Sarv Tower (2006; retouched 2014)
Located in Shiraz, Iran, Sarv Tower is a mixed-use high-rise project originally conceived in 2006 and later reimagined in 2014 at the client’s request. The tower serves as a landmark gesture in its urban context, combining commercial, residential, and vertical spatial components into a singular vertical identity.
Design Intent & Narrative
The original 2006 design intended to evoke the persistence and elegance of the sarv (cypress) tree — a traditional symbol in Persian gardens — by creating a slender vertical form rooted in context, yet reaching upward with lightness and aspiration. In its form and façade, the tower aimed to juxtapose organic vertical motifs with modern geometry, embedding a metaphor of continuity between nature and built structure.
When the client requested modifications in 2014, the scheme was retouched to adjust the proportions, refine the façade articulation, and improve environmental and performance parameters (solar shading, material durability, thermal comfort). The retouched scheme expanded on the original metaphor, enhancing vertical rhythms and refining the interplay of shadow, light, and structure as the building interacts with the skyline.
Key Features & Response
Façade & Material Palette: The tower incorporates a juxtaposition of materials — from glass and steel to textured panels and shading devices — that articulate verticality while modulating solar heat gain.
Proportions & Massing Adjustments: The 2014 revision refined the slenderness ratio, adjusted setbacks or offsets to better align windows, balconies, and vertical elements for improved visual coherence and performance.
Environmental & Performance Upgrades: Retouch involved improving passive solar control (louvers, deeper overhangs), optimizing glazing-to-wall ratios, and refining structural systems for better load distribution.
Urban Presence & Context: Sarv Tower was designed to anchor its neighborhood, serving as a vertical accent in the skyline while respecting adjacent building scales, street lines, and views. In the retouched edition, care was taken to reduce glare, integrate screening, and harmonize with surrounding forms.
Significance & Evolution
Sarv Tower stands as a testament to the evolution of a design over time — from its original symbolic gesture in 2006 to a refined, more contextually responsive version in 2014. It exemplifies how architectural ideas can mature: by retaining their poetic core (the sarv metaphor) while adapting to shifting technical, aesthetic, and environmental demands.
2006
Project Name: Sarv Tower
Location: Shiraz Iran
Project Type: High-rise / Mixed-use (residential & commercial)
Design Period: 2006 (original design)
Revision / Retouch: 2014 (client-requested updates)
Status: Concept / Design Development
Site Area: 4500 m²
Gross Floor Area: m²
Building Height: 250 meters
Number of Floors: 55
Structure: Reinforced concrete / composite steel [please confirm]
Façade & Materials: Glass curtain wall, metal panels, solar shading devices, [others to be specified]
Design Lead / Architect: Amin Asali, Dr. Techn.
Firm: Contemporary Design Atelier (CDA)
Client: Saba Group
Design Concept: Inspired by the Persian Sarv (cypress tree) as a symbol of resilience and verticality, blending organic metaphor with high-tech modernist articulation.
Client: Saba Group
Architect / Design Lead: Amin Asali, Dr. Techn.
Firm: Contemporary Design Atelier (CDA)
Design Team / Assistants: M. Jahandideh
Structural Engineer: EMPA
Mechanical / Electrical Engineer: A.P Geramifard
Façade Consultant: TECU GmbH
Sustainability Consultant: H. Madani
Visualization / Graphics: F. Mahboubi, Houman Homayouni, H. Satt
A Assali
