Ministry of Taxation Tower
Baku, Azerbaijan
Award of Merit

Owner: Ministry of Taxes of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Lead Design Firm: FXCollaborative
General Contractor: Tekfen Construction & Installation Co. Inc.
Civil and MEP Engineer: Kiklop Design & Engineering, Consultancy
Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
Consultants: Heerim Architects & Planners; Tekfen Engineering; Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc.; Axis Façade Consultancy; Erginoglu & Calislar Architects; BEMS; Atech; Reynaers; Freyysinet; ThyssenKrupp

This 32-story tower adds a new twist to the skyline of Baku. The tower features five stacked cubes that cantilever independently from a central core. Each cube holds five office floors, topped by a column-free green-terrace roof to provide a distinct separation from the cube above. Each floor is rotated 1.2° with respect to the floor below, resulting in a 40° rotation from bottom to top. In addition to its undulating form, the building’s location within the seismic Caspian Sea region pushed it into Seismic Design Category D, with Site Class D soils, thus increasing code requirements on the structural system. The international project team included architects from South Korea, engineers from the U.S. and contractors from France and Turkey. Working in close coordination, the team tackled the elaborate design and complex materials to create a unique building that also meets the city’s rigorous standards for high winds and seismic activity.

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