Levon - 55C

Levon 55C — A Flexible Urban Commercial Envelope in DHA Phase 8

Levon 55C is a contemporary commercial building set within the active urban fabric of DHA Phase 8, near Zulfiqar Street and Creek Walk. Positioned on a compact 200 sq yd plot, the project leverages its high-footfall context—surrounded by cafés, retail, and neighborhood amenities—to create a visible, adaptable address for a range of commercial tenants.

Site, Context, and Urban Presence

The building is conceived as a modern urban infill that responds directly to its Karachi context:

• Location: DHA Phase 8, in close proximity to Zulfiqar Street and Creek Walk.
• Surroundings: A mix of cafés, restaurants, and retail that generate consistent day and evening foot traffic.
• Plot Size: 200 sq yd, driving a compact yet efficient footprint.

The design uses this constrained site as an opportunity to create a strong street presence, with active edges at ground level and visual transparency into the building’s interior activities.

Architectural Vision and Program Flexibility

Levon 55C is planned as a series of adaptable shells rather than fixed-use floors. Each level can be tailored to different commercial typologies, allowing the building to evolve with market demands.

Potential Uses Include:

• Restaurants and cafés
• Boutique offices and studios
• Co-working spaces
• Showrooms and experience centers
• Leisure and wellness programs

The architecture emphasizes open, reconfigurable plates that can accommodate single large tenants or be subdivided into smaller units. This flexibility is central to the project’s long-term viability and appeal.

Façade and Daylight Strategy

A north-facing glass façade defines the building’s identity. This orientation is carefully chosen to maximize daylight while minimizing harsh solar gain, particularly important in Karachi’s climate.

Key façade features:

• Full-height glazing on the north side for abundant natural light and visual connection to the street.
• L-shaped depth in the elevation, creating a sense of layered transparency and visual interest.
• Terrace shading: The first-floor terrace projects approximately 8–9 feet, providing shade to the ground-floor façade and contributing to passive environmental control.

The result is a bright, open interior environment that remains comfortable and energy-conscious, while offering strong visibility for retail and F&B tenants.

Structure and Floor Heights

The building employs post-tensioned slabs to achieve column-free rectangular floor plates. This structural strategy is fundamental to the project’s flexibility, enabling tenants to plan layouts without structural obstructions.

Floor-to-floor heights:

• Basement: 12′
• Ground floor: 16′
• Upper floors: 11–12′

These generous heights allow for:

• Potential mezzanine insertions where desired.
• Comfortable integration of services, ducts, and feature lighting.
• A sense of volume and openness, particularly on the ground floor where visibility and presence are critical for F&B and retail.

F&B Readiness and Support Services

The lower levels are deliberately optimized for food and beverage operations:

• Basement and Ground Floor: Planned to support restaurant and café use, with back-of-house and storage potential in the basement and active customer-facing functions at grade.
• Dumbwaiter System: A dedicated dumbwaiter connects the kitchen/service areas with other levels, streamlining vertical movement of food and supplies.
• Outdoor Seating: Provision for spill-out seating at ground level ties the building into the street life, encouraging interaction with the surrounding café and retail ecosystem.

Every floor is equipped with:

• Washrooms for staff and visitors.
• Pantry spaces that can serve as support zones for offices, co-working, or smaller F&B concepts.

These provisions ensure that each level can independently function as a complete commercial unit.

Terrace and Shading

The first-floor terrace, projecting approximately 8–9 feet, plays multiple roles:

• Environmental: It shades the north-facing glass below, reducing heat gain and glare.
• Spatial: It offers an outdoor extension for first-floor tenants—ideal for café seating, breakout space for offices, or semi-open event use.
• Urban: It introduces a horizontal datum in the elevation, breaking down the building’s verticality and adding a human-scaled element to the façade.

Circulation and Access

Levon 55C is designed for efficient and legible circulation, supporting both public access and tenant privacy.

Key circulation features:

• Dual-access elevator: The lift is accessible from both the main lobby and tenant-controlled sides, allowing flexible control of movement and security.
• Stair Core: A 9′ wide stair core provides comfortable, code-compliant vertical circulation and an additional means of egress.
• Rooftop Lift Access: The elevator continues to the roof level, enabling future activation of the rooftop for events, leisure, or services.

This circulation strategy supports multi-tenant configurations while maintaining clear separation between public and private zones.

Sustainability and MEP Strategy

The building integrates practical, context-appropriate sustainability and services solutions:

• Rooftop Solar: Provision for solar panels on the roof reduces dependency on grid power and supports more resilient operations.
• Basement Sump: A dedicated sump in the basement addresses water management, an important consideration in Karachi’s infrastructure context.
• Individual Metering: Each tenant is provided with separate water and electricity meters, ensuring transparent billing and encouraging responsible resource use.

These measures align with contemporary expectations for efficient, sustainable commercial buildings while remaining robust and maintainable.

Tenant Experience and Flexibility

From the outset, Levon 55C is planned as a tenant-friendly building:

• Column-free plates allow custom layouts for offices, co-working, showrooms, or F&B.
• Generous floor heights support branding, feature ceilings, and mezzanines.
• Independent services (washrooms, pantries, metering) on each floor enable self-contained operations.
• Strong street visibility through the glass façade and outdoor seating enhances commercial value.

This flexibility ensures that the building can adapt to changing tenant mixes over time, from single-brand flagships to multi-tenant co-working or hybrid retail-office stacks.

Outcome and Positioning within Levon’s Portfolio

Levon 55C emerges as a modern Karachi commercial envelope—compact yet generous, flexible yet clearly structured. It offers:

• A high-visibility address in DHA Phase 8.
• Adaptable shells suitable for a wide range of commercial uses.
• Robust services and sustainability features that support long-term operation.

As part of Levon Developers’ growing portfolio, the project demonstrates a clear approach to urban commercial architecture: responsive to context, efficient in structure and services, and open-ended in how tenants can inhabit and transform the space over time.