Project
Cavaak — The gate of knowledge. Multi-purpose pedestrian bridge and technovation hub

Category 
Best Project of Public Building or Facility

About the project
Cavaak is a multi-functional bridge connecting two sections of the Science and Technology Park in Isfahan, Iran. Inspired by Isfahan’s rich urban heritage we conducted our research on Isfahan’s historical bridges typology. These bridges are exceptional urban infrastructures that play a multi-purpose role in the city. The core concept is a multi-layered system of systems, overlaying transportation route, public space, and governance palace in a hybrid building using the cutting edge construction technology of its time.
Cavaak, the design entry for “The gate of knowledge” competition, employs a minimal surface geometry to create a multi-layered cave. The cave consists of several galleries and shafts which interact with a hyper-reality layer using AR and VR technology. Besides this hybrid flexible exhibition space, various retail and offices are organized in the program to make it a high-tech start-up accelerator and a social hub for presenting technological developments to the public.

Location
Technovation Trade district, Isfahan Industrial University, Isfahan, Iran

Project design year
2021

More project images
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1I6NdAtAuxg_qEglOZfJYDPKGQW-ZGcNb?usp=sharing

Additional information
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUDXd2-jPKT/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUCKb1vIrVx/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CT92hmrIAkd/

Applicant and authors of the project
Arxe Coop / Arxe Architecture Studio.
Arxe Coop is a multi-disciplinary award-winning design firm founded in 2011 in Tehran, Iran. Arxe considers design a creative and collaborative procedure and seeks to integrate the spirit of cooperative work in the design process. Arxe considers architecture inseparable from its environmental and social context and thus defines the mission of architecture as responding to and affecting said context and flourishing its potentials by implementing design thinking and cutting-edge technology.