PMDC Headquarters

Situated on Jeddah’s Main Avenue, the PMDC Headquarters responds to the paradox of the desire to express the transparency of the Company and the need for protection from Saudi Arabia’s climate. To find an elegant solution, we created a shading skin made from 1x2m scales, wrapping the building with an orientation defined by a parametric program coded in grasshopper. Every scale reacts to the sun’s movement, the need for views in the room or the need for natural light from the higher half of the window.

To enhance composition of the two components, one volume is dressed in a continuous skin that homogenises its geometry. Because the client’s desire for transparency contradicted the need to protect interiors from the intense sun, the skin had to fluctuate between opacity and transparency, depending on the program happening behind each section, to encompass both solar shading, the provision of views and natural lighting. A parametric tool programmed for the occasion allowed us to quickly run multiple iterations, providing insight on potential solutions. The scales (1x2m tiles) are rotated along their diagonal to face the sun, creating transparency and also shading. 

The software evaluates the success of a solution based on several parameters. The need of each room for views, natural light and solar protection was included in the equation. The resulting composition is derived directly from those needs. The skin completely changes its degree of transparency depending on the angle at which it is viewed.

PMDC Headquarters

PMDC Headquarters

PMDC Headquarters

PMDC Headquarters

PMDC Headquarters

PMDC Headquarters

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