a tower proposal for libya’s tripoli | feature stories The scope Architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering and construction management The tower was conceived as a trendsetting presence in a prime beachfront location by Dar’s architects, who envisioned a new style of coastal urban architecture for a city that is finding its rhythm. The tower design reinvents its surrounding by drawing strong connections to place, mediating between life in the city and proximity to the seashore. The building sits on a 12,093-m2 plot with an East-West orientation axis tilted 5° southward to take in full views and ends in cross-sails encircling a sparkling dome and elongating its distinctive curve. Attention to detail is remarkable from the openness of the commercial podium at its base, to the dual-purpose skin design channeling natural light inside the office tower’s open-plate plan all the while shielding its occupants from the piercing Mediterranean sunrays. The façades, each relating to the side it is facing, offer 180° panoramic views of the city or the coastline. The crowning glazed dome glistening under the sun, or sparkling in the night, recalls the reappearing light of sailing ships rocked by a gentle sea wave. The elements • The 4-level basement parking and technical installation: 48,384 m2 • The 2-level commercial podium: 6,726 m2 • The 48-story tower of 160,000 m2 total built-up area • The 6-level back parking and technical installation: 20,973 m2 • The roof-crowning dome 29