase is designed, giving access to the upper levels of the lower body, and providing direct access to the communication cores of the two highest bodies of the building, which are identical in distribution, but arranged in mirror way from one another.
The floor height of the office spaces is 3.50 m, and their light height is 3 meters, which meets the requirements for first class offices with adequate natural light.
In terms of height, the office levels fold by area ranging from 1700 sq. meters to 1000 square meters
The designed office spaces are with an open planning, and are located radially to the communication cores of each of the three bodies. The total number of work places in the building reaches 800. At each level, there are more spaces provided for network equipment, technical rooms, small seminar rooms, recreation rooms, and manager offices. On some of the floors, there are outdoor terraces designed.
The staircase of the lower body of the building provides an exit to a roof terrace, and for this purpose there is a room with a dome, from which natural light enters down through the mirror (eye) of the spiral staircase.
On the top floor (elevation +29.00 there is а residential area for guests of the company from abroad with panoramic view to the south, the Rhodope mountains, and to the north, the center of the city. There are five small residential studios, a large spacious apartment, a conference room, a coffee bar and a large outdoor terrace.
Facade Outlook
The Round cylindrical shapes of the building are in line with the high-tech nature of the investor company’s activity. A structurally glazed curtain wall with metal profiles is provided for the layout of the facades. In terms of choosing insulating glass windows, there are two main parameters we focused on - energy efficiency and sound insulation, according to the project architect.
The liner of the board is made of galvanized steel with polyester coating in color. The railings of the spiral staircase of the three-story body are formed as part of the curtain wall, and for that purpose a metal handle profile on the inside will be mounted. The building is fully insulated from the outside in accordance with the latest requirements for thermal technical efficiency.
Interior Design
High quality and durable materials will be used for the interior of the building: granitogres floor tiles in the common areas, double installation flooring in the offices, suspended ceilings of mineral surfaces with clean and contemporary detail.
Climate Comfort
Heating, cooling and ventilation of the office building will be maintained by the latest generation VRV systems (heat pumps and coils), with possibility for different regimes in the different areas and remote management and control. Underground parking is ventilated naturally through vents.
Lighting
An efficient lighting is provided in the common areas and working offices. A spectacular decorative night lighting is designed for the facade and the surrounding outdoor spaces. The lighting control will be centralized through the "building management" (BMS). It is envisaged that the entire building is with controlled access.
In our initial conversations with the investor, we had a discussion about designing a very tall building - about 50-meter tall. But we restrained ourselves from making that decision for several reasons. On the one hand, fire regulations are very strict for buildings over 28 meters. On the other hand, office buildings with Class A+ have requirements in terms of floor height - min. 3.50 m, while our ground floor is 4.50 m. The last slab is at around 30 meters. Taking into account the legal requirements and the features of the property and the location, we came to a decision for a 30-meter tall building. Designed in that way, the office building provides large-format flexible office spaces, secured by an excellent IT infrastructure and communications that meet the international standards in the IT outsourcing sector.
We are proud of our mutual work with the investor, and that we managed to achieve an unprecedented architectural design among such buildings in the country. The biggest challenge was to combine rounded volumes on an orthogonal structure for parking. So far, world practice shows that the cylindrical buildings are outside of the function of underground parking. In our project, we successfully integrated them in terms of architectural, structural, and communicational point of view. I believe that this has been done for the very first time in our country. The construction project combines Bulgarian standards and some of the Eurocodes and Japanese standards to achieve a high level of building security.
In terms of its internal and external appearance, the building meets its hi-tech function. The "skin" of the building is energy-efficient, in addition to its high-end technology design. It is designed with glass curtain walls structure with low-e glasses. Its good perception at night is also ensured, thanks to the decorative lighting, which contributes to the hi-tech look of the building.
The selected dynamic composition with round cylindrical forms is the signature of SIBIZ, which develops high-end systems (chips and microprocessors).
Besides the comfortable working environment, modern office buildings should offer opportunities for recreation and sports after working hours. On the ground floor, we have planned fitness center and halls for Yoga, Pilates, etc.
The construction density of the property is 56.9%. The rest of the property includes alleys and green areas, and in some places, it is particularly intended for high vegetation. Since the underground parking occupies almost the entire estate, the urban development and landscaping are situated on the concrete slab.
