French firm Vincent Callebaut Architectures (VCA) has unveiled a new multi-use complex for Nasr City in Cairo. Designed to obtain LEED Gold Plus standing, the building features a solar roof, green terraces, sky villas, and a vertical system of gardens and solar heating tubes. Composed of 1000 apartment units, the Gate Residence is also designed to include a health club and spa, fitness center, business center, restaurants and cafe, retail, and medical center.
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A central street, dubbed the Boulevard, forms the spine of the building. Apartment units are arranged as U-shaped rectangular buildings branching off the Boulevard. These U-shapes are softened by various facade typologies, depending on function. The housing levels are surfaced by stacked layers of e-low glass and polished white stone, punctuated by suspended garden balconies, while the commercial levels have two different facades.
A central street, dubbed the Boulevard, forms the spine of the building. Apartment units are arranged as U-shaped rectangular buildings branching off the Boulevard. These U-shapes are softened by various facade typologies, depending on function. The housing levels are surfaced by stacked layers of e-low glass and polished white stone, punctuated by suspended garden balconies, while the commercial levels have two different facades.
Along the Promenade, Back Street and Nozha Street, a transparent curtain wall juxtaposed by green walls at main entrances for shopping centers and apartment lobbies. In more private areas, a voronoï screen, inspired by coral reef structure, demarcates the patio areas and the inner street between offices and housing. This screen allows climbing plants to grow along its structure and provide further privacy.