Project 05
Middle East Plant Research Center
A doubly curved steel and glass roof over the research centre — two intersecting domes over a single plan.
- Main contractor
- Paya Takht Jamshid
- Architect
- CORTEX Façade Group
- Systems
- Free-form skylight
- Location
- Velenjak, Tehran
Engineering
What a curved roof demands
A doubly curved roof asks four questions before it asks anything else. Answering them early is the difference between a structure that goes up in sequence and one that is redesigned on site.
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Geometry
Every component is unique. Precision comes out of the model, not off the workshop floor.
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Thermal movement
Joints must absorb expansion, or the glass will find the stress on its own.
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Water
Complex surfaces drain in more than one direction. Sealing is designed, not applied.
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Erection
Long spans need a temporary support strategy fixed before the first piece arrives.
What it returns
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Identity
The roof becomes the building's signature rather than a service above the ceiling.
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Daylight
Maximised penetration cuts the artificial lighting load through the working day.
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Fit
Geometry answers the plan beneath it instead of imposing a grid on it.
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Efficiency
Solar control and thermal performance designed in from the first surface iteration.