SOCAR Tower
SOCAR Tower is a skyscraper in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is the 3rd List of [tallest buildings in Azerbaijan|tallest building in Baku and in Azerbaijan]. The skyscraper serves as the headquarters of SOCAR. It is one of Baku's major landmarks, along with the Flame Towers.
Construction began in 2010 and was completed in 2016. It was the tallest building in Baku until it was surpassed by the Port Baku Towers.
Design
Designed by Heerim Architects of South Korea, the building is an example of structural expressionism. The building looks like two towers that curve around each other as they rise, according to skyscraper.com, "the seemingly shorter tower almost looks like it's resting its head on the chest of the taller tower. The taller towers peak slightly, bending over it in a confident, reassuring and comforting manner". The tower is high and has 42 floors, covering an area of and providing of usage area. The headquarters is primarily office space, but also includes conference and sports facilities, a guest house, retail space and food outlets.The design of the building is based on a composite system of steel construction with reinforced concrete walls. The building is designed to withstand wind speeds of 190 km/h and an earthquake measuring nine on the Richter scale.
The building, designed by the South Korean company Heerim Architects & Planners Co. Ltd, based on the concept of "wind and fire", was built by the Turkish company Tekfen Construction and Installation.