Architecture—23 / 24

G-Town Offices

NEWGIZA, Giza, Egypt/Offices/2019 — 2020/Alchemy Design Studio

Phase 2A of G-Town: brick volumes over glazed showrooms, terraced courts between the buildings and one basement tying four plates to a single parking level.

G-Town Offices — Projecting brick volumes give the offices weight above the more open showroom frontage. — 01Projecting brick volumes give the offices weight above the more open showroom frontage.

Location: NEWGIZA, Giza, Egypt
Year: 2019 — 2020
Sector: Commercial — Offices & Showrooms
Scope: Concept & schematic design
Status: Concept and schematic design completed, 2019–2020

My contribution

My role: Senior Design Architect — design direction under the Design Director, with landscape and wayfinding
Responsibility: Concept & schematic design

Key contributions

Directed the architectural design of the four office buildings under the design director
Developed the stacked brick-over-glazed-showroom section
Set the terraced courts and the pedestrian route between the buildings
Coordinated the shared basement and ground-level parking strategy
Directed landscape and wayfinding alongside the architecture

The project

Phase 2A of the G-Town quarter sits on a sloping edge of the NEWGIZA masterplan. Four office buildings step along it, joined below ground by shared parking platforms and above it by a pedestrian route — the office journey — that threads between them through terraced courts and a sunken circular courtyard.

Each building keeps the same section: a recessed, fully glazed showroom ground floor under four office floors, with brick volumes stacked above and deep vertical fins and dark metal screens shading the offices. The plates differ with the site — paired wings, a compact core, a curved corner, stacked boxes — and the overall ground and basement plans tie all four to one parking level.

G-Town Offices — Four buildings follow the slope while retaining a common relationship between street, podium and office floors. — 02Four buildings follow the slope while retaining a common relationship between street, podium and office floors.

G-Town Offices — Recessed connections break the long office frontage into smaller, recognisable volumes. — 03Recessed connections break the long office frontage into smaller, recognisable volumes.

03Recessed connections break the long office frontage into smaller, recognisable volumes.

G-Town Offices — Vertical screens give the glazed bays depth while maintaining the four-building scheme's shared proportions. — 04Vertical screens give the glazed bays depth while maintaining the four-building scheme's shared proportions.

G-Town Offices — A curved end turns the office frontage towards the pedestrian route. — 05A curved end turns the office frontage towards the pedestrian route.

05A curved end turns the office frontage towards the pedestrian route.

G-Town Offices — The sunken circular court makes a meeting place out of the site's change in level. — 06The sunken circular court makes a meeting place out of the site's change in level.

G-Town Offices — Bridges and planted terraces keep the route between buildings visually connected across levels. — 07Bridges and planted terraces keep the route between buildings visually connected across levels.

07Bridges and planted terraces keep the route between buildings visually connected across levels.

G-Town Offices — The offices sit above a recessed ground floor, allowing the public edge to remain open. — 08The offices sit above a recessed ground floor, allowing the public edge to remain open.

G-Town Offices — Terracing accommodates the slope in small stages, with planting built into the retaining edges. — 09Terracing accommodates the slope in small stages, with planting built into the retaining edges.

09Terracing accommodates the slope in small stages, with planting built into the retaining edges.

G-Town Offices — The space between office blocks becomes a sequence of crossings, landings and sheltered courts. — 10The space between office blocks becomes a sequence of crossings, landings and sheltered courts.

G-Town Offices — A raised planted court separates movement routes without cutting off views between the buildings. — 11A raised planted court separates movement routes without cutting off views between the buildings.

11A raised planted court separates movement routes without cutting off views between the buildings.

G-Town Offices — A deep canopy marks the threshold where the public route enters an office building. — 12A deep canopy marks the threshold where the public route enters an office building.

“Brick above, glass below, one street between.”

G-Town Offices — Trees and seating give the office journey places to pause between destinations. — 13Trees and seating give the office journey places to pause between destinations.

13Trees and seating give the office journey places to pause between destinations.

G-Town Offices — Variations in screen depth bring detail to the long elevation without changing its overall rhythm. — 14Variations in screen depth bring detail to the long elevation without changing its overall rhythm.

G-Town Offices — The glazed entrance establishes a clear address within the repeated façade bays. — 15The glazed entrance establishes a clear address within the repeated façade bays.

15The glazed entrance establishes a clear address within the repeated façade bays.

G-Town Offices — A recessed central connection joins the office wings while leaving their individual volumes legible. — 16A recessed central connection joins the office wings while leaving their individual volumes legible.

G-Town Offices — The shared section adapts to the slope, keeping all four buildings part of one street composition. — 17The shared section adapts to the slope, keeping all four buildings part of one street composition.

17The shared section adapts to the slope, keeping all four buildings part of one street composition.

The buildings

Each building keeps the same section — a glazed showroom ground floor under four office floors — but takes its own plate from the site: paired wings, a compact core, a curved corner, and stacked brick boxes.

Building 001
G + 4 · 4,086 m² BUA
Two office wings either side of a shared lobby; showrooms at street level.
Building 002
G + 4 · 4,688 m² BUA
A compact plate with a single core; showroom and offices at ground.
Building 003
G + 4 · 7,127 m² BUA
The curved corner building — the largest plate, open to below at the entrance.
Building 004
G + 4 · 4,930 m² BUA
Stacked brick volumes over a recessed glazed ground floor.

Process

Where the offices sit: the phased NEWGIZA masterplan, the four buildings on their site, and the overall ground and basement plans that tie them to one parking level.

DWG 01Development plan — Phase 2A places the offices within NEWGIZA's wider sequence of neighbourhoods.
DWG 02Site model — four buildings follow the slope, joined by a continuous pedestrian landscape.
DWG 03Ground floor — the spaces between buildings become courts and shared routes.
DWG 04Basement — connected parking platforms support the separate buildings above.

Colophon

Location: NEWGIZA, Giza, Egypt
Year: 2019 — 2020
Sector: Commercial — Offices & Showrooms
Typology: Offices
Scope: Concept & schematic design
Status: Concept and schematic design completed, 2019–2020
Role: Senior Design Architect — design direction under the Design Director, with landscape and wayfinding
Client: G Developments
Built-up Area: ≈ 20,800 m² above ground
Programme: 4 office buildings, G + 4, over shared basement parking
Software: Revit, AutoCAD, Adobe CC

My contribution

Key contributions

The project

The buildings

Building 001

Building 002

Building 003

Building 004

Process

Colophon