The Rialto Entertainment and Commercial building by HBH Architects presents a modern form, representing a new era to the community. The building is composed of, of banks, exhibition, retail district, food court and cinemas. The building’s location was of great focus point.
With its different functions and its importance of a role to the community, it was decided that the form would be of contrast with the back cloth of the buildings. Having the banks in an underground floor, where one can view half of the floor from the outside; achieved an extra retail floor, the use of the ground floor to the public and made the exterior façade not dull at night since the banking systems close early during the day.
The skin of the building is composed of a zinc rain screen cladding system and underlined by an aluminum sheet as a supporter. While the openings in the form were generated from the divestiture of the historical ornaments related to the historical site, fabricating a pattern that was added to the skylight structure and also affected the interior light and shadows in the building. The structure is composed of concrete column grid covered by fire- fighting materials and flat slabs
Approach
Engraving a part from the whole figure; resulted in the creation of several focus points to the structure. Where the user would interpret a different part of the building as the distance differs. In addition to the curvature in the form and plan which made the accessibility of direction more vivid.
Circulation
Two routes were drawn from the main axis, creating a loop to the former line. The routes go along the retail area, food court and cinema.
Ibrahim Abdelhady is an architect, academic, and media entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in architecture and digital publishing. He is the Founder and CEO of Arch2O.com, a leading platform in architectural media, renowned for showcasing innovative projects, student work, and critical discourse in design. Holding dual PhDs in Architecture, Dr. Abdelhady combines academic rigor with industry insight, shaping both future architects and architectural thought. He actively teaches, conducts research, and contributes to the global architecture community through his writing, lectures, and media ventures. His work bridges the gap between practice and academia, pushing the boundaries of how architecture is communicated in the digital age.