Middle East Architect | January 2013

NEWS, DATA, ANALYSIS AND STRATEGIC INSIGHTS FOR ARCHITECTS IN THE GCC

JANUARY 2013 / VOLUME 07 / ISSUE 01An ITP Business Publication

HIGH FLYERTall building expertise helps Tabanlioğlu win major commission on JBR Walk

p2// FRONTGensler reveals Kuwait entertainment hub

CASE STUDYAGI’S MOP HOUSE IN

KUWAIT CITY

+

SITE VISIT

Standard Chartered’s new

$140m LEED certifi ed Dubai

HQ/p32

CASE STUDYSIKKAS IN THE SKY

FOR ABU DHABI

p4// PEOPLERemembering Brazil’s

legendary Oscar Niemeyer

p14// COMMENT How will the construction industry fare in 2013?

SPECIAL FEATURE

2012 REVIEW

Geberit concealed cisterns

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JANUARY | CONTENTS

www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT 1

2FRONT

Top stories in the world of architecture, such as Gensler’s

new Kuwait project4

6PROJECTS

A round up of the latest project news from MENA

and the rest of the world

14COMMENTGeorgina Chakar asks how the construction industry will fare in 2013

16

22FEATUREMEA looks back at the key projects that have emerged over the last year

32SITE VISIT

54CULTUREA snapshot of funky furni-ture, books and other acces-sories in the market

38CASE STUDIESAGi’s Kuwait villa, a Mauritania resort and a student project for Abu Dhabi

50

Standard Chartered’s new eco headquarters in Downtown

Burj Khalifa

THE WORKA detailed reference section

covering all the best projects in the world

PEOPLEKey regional appointments, famous architect news and top quotes

JANUARY 2013 VOLUME 7 ISSUE 01

56LAST WORD

Kirk Rosenbaum, KEO, on healthy buildings, sustainability

and Qatar deadlines

INTERVIEW Melkan Tabanlioğlu on her practice’s new Dubai offi ce

and JBR mega-scheme

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com

FRONT | JANUARY

2

KUWAIT SET FOR COASTLINE ENTERTAINMENT HUBGensler appointed as lead consultant on Wafra Seef project

Wafra Real Estate appointed Gensler as lead consultant for a 5,760m2 F&B and entertainment destination in Ku-wait. Wafra Seef is located along the coastline of the Al Mahboula area, south of Kuwait City.

Tareq Abu-Sukheila, managing director, Gensler Abu Dhabi, said: “We have designed Wafra Seef to off er beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces, with spectacular views of the Gulf. Our designers utilised Gensler’s ample expertise in retail to provide

a distinctive complex en-hanced by the beautiful surround-ings of the Arabian Coast.”

The design is based on a shell-and-core system that maximises leasing opportunities, increases the utilisation of outdoor space and contributes to effi cient circulation in the lobby and dining outlets.

A critical design element is said to be connectivity; smooth transitions between drop-off and ground fl oor terraces in the form of sloped walk-ways were integrated into the site.

The F&B-focused

scheme is located

in Al Mahboula.

A strong linear axis between the street entrance and the ocean allows for clear views from nearly all occu-pied locations. To enhance this, a se-ries of focal points were created at the primary entrance, the under bridge area and the sunken courtyard.

The aesthetic in the design is fi nished with landscaping, outdoor furnishing and lighting, specially treated in order to promote ‘calm’ alongside the dining terraces.

The design team will also imple-ment lifestyle functions such as gyms.

12

5,760M2AREA OF PROJECT

TOP STORY

Staff in the new Dubai offi ce of

Tabanlioglu (page 16)

JANUARY | FRONT


• Andy Warhol uncovered

• Atkins to design futuristic Oman sports

academy

• AECOM’s new Dubai offi ce opened by

government offi cials

• Gensler to design beach-side Kuwait

entertainment hub

• Beirut bank scheme handed to UK fi rm

The strength of projects being developed and completed by the GCC construction industry was highlighted in the grand fi nale of the Construction Week Awards for 2012.

The Masdar Institute of Science & Technology came in for a special mention as it was given the award for Overall Project of the Year.

Meanwhile ALEC was crowned Contractor of the Year. Key company personnel also took home awards for individual achievements, with Eddie Pickles named ‘Project Manager of the Year’ and Barry Lewis collecting the coveted prize for ‘Construction Executive of the Year’.

Winners for Construction Week Awards revealed

Atkins to design futuristic Oman sports academyAtkins will deliver detailed design and construction supervision services for the Sultan Qaboos Sports Acad-emy in Muscat, Oman. The fi rm was also behind its concept design, which includes 60m and 200m indoor running tracks, and an indoor aquatic training centre with Olympic-size

WEIRD PROJECT OF THE MONTH

Fashion guru Pierre Cardin is focused on deliver-ing a sculptural mixed-use skyscraper in Venice, despite citizens’ objections. Cardin was reported to have described the 280m Palace of Light as “a bouquet of fl owers, an off ering to Venice.” The 65-storey tower is estimated to cost $3bn.

DESIGNMENA.COM

DATASTREAM

The roof is inspired by dunes.

Winners of the 2012 CW Awards.

FIVETarget QSAS

rating for Qatar’s Marina Mall

(page 26)

$140MValue of Standard

Chartered’s new Dubai HQ (page 32)

The event, supported by platinum sponsors Tekla Corporation and FAMCO, saw awards presented in 17 categories covering people, projects, initiatives and companies. The gala ceremony, presented by Du, was the culmination of events held in Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in 2012.

swimming and diving pools housing spectator stands for 1,000 people.

A 3,000-seat outdoor tennis sta-dium will be the design’s focal point, featuring a roof structure that illu-minates at night. Additional facilities will include football fi elds, a 400m athletics track, a tennis stadium, beach volleyball courts, a gymna-sium, sports medicine centre, sports science faculty and laboratories.

Atkins’ concept designer, Rohan Thotabaduge, said: “The architecture is considerate of the Omani culture. The feature roof structure is designed to be a visible iconic memory of the Bousher sand dunes.”

TOP FIVE HOSPITAL PROJECTS IN GCC(Costs in US$M - Source: Ventures Middle East)

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FRONT | JANUARY

4

Oscar Niemeyer, the seminal modernist architect behind many of Brazil’s best known buildings, died on December 5, 2012, in a hospital in Rio de Janeiro.

Niemeyer, who continued to work on new projects until earlier in 2012, died just before his 105th birthday. He is best known for designing the strikingly futuristic government buildings in Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil inaugurated in 1960.

As a student of Swiss master Le Cor-busier, Niemeyer developed a style defi ned by stark concrete and sweeping curves.

He was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1988 and went on to design more than 600 buildings around the world.

Brazil President Dilma Rousseff com-mented: “Brazil has lost today one of its geniuses. It is a day to lament his death. It is a day to acclaim his life.”

Major of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, declared three days of mourning in the city, Niemeyer’s hometown.

PEOPLE

Oscar Niemeyer dies at 104 in Rio

Thom Mayne wins 2013 AIA Gold Medal

Some Chinese products for the building industry rank among some of the best in the

world.”STEPHEN

LIPSCOMBE chairman, Glass and Glazing Federation

The current facilities in Dubai need to be scaled up in

line with future ambitions.”HH SHEIKH

MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM, Ruler of Dubai

Pioneer of modernism passes away.

Compared to the rest of the world, the only bright spots one sees are London and Dubai.”PEYMAN MOHAJER, managing director, WME Consultants

60 SECOND INTERVIEWSULTAN AL ALI, HEAD OF INVESTMENT AND SUSTAIN-ABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ACTING DIRECTOR OF MASDAR CITY.How does it feel to win Best Overall Project at the Construc-tion Week Awards? It’s an unbelievable feeling — it wasn’t expected. It gives us all the enthusiasm and eagerness to move forward. I feel we are appreciated for all the hard work we have been doing and we will keep that going full thrust. We have been successful in achieving the most sustainable proj-ect in the UAE, probably in the region. We have been beat-ing our own targets which have been very aggressive in terms of their ambition. We are very proud of what we have achieved and I think the jury has recog-nised that from our submittal.

What is on next year’s agenda? We have two main projects to be handed over to the client — the Siemens HQ which is LEED Plati-num; and the Incubator, another commercial building. We have the second phase of Masdar In-stitute which has higher targets than the fi rst phase in terms of sustainability and Estidama.

Mayne man: AIA’s top architect.

The 2013 AIA Gold Medal was awarded to Thom Mayne, founder of Los Angeles practice Morphosis and designer of several public and institutional projects in the US.

The AIA commended Mayne’s palette of “bold, angular forms, exposed structural elements, and double-skin veils that play on notions of dynamic transparency”.

Former AIA Gold Medal Winner Antoine Predock, wrote in a letter of recommendation: “[Mayne] is one of the few architects able to head a large-scale, successful practice while infl uentially de-signing theoretical premises. The result has been a 40-year body of work that is intellec-tually rigorous and consistently searching.” He will be honoured at an event in March in Washington DC, in addition to the 2013 AIA National Convention in Denver.

His portfolio includes Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California, which places students in the middle of a dramati-cally pitched canyon of concrete and cor-rugated metal.

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FRONT | JANUARY

6

3ABU DHABIGAJ to design Abu Dhabi home for top UK school GAJ announced that it has been awarded the contract of full service for top UK boarding school Cran-leigh, in partnership with TDIC on Saadiyat Island. The 147-year-old English school will open its Abu Dhabi Branch in late 2014, which is set to be the largest school campus in the Emirate. It will be built on a 7ha site and is set to accommodate more than 1,800 students aged between three and 18.

1QATARQatar handball stadium given to Croatian teamCroatian companies have secured a project worth over $130m for an indoor sports stadium that will host the World Handball Championships in Qatar in 2015. This happened after a visit to Qatar by a Croatian delegation, which presented the work carried out on the arena for the 2009 World Handball Championships in Croatia. Qatar’s 15,000-spectator stadium will occupy a total 44,233m2 in Al Ahli Sports Village.

2LEBANONBank HQ to help re-generate Beirut’s CBDUK practice John Robertson Archi-tects has won a competition to design a new 16,400m2 HQ for BANKMED. The new building is designed to provide a stimulating and practical environment for employees, execu-tives and customers. Situated at the centre of the Mina El Hosn district and near to central Beirut, BANK-MED HQ will help regenerate the area and extend the Beirut Central Business District westwards.

3

MENA PROJECT SNAPSHOT

1

2

3

A MEMBER OF

SINGAPORE BUSINESS FEDERATION

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

SINGAPORE MANUFACTURERS’ FEDERATION

WE COMMIT IN GREAT VALUE & QUALITY

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com8

FRONT | JANUARY

6KUWAITAl Hamra pipped by Gehry in skyscraper award8 Spruce Street in New York by Gehry Partners won the 2011 Emporis Skyscraper Award, beating second place Al Hamra Tower in Kuwait by SOM. The winners were chosen from over 220 skyscrapers completed in 2011. Gehry’s 265m-tall design won over the jury with its undulating stainless steel facade. Commenting on the choice, the jury said: “8 Spruce Street stands out even in Manhattan’s already remarkable skyline.”

4OMANWork begins on shopping centre at The WaveA groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of construction on the Marsa Village Retail Centre at The Wave — a mixed-use development in Muscat with an estimated construction cost of $4bn. The project is developed on 220ha of land in Muscat, including 600,000m2 of reclaimed land and a natural beach. Management said the 10,850m2 retail centre will provide a convenient facility for residents who buy property at the development.

5SAUDI ARABIADewan to design Saudi multi-tower schemeUAE-based architecture fi rm Dewan has won a deal to design the Al Bayt 57 mixed-use scheme at Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia by Saudi developer Al Bayt Real Estate. Located on Khobar’s waterfront, it will have 500,00m2 of space within nine, 22-storey towers linked via a two-storey podium and basement. The towers will contain a fi ve-star hotel, Grade A offi ces, 1,500 luxury apart-ments and a 25,000m2 retail mall.

6

5

4

JANUARY | FRONT


FRONT | NOVEMBER

3USAMiami set for twisting tower projectA team featuring Danish architecture fi rm BIG has designed a 20-storey twisting tower complex for Miami, which involves the transformation of the existing Coconut Grove scheme. Developed by local real estate fi rm Terra Group, construction is sched-uled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2012 and completion for the end of 2014, with a target of LEED Silver. Grove at Grand Bay will contain 96 residences inside two towers.

1CHINABroadway Malyan mall opens in SuzhouThe Lefo Mall Shopping Centre, designed by Broadway Malyan, has opened its doors in Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province, Eastern China. The 65,000m2 destination mall targets young and design-conscious customers. Natural elements such as water shape the design, with the feeling of ripples and pools fl owing through the space and the inclusion of curved balustrade details.

2GERMANYgmp wins extension to art museum in MannheimGerman fi rm gmp has won the contract to design the extension to Kunsthalle Mannheim, a modern art museum established in 1909. Responding to the chessboard layout of Mannheim’s inner city, the design is composed of several cubes, the regularity of which is broken by dif-ferent heights and widths, and by the arrangement of squares. With a lou-vered façade, the design distinguishes itself with its colour scheme.

GLOBAL PROJECT SNAPSHOT

1

2

3


FRONT | JANUARY

10

THE BIG PICTURESWEDE DREAMSRespected Danish fi rm Henning Larsen Architects has completed the Umeå Art Museum in Umeå Univer-sity in northern Sweden. The façade features vertical louvers in Siberian larch, which supports its verticality — only broken by the large windows and the glass fl oor in the middle.

JANUARY | FRONT



COMMENT | EDITOR’S LETTER

12

Despite its unglamorous association with a household cleaning device, Mop House is another Kuwaiti classic.”

EDITOR’S LETTER

KUWAIT CALLING 2012 saw great designs emerge from the small country

GOT A

COMMENT?

If you have any

comments to

make on this

month’s issue,

please e-mail

oliver.

ephgrave

@itp.com

BDP’s Kuwait Cultural Centre is one of many great projects to have been un-

veiled in the last 12 months. For this month’s main fea-ture, we decided to look back over all the weird, wonderful and wacky

designs that have emerged across the GCC. While we struggled to fi nd a great quantity of icons in places such as Bahrain, the small state of Kuwait is one country that has become a hotbed for interesting architecture.

I have to admit that I was a little surprised by this revelation. Having spent four-and-a-half years report-ing on construction projects in the GCC, Kuwait is one country that has always felt a little off the radar.

Despite seeming a little impene-trable, there is no denying that there are some quality pieces of architec-ture, either build or under develop-ment, in Kuwait.

It’s not just the buildings them-selves that have won praise. This year we saw a Kuwaiti fi rm, AGi Architects, spring into the limelight at the Middle East Architect Awards.

The fi rm picked up the prize for Boutique Firm of the Year and also won Best Residential Project for S Cube Chalet; in my opinion one of the most beautiful housing projects in the region.

This month we have run a case study on a similar project by the fi rm, Mop House, also in Kuwait City. Despite its unglamorous association

with a household cleaning device, Mop House is yet another Kuwaiti classic by AGi Architects.

Also this month, we saw the unveiling of an attractive and boldly modern beachside entertainment hub by Gensler. The project details can be found in the Front news sec-tion on page two.

A few months ago we featured BDP’s Kuwait Cultural Centre in the new settlement of Sabah Al Ahmad, in the Kuwaiti desert.

With its shimmering skin, angular form and intriguing sunken garden, it will surely be a building that’s due

to receive a fair amount of attention while it is developed and launched.

The biggest Kuwait project of the last year, literally, was the 413m-tall Al Hamra Tower by SOM. With its twisting stone-clad form, this has to one of the most exciting tall build-ings in the GCC, if not the world.

Of course, we should not forget the many great buildings that have been constructed before 2012. Norr Group Consultants is one fi rm that has been highly active in Kuwait for many years, working on the impres-sive Trade Centre scheme as well as The Avenues shopping centre.

I have been fortunate to visit all of the countries in the GCC, apart from Kuwait. I hope to rectify this in 2013, and explore the country’s fantastic new structures.


The world’s population will step into its fi rst days of 2013 facing major challenges as a result of

more than fi ve years of economic recession, political disputes, natural disasters and famine. The construc-tion industry overall plays a key role, both positive and negative.

The development of this industry in the UAE does not depend only on its own capabilities and capacities, but is infl uenced by the economic movements of the entire world.

What are the reports and projec-tions forecasting for 2013? In the USA, the only steady section in the construction industry remained the residential. Meanwhile, the most aff ected countries in Europe don’t show promising forecasts. Good news comes from Bangkok, Thai-land, where construction fi rms are

The projects that the UAE is commencing in the new yeardo not seem to follow the current trends.”

OPINION

entering 2013 with a major infra-structure project: the construction of ten electric train lines scheduled for completion in 2015.

The governments of Zimbabwe and Tanzania are investing in infra-structure. So is the Turkish govern-ment, and fi rms already involved in construction of airports in Turkey. Other countries that entered 2013 with major infrastructure projects from the ex-Soviet Bloc are Russia and Azerbaijan, to mention a couple.

Are infrastructure projects truly the way forward? Closely linked with infrastructure are logistic centres, warehouses and similar projects. Each country requires and relies upon its infrastructure including healthcare facilities and schools, however, not every country is equally capable of providing these essential services for their citizens.

It appears that not every country is able to keep up. Good examples are the GCC countries, in particular UAE. The path forward was traced by these countries before any forecast, report or prediction was published about the future of the construction industry. The projects the UAE is commencing in the new year don’t seem to follow the current trends. They are result of the care of the government and the private sec-tor to provide health facilities.

The educational program is huge; the logistics centres in Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi provide large operation; the new metro in Abu Dhabi and the new highway between these two is scheduled to connect other Emir-ates in the future. Yet the residential sector is not moving at the same fast pace as a result of the oversupply generated in the last few years. How-ever, some branches of the non-resi-dential sector are entering 2013 with confi dence, in particular the energy supply projects, water preservation and re-use. A major service linked to the pre-construction, construction and post-construction stage of all projects, with no exception, is the PMC service. In a region where we have sports projects underway in Qatar, a huge housing programme in KSA, and the continued develop-ment of UAE, Egypt, Iraq, Oman and many other places, the demand for PMC services is on the rise.

Whether 2013 will be a better year remains to be seen. In the meantime all we have to do is to try hard and hope for better.

How will the construction industry fare in the next 12 months?

YEAR OF HOPE

Georgina

Chakar is an

Australian

architect and a

Master of Urban

Planning. She

works in Abu

Dhabi

Huge sports projects are underway in Qatar.

COMMENT | GEORGINA CHAKAR

INTERVIEW | MELKAN TABANLIOĞLU

16 MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com

Possessing an impec-cable portfolio, a string of regional awards and an almost unpronounceable

name, Tabanlioğlu is a Turkish archi-tecture fi rm that’s very familiar to the Middle East construction industry. But despite the practice’s growing reputation for delivering quality projects in Turkey, Kazakhstan and Libya, it is yet to complete a scheme

in the Gulf. Thankfully this will soon change as it has just launched a major mixed-use scheme on JBR Walk for Al Fattan, named Crystal Towers.

What’s more, the involvement in Crystal Towers has led the fi rm to open an offi ce in Dubai. Melkan Tabanlioğlu, one half of the husband-and-wife design duo which runs the practice, was understandably beam-ing about the latest developments.

“We are in the second stage of Dubai,” she remarks. “We have been coming here for nine years, but this year is diff erent for us because now we are from Dubai. It is a good feeling. After giving a lot of energy to this place, it’s nice that we are making a project here.”

Crystal Towers is set to contain around 150,000m2 of space, within two buildings of 30 and 35 storeys. It

THE INTERVIEW

Break on After years of delivering impressive schemes in Turkey, Kazakhstan and

Libya, Tabanlioğlu has finally achieved Dubai success with a major project launch in JBR. Oliver Ephgrave speaks to partner Melkan Tabanlioğlu

THROUG

MELKAN TABANLIOĞLU | INTERVIEW

17www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

GH

INTERVIEW | AUKETT FITZROY ROBINSON


will house a hotel operated by Turkish company Rixos Group, as well as apartments, offi ces, retail and beach clubs. Tabanlioğlu gives the low down on the project. “It was a competi-tion between all the English and American companies and the client chose our project. Construction has started — we have fi nished the tender process and we are now looking for the construction company.”

She continues: “JBR is the only walkway in Dubai; we believe so much in the integration of the build-ing with the environment, and this is the fi rst issue that we address in our architecture. It’s important to include other people in the building — all buildings should add value to the city, not only with the aesthetic require-ments, but in terms of lifestyle. Being a part of the city is very important.”

When asked whether the build-ing will be a signature Tabanlioğlu project, she replies: “Every project has a story — we take this feeling from

the location. For us it is very important to make a smart, local project. It’s not only the life in Dubai, it’s the life in this specifi c part of Dubai, which is giving us inspiration. The silhouette from the seaside is critical. It must be something that is fi tting for Dubai.”

Yet it is perhaps surprising that it has taken until 2012 for the Turks to achieve a UAE commission. Tabanlioğlu explains: “It was a long process to get a project in Dubai. We were going to Kazakhstan, Russia and making good relations; we are mainly working with the presidents of these countries. In Dubai’s case it has taken a lot of eff ort. For this project we opened an offi ce.”

Regarding the Dubai offi ce, she comments: “We have very well-edu-cated architects — they have experi-ence in this region. Myself or Murat [Melkan’s husband] will be based in Turkey but coming here every 15 days. We try not to leave this place —

we like to have friends in Dubai.” Tabanlioğlu

reveals that there will be 10 to 12 people in the Dubai offi ce, but

it’s “related to the future”. She continues: “Of course, we

are waiting for a lot of things in the second life of Dubai. I think the crisis taught a lot of things to the people. It wasn’t only here. You learn a lot from

Bodrum Airport

in Turkey.

“I know Dubai will come up again with new projects, because of the dynamism of the city. It will push everybody to make something new.”

Melkan Tabanlioğlu

15CONSTRUCTION

TIMEFRAME

IN MONTHS

MELKAN TABANLIOĞLU | INTERVIEW


these crises. I think the second phase will be more clever — it’s very impor-tant to know the end users.

“From the fi rst day you should al-ways think, who will use the building, what kind of lifestyle you will need and how you will change the life of the people? I think the feasibility will be more important than before. Timing, feasibility, functions, and aesthetics all come together. If you miss one of them, you will be not be happy with the end solution.

“I know Dubai will come up again with new projects, because of the dynamism of the city. It will push everybody to make something new, but it will be more clever and more feasible. I think Dubai wrote a story for the world. This time around it will be more resistant.”

She adds that the fi rm is looking to branch into other Gulf countries. “We are open to increase and to develop in this region. Not just Dubai, but the [wider] region is also important. Being an international company and having a similar culture is very important for success, and we believe so much in the success of the region.

“The Middle East is very impor-tant and all of the region is interesting for us. There is a lot of construction and the cranes are everywhere. But we should focus on what we do. We are looking at Qatar and Abu Dhabi, but the main focus in Dubai.”

Outside of the UAE, one of the fi rm’s key recent projects is Astana Media Centre in Kazakhstan, which won a Cityscape Award for Com-munity Built. Describing the project, Tabanlioğlu says: “The president of the country contacted us. It has a conference centre which is open to the public. We like to make sure there is not just one use — it needs to be multipurpose — and it is open to the citizens. It is in the centre of the city and there is a tower and a podium. It is a studio and a workplace.”

The conversation moves to the subject of green buildings. Like most

architects today, Tabanlioğlu believes that “buildings should be green” with or without any instruction from the client. She uses the example of Bodrum Airport, a recently delivered scheme in a Turkish tourist resort. “In our design we used stone that is 50km away from the construction site. You gain from this — you are not consuming a lot of oil because it’s a very short distance and the delivery is easy. Everything is sustainable and we use the local brains, local suppli-ers, local materials. In every project we look to do that.”

The practice is currently working on 35 projects, in countries ranging from Ukraine to Equatorial Guinea. “We started to build in Libya, but be-cause of the war we stopped,” added Tabanlioğlu. Previously, the fi rm

had delivered the stunning Tripoli Congress Centre — a project which won many admirers.

Naturally, the majority of Tabanlioğlu’s back catalogue can be found in Istanbul. A project which will have gained the fi rm valuable tall building experience for Dubai’s Crys-tal Towers is Sapphire Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Europe at 261m. She adds: “An important part of a skyscraper is that you can open your window and get fresh air in.” The project was completed two years ago.

After a lengthy discussion about the charms of Turkey’s largest city, Tabanlioğlu remarks: “Of course, my favourite city is Istanbul but I don’t feel that when I come to Dubai. Now we have an offi ce, we have a residence. Dubai is our second home.”

Melkan (left)

picking up MEA’s

Architect of the

Year Award in

2010.

PORTFOLIO | MELKAN TABANLIOĞLU


LOFT GARDENS, ISTANBULThis 21-storey residential tower in Istanbul was ranked

among the 13 winners of the RIBA International

Award 2011. High-rise garden patios are inserted into

the facade as a counterpoint to the protruding bay

windows and deepen the play of solid and void.

MELKAN TABANLIOGLU | PORTFOLIO


ISTANBUL SAPPHIREStanding at 261m,

Istanbul Sapphire is the

tallest building in Turkey,

located in the business

district of Levent. The

luxury mixed-use tower

contains two special glass

shells which allows for

natural ventilation.

TRIPOLI CONGRESS CENTRE Situated in Libya’s capital city, this rectangular

two-storey block is surrounded by woodland. It

is nested in a metal envelope that opens up to

the external landscape.

ASTANA ARENA, KAZAKHSTANThis stadium for

Kazakhstan’s new capital

is intended to be a symbol

of the city. The retractable

roof can be closed in the

harsh winter to protect the

spectators and players.


FEATURE | YEAR IN REVIEW

22

MEA looks back over the weird and wonderful projects that have emerged in the GCC over the

past 12 months

arararare ieeviei

YEAR IN REVIEW | FEATURE


W hile there may have been a lack of major project openings, 2012 sig-nalled the return of Dubai. Count-less new schemes were launched,

mainly in the tourism and hospitality sectors. Property giant Emaar was particularly active,

although shy to reveal detailed architectural render-ings. In April, it unveiled plans for an Arts District near the Burj Khalifa, which will include the Dubai Modern Art Museum and Opera House District, with two supporting ‘art hotels’.

The developer unveiled other schemes in the same area throughout the year, including The Address The BLVD, a 340m-tall hotel with serviced apartments. It also revealed that it will build a futuristic 820m

footbridge linking the Dubai Mall with the metro sta-tion, scheduled to be operational this year.

Emaar was not the only big name developer to un-veil new schemes, with Nakheel launching an $80m restaurant and shopping area at the tip of the Palm Jumeirah, called The Pointe.

Another high-profi le retail scheme which emerged in 2012 is The Avenue by Dewan for Meraas Hold-ings, on Al Wasl Road. The neatly-designed and compact development received a Construction Week award for Commercial Project of the Year, and is cur-rently nearing completion.

One of the strangest buildings to emerge was an underwater hotel , reminiscent of a Star Trek space-ship, conceived by Polish company Deep Ocean

> DUBAI

L-r: Water Discus

Hotel; Dubai Mall

bridge; Arts District;

Jumeirah College.



24

views of the entire city. Scheduled for completion by 2013, it is ex-pected to attract about two million visitors and tourists annually.

Other tourism fl avoured projects included an extension to Palm Tree Court & Spa and Meydan Beach Club, both designed by Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ). The education sector was also

Arts District; Palm

Tree Court; The

Address The BVD

(below); Infi nity

Tower (right).

Technology. In May, Dry Docks World, the shipbuilding arm of Dubai World, signed a deal to be-come the exclusive main contractor for the hotel in the Middle East.

Another unorthodox design emerged in October, with plans an-nounced for a giant picture frame-shaped tower containing a 150m-high glass bridge and a café, off ering

fruitful, with a major win for BDP with the $45m Jumeirah College.

Earlier on in the year, it was reported that Cayan would deliver the landmark twisted Infi nity Tower by October 2012. However, the impressive SOM-designed scheme

saw continued delays, pushing its opening date into 2013.

pected to attract about two millionvisitors and tourists annually.

Other tourism fl avoured projectsincluded an extension to Palm Tree Court & Spa and Meydan Beach Club, both designed by GodwinAusten Johnson (GAJ). Theeducation sector was also

Earlier on in threported that Caythe landmark twiby October 2012.impressive SOM-

saw continue

50ART GALLERIES IN

DUBAI



T he year started off with the opening of the much anticipated Capital Gate tower, designed by

RMJM for ADNEC. The 18-degree lean is known across the globe, cour-tesy of a Guinness World Record, and its sculpted form has made it the landmark tower of Abu Dhabi since it topped out in November 2009.

Aedas’ Al Bahar Towers won the inaugural Innovation Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in July for its computer-controlled mashrabiya façade which responds to the sun.

> ABU DHABI

A huge project in the capital that saw a signifi cant delivery was Sow-wah Square by Goettsch Partners, which was highly commended as MEA’s Best Overall Project.

Also nearing completion is Sie-mens’ Abu Dhabi Headquarters in Masdar City. Designed by Sheppard Robson, the scheme won two MEA awards, for Best Sustainable and Best Commercial Project.

Plans were unveiled for the new 838-bed Sheikh Zayed Medical City by SOM, which picked up the MEA award for Public Sector, Institu-tional Project of the Year. Upon col-

lecting the award, Tanner Whitney, associate, said: “We created a ‘city within a city’. It’s a new take on hos-pital design which gives a welcoming feeling to the community.”

Many high-end offi ce towers on Al Maryah Island were revealed, in-cluding Gensler’s 31-storey National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Goettsch Partners’ Al Hilal Bank tower.

Just like Dubai, the emirate has completed some impressive hospital-ity projects, most notably the Monte Carlo Beach Club by LW Design, which was highly commended at the MEA Awards.

Al Bahar Towers

(above); Sowwah

Square; Capital

Gatel; Siemens HQ

(below).

OFFICE SPACE IN SOWWAH SQUARE

290,000M2



26

Marina Mall

(below); Al Hitmi

Fraser Suites;

Burj Qatar (right).

Q atar can certainly look back at 2012 as a good year for architecture, epitomised by the

launch of Burj Qatar. Jean Nouvel’s showstopper in West Bay picked up a string of awards, starting with CTBUH’s Best Tall Building in the Middle East and Africa, in June.

The project then went on to win our own Middle East Architect Award for Best Overall Tower and CTBUH’s Best Tall Building Worldwide. The MEA judging panel described it as an “elegant form with a careful integration of Islamic architecture which has become the symbol for an entire city.”

One of Qatar’s most striking piec-es of architecture, Al Hitmi Complex by Norr Group Consultants, received the fi nal piece of the jigsaw with the launch of the Fraser Suites. This residential component contains a total of 84 units and sits behind the older, but spectacular, seven-storey offi ce section, completed in 2010.

Another striking complex to be delivered was Jaidah Square, a seven-storey offi ce complex designed by Woods Bagot, MZ & Partners and United Designers. With its angular

form and Islamic-inspired geometric patterns, the scheme is the largest commercial offi ce nearest to the New Doha International Airport.

In terms of future projects, the stand out scheme to emerge in 2012 was Marina Mall in Lusail. Designed by HOK, the sleek white complex is aiming for a rating of QSAS 5, the top ranking in Qatar’s Green Build-ing Rating System.

Vice president of HOK, Barry Hughes, told MEA: “We have termed it as a ‘supernatural’ building — a combination of natural and futur-istic. It’s like being in a giant Henry Moore sculpture.”

> QATAR



Al Ahsa mall; Court

complex (left);

Dammam tower;

KAFD centre (above).

completion early this year. The façade features the region's typical coarse chalky sandstone panels.

Meanwhile AECOM was awarded a $28m contract for the 70ha King Khalid Medical City in Dammam.

T he start of the year saw the completion of one of the most controversial buildings in the GCC —

the Abraj Al Bait in Makkah. Loom-ing over the holiest city in Islam, at 601m the clock tower is now the second tallest building in the world.

Another huge scheme to emerge for Makkah was a master planned 91ha scheme to house an estimated 160,000 people. Won by White Sky Group, a partnership from Germany, it will include hotels, residential, malls, technical and medical infra-

structure, mixed with parks, open spaces, and high-rise buildings.

In February, a futuristic mall design was unveiled by Capita Symonds. The 121,000m2 proposed development in Al Ahsa will contain three levels and a sweeping glazed roof with traditional Arabic pattern-ing. It is set for completion in 2014.

In June, UAE giant Dewan un-veiled a striking 150m stepped tower in Dammam called Al-Abdulkarim Tower, with completion scheduled for 2014. Executive director Ammar Al Assam told MEA: “The client liked the simple volumes based on straight lines and transparency.”

SOM is active throughout the GCC, and Saudi Arabia is no excep-tion. The fi rm revealed its design for the KAFD Conference Centre, a 27,350m2 futuristic greenhouse-like complex, with a 600-seat audito-rium, and a ‘digital forum’ approach which allows all venues to be inter-nal and external.

Albert Speer and Part-ners is working on a strik-ing 44.4m-high criminal court complex in Riyadh which is scheduled for

> SAUDI ARABIA

27,350M2

AREA OF KAFD CONFERENCE CENTRE



28

Entertainment

hub (above);

S Cube chalet;

Cultural Centre

(right).

L ooking at the quality of projects that emerged, 2012 was defi nitely an exciting year for the

architectural scene in Kuwait.The tallest and most high profi le

building to take shape was the twist-ed 412m Al Hamra Tower by SOM, which contains offi ces, a health club, rooftop restaurant and a high-end shopping mall. Its façade features 258,000m2 of limestone cladding, which is enough to cover New York's Central Park.

Much smaller in scale but no less impressive is S Cube Chalet in Ku-wait City by AGi Architects, which won MEA’s Residential Project of the Year. Judges praised the clean-

lined building for considering the desert climate with a façade devoid of unnecessary add-ons.

Meanwhile, BDP revealed plans for a striking cultural centre in Sabah Al-Ahmad City, a new city for 2,500 people. It contains a 4,000m2 central sunken garden space, termed the ‘cultural oasis’, accessed via deeply shaded ravines through the main plinth. The centre includes a gallery, museum, theatre, screen-ing room, conference centre and children’s theatre.

Last month, Gensler unveiled its plans for a modern 5,760m2 shopping and entertainment hub for Wafra Real Estate, along the coast-line of the Al Mahboula area.

> KUWAIT

258,000M2

AREA OF CLADDING ON AL HAMRA



XXXXX XXX

XXteeming with

workers at the W hile 2011 saw the opening of the landmark Royal Opera House, the last 12 months were rather low key in comparison for the architectural

scene in Oman. However, a striking design by Atkins was revealed last month — the Sultan Qaboos Sports Acad-emy in Muscat. The distinctive roof structure is designed to mimic Bousher sand dunes and will be a glowing beacon at night.

In the hospitality sector, GAJ released more details on Saraya Bandar, a luxury resort and community nestled within a 220ha site on a sheltered mountain bay. With punched façades and fl at roofs, the villas use a mix of traditional and contemporary fi nishes, such as render, glazing and mashrabiya screens.

An intriguing bank design emerged from Estudio Lamela, the architect behind the remodelling of Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The headquarters for Bank Sohar, budgeted at $43.2m, contains an inter-nal oasis traversed by three internal bridges, hanging gardens and sea views on a 36,000m2 site.

> OMAN $43.2MVALUE OF THE

SOHAR BANK HQ



30

Wyndham

Hotel (right and

below); Pearl

Roundabout (far

right).

M ajor architectural launches were few and far between in the small state of

Bahrain. One of the most interesting designs to emerge in the last year was a twisted tower for Wyndham Hotel Group, which is scheduled to open at the end of the year.

In March, it was revealed that the area surrounding the demolished Pearl Roundabout, a focal point for the Arab Spring protests, will see a $530.5m overhaul. However, no detailed plans have emerged.

This month, it was reported that the country will invest $1.51bn to build 16,000 housing units under a 2013-2014 scheme, according to Gulf Daily News. The housing ministry plans to build more than 50,000 units and clear applications piled over the past fi ve years, according to the report.

> BAHRAIN

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SITE VISIT | STANDARD CHARTERED HQ

Gerhard Hope visits Dubai's new $140m Standard Chartered HQ which has achieved LEED certification for core-and-shell construction and fit-out

L ocated close to the Burj Khalifa, the new $140m Standard Chartered headquarters has achieved LEED certifi cation for core-and-shell con-

struction and fi t-out. LEED for core-and-shell certifi cation from

the US Green Building Council (USGBC) is a green building rating system for designers, builders, developers and new building owners who want to address sustainable design for new core-and-shell construction, according to the Council’s website.

Core-and-shell covers base building elements such as structure, envelope and the HVAC system. LEED for core-and-shell has been designed to be complementary to the LEED for commercial interiors rating system, as both systems establish green building crite-ria for developers, owners and tenants.

Saeed Alabbar, from consultant AESG, explains the concept during a site visit just prior to the building’s offi cial opening. “For the core-and-shell, it would be actual certifi cation of these components.

Standard bearer

STANDARD CHARTERED HQ | SITE VISIT




34

It is certainly one of the most advanced buildings of its kind in Dubai in particular.”

Andrew Phillips, project manager, Brookfi eld Multiplex

treated through a grey-water treat-ment system and then gets re-used for toilet fl ushing.”

Alabbar says there is a grey-water treatment system on-site, and there is also a solar hot water system on the roof, “so all the hot water needed for the building is eff ectively heated by the sun”.

It is this attention to detail that sets the new Standard Chartered building apart from other schemes. Project manager Andrew Phillips, from main contractor Brookfi eld Multiplex, says that while the con-tractor has tackled similar building projects in the UK, this could be a fi rst for the region.

“It is certainly one of the most advanced buildings of its kind in Dubai in particular,” says Phillips. This high level of sustainability had an impact “on every-thing”, from design to

Water consumption

reduced to 48%

below US base line.

“That includes the materials that go into the core-and-shell, as well as the overall energy and water ef-fi ciency. And then the same elements apply to the interior spaces.”

Alabbar continues: “All the bath-rooms are in common areas and very effi cient water fi xtures are used. This has reduced the water consumption of the building 48% below the US base line, which is actually more stringent than the UAE base line.

“And on top of that, all of the water that comes out of the taps, because it is still fairly good-quality water, it is not discharged into sewage, it is

23,500M2TOTAL GROSS FLOOR AREA

STANDARD CHARTERED HQ | SITE VISIT


Bedienen Sie sich aus einer Vielzahl von

construction and fi t-out, which necessitated an unusually high level of collaboration between the professional team.

The project has been developed by Gulf Resources Develop-ment & Investment, with ADNP/Hines as the development manager and Emaar Properties as the master developer. It comprises a ground fl oor, 13 offi ce fl oors and four parking garage fl oors. The total gross fl oor area is 23,500m2.

Phillips and Alabbar led the tour of the building. “We have only got two lifts working at the moment for construction pur-poses. Four are fi nished, but these are turned off to minimise wear-and-tear,” explains Phillips.

He reveals the executive fl oor, the top fl oor, and explains that Standard Chartered will occupy levels 10 to 17. On a lower fl oor he points out what is termed a ‘break-out’ or ‘club zone’.

Every fl oor, except for the top fl oor, has one of these, and they vary in size. Phillips says that Standard Chartered has confi g-ured the building for what is termed ‘agile working’. He adds: “Because there are so many people in the bank who are not there every day, you book your desk the day before, so you do not have a permanent desk.

“When you walk around you will see there are no actual drawers for every desk, but everybody gets an individual locker. A lot of the big companies are doing it in places like the UK at the moment. In America it has become more popular. It just makes the building that more effi cient.”

Looking more closely at the LEED standards adopted by the building, Alabbar says: “A big element of Standard Chartered’s



36

cost base is its staff , so there are a lot of features in here that allow people to work more effi ciently.

“For example, this fl ooring is Green Label certifi ed. The paints are all low VOC, so there is a very low level of chemicals in all the building materials that were used.”

Alabbar says this relates to inter-national research that such ‘green’ measures reduce sick days and thereby enhance productivity.

“The glass that has been used is high-performance. It has a UV value of 1.5, which is very high, so there is

Our design brief was to create a contemporary university that would rival the

leading education infrastructure projects around the world.”

Greg Howlett, director for Cox Architecture

Alabbar, AESG,

(left) and Phillips

from Brookfi eld

Multiplex (right).

a lot of energy effi ciency from that. You will see as well that 90% of the occupied spaces actually receive enough daylight, and there are day-light sensors linked to all the lights. During 345 days of the year when it is sunny enough, those lights would not turn on, or when they need to, they will turn on automatically just to the right amount, so there is not a lot of over-spill.

“We have built a couple of build-ings like this in Australia and the UK, so it has been done before, though not for this region,” remarks Phillips.

Brookfi eld Multiplex commenced with the 18-month project on 25 May 2011, a tight timeframe that was cause “for a lot of late nights,” he admits. This was due to the complexity of the project and the high level of planning required. “It is actually not all that hard if you do

it from the outset; the devil is in the detailed planning,” com-

ments Phillips.In terms of the con-

struction challenges posed by building in the crowded Downtown

Dubai area, Phillips says this did not impose any

major headaches. “Again, it all comes down to planning early

on. Actually, structure-wise, we built a lot of the structure at night, so there were no major issues.”

He added: “In terms of the fi t-out, [the main issue was making sure] the fl oor plans all fi t and accommodate everyone. The client has been plan-ning for years how many people will be moving into these offi ces, and it has allowed for expansion, so Stan-dard Chartered knew it had to take eight fl oors. It knew it wanted these break-out or club zones, so between the client and the design team, they have been designing that for a long time to make it all fi t.

“For us, the actual building of it was sort of the easy bit.”

1.5UV VALUE OF HIGH-

PERFORMANCE AND

ENERGY-EFFICIENT

GLASS


38/48CASE

STUDIES

54/55CULTURE

50/53THE WORK


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THE PROJECT Originally conceived as a single-

family home, MOP House by AGi Architects can be split into two separate properties for future use. Located in a residential area of Kuwait City, the four-level home consists of a main residence with a garden, pool, gym, and private terrace, with the top three levels above ground and the fi rst a basement. It uses dark brown, natural sandstone and white plaster in the façade to diff erentiate between the diff erent levels. Bamboo is used gener-ously in the interior, built into curved walls to contribute a natural feeling of continuity and uniformity throughout.

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www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

THE SITE The house is situated on a 750m2

plot accessible to the surrounding streets by both a public and private entrance. A curved wall leads visitors from outside into the main entrance. The adjacent garden acts as the vertical axis and generator of the structure’s volumes, which twist upwards to create diff erent visions from the vantage point of each area of the home. It is built in an integrat-ed curve, intended to mimic a mop. The fl ow surrounding the patio on the fi rst fl oor leads to a succession of living spaces that communicate, con-necting the interior to the exterior.

750M2 AREA OF PLOT

MOP HOUSEDesigner: AGi ArchitectsLocation: Kuwait City, Kuwait

CASE STUDY


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The house was originally designed to accommodate a family with two chil-dren, providing enough private space for all. A lounge, guest dining room, play room and garage are situated on the ground fl oor around a courtyard. The fi rst fl oor houses the children’s bedrooms, linked to a family dining room by a shared lounge. A separate independent space for the main bed-room and guest room is also on this level, while a gym and private terrace are located on the second fl oor. Both interior and exterior walls are softly curved, furthering the mop theme.

THE DETAILS Bamboo is utilised throughout the

interior, used as fl ooring on the fi rst and second levels to distinguish the more in-timate spaces, and incorporated into the curved walls and staircase, for overall continuity. The fl ooring on the ground fl oor is stone, with the interior match-ing the same material as the façade. The structure’s fi rst fl oor overhangs to shield the bottom fl oors, and a patio was designed as an understated way to break up the multiple sections. In response to the client’s request, AGi created a space that can eventually be divided in two, without any disruption of the house’s circulation if separated.

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Architect: Draw Link GroupLocation: Nouakchott, Mauritania

CASE STUDY

42

SNIM HOTELTHE PROJECT

Sponsored by the National Indus-trial and Mining Company (SNIM), the fi ve-star hotel is located in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Designed by Draw Link Group, it is intended

to be an oasis of relaxation within the heart of the city. The main building is swathed in greenery and vegetation to create a core of tran-quility. Landscaped grounds link a central reception building to living

and recreational areas, including a spa and pool. Part of the connect-ing area was designed as a public gallery. The rooms are in a two-band formation with a mix of public, semi-private and private spaces.

3.3MPOPULATION OF

MAURITANIA


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THE SITE The project is located between

the Congress Palace and the Police Academy. To accommodate the windy climate, rooms are oriented on a south-western axis with shield-ing plant screens to reduce the im-pact of sandstorms. Protective walls, shelter areas and vegetation keep the north-eastern portion of the prop-erty shaded and reduce harsh winds. This creates a microclimate set apart from the denser urban area. Draw Link sought to bring every element of the outside world into the hotel with shops, a Moorish café, restaurants, a business centre and more.


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regional architecture of Saharan Africa, expressed in natural, local materials in earth tones. Terracotta, wood, raw concrete and glass are all used in the de-sign. The hotel’s rooms include bay windows that open out onto private gardens. Galleries and walkways link the double banded rooms, inspired by the alleyways of traditional Saharan villages. The experience of an oasis was maintained with tree canopies, foliage, water and the alleyway system. Relaxation fa-cilities in the spa area include an indoor pool, treatment rooms, jacuzzi, saunas and gym.

THE DETAILS Hotel rooms are laid out in a

banded system, with the most pri-vate spaces protected by the outside ring. A vegetated wall subtly sepa-rates the path leading from public

to semi-private and then private areas. The rooms are designed around an open plan bathroom with vinyl flooring, while woven fabrics are a contemporary fusion of traditional mats. Protective walls

line the rest of the property along with a large slatted roof that shades the reception area. Materials are designed to capture solar energy and adapt to the climatic conditions of the site.

1960INDEPENDENCEFROM FRANCE

20 -23 May 2013

theofficeexhibition.comDubai World Trade Centre

Organised by Part of Knowledge Partner Intelligence Partner


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CASE STUDY

THE PROJECT This skyscraper for Abu Dhabi is

inspired by sikkas, the narrow alleys between buildings in old Middle East cities. It was designed by Alex-andre Carrasco and Omelmominin Wadidy, Masters in Sustainable Tall Buildings Course, Department of Architecture and Built Environ-ment, University of Nottingham.The studio promotes high-rises that respond to the city’s context, tasking students to push the typology. This project contains eight communities, with a library and retail facilities at ground level, and a spiritual space for prayer at the building’s apex.

SIKKASIN THE SKYDesigners: Alexandre Carrasco and Omelmominin Wadidy, University of NottinghamLocation: Abu Dhabi Corniche


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THE SITE The scheme is situated on the Abu

Dhabi Corniche, adjacent to the ADIA Tower. The vertical interpre-tation of the sikka creates comfort-able spaces shaded from the harsh desert sun and wind, and is suitable for socio-communal activities. Focus was given to the façade’s en-vironmental performance, its impact on the quality of light and the interiors, with thin shafts of light moving across spaces reminiscent of vernacular Middle Eastern architecture such as souqs and mosques. Im

age

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0.6M WIDTH OF

TRANSPARENTELEMENTS


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In the design, the traditional cor-ridor is eliminated and instead the building uses a series of multi-storey stacked sikkas which open to the outside where they meet the building perimeter, thus framing key views and allowing for natural ventilation of circulation and social spaces. These sikkas link to apartments and a series of six-storey courtyards acting as the social hub of the build-ing. To cater for the larger extended families, the apartments are duplex creating private spaces on the upper fl oors away from the sikkas and courtyards below.

THE DETAILS The façade rejects the fully-glazed tall building model, which is so prevalent in the region, and instead consists of a

mixture of thin transparent and opaque elements, with the aim to emphasise the building’s elegance and verticality. After signifi cant testing, the transparent elements were designed as being 0.6m wide. This was deemed wide enough to allow for good views, but thin enough to reduce unwanted solar gain when used in conjunction with the 0.4m pro-jecting concrete fi ns.

0.4MWIDTH OF PROJECTING

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THEWORKPROJECT UPDATE


Designed by Iranian architect Far-shad Mehdizadeh, this fast food store occupies 7m2 on an Isfahan street. It received rave reviews at last month’s Middle East Architect Awards, where it was highly commended in the Public Sector, Institutional and Cultural Project category. Judge Bart Leclercq, WSP, said: “This must be the smallest architectural project ever but the amount of diligence that went into the design is remarkable.”

CIRCLE SNACK BAR

Architect: Farshad Mahdizadeh Location: Isfahan,Iran

7M2 AREA OF

THE PROJECT

Designed by Mimar Emirates Engineering Consultants, it is one of the university’s fl agship colleges and is intended to house six academic departments: Chemical, Civil, Archi-tecture, Electrical, Mechanical, and Computer Engineering. Mimar was challenged to conceive of a facility that could handle the college’s cur-rent enrolment of 1,200, but grow over the next three years to accom-modate a projected 2,200 students.

NEW COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING — QATAR UNIVERSITY

Architect: Mimar Emirates Engineering Consultants Location: Doha, Qatar

This mixed-use commercial and residential project just off Al Safa Park is geared towards design savvy, middle-income residents and retail-ers. The multi-dwelling property is intended to socially integrate its community. The three-storey com-plex incorporates retail spaces on the ground fl oor to cater to pedestrians, and apartments on the top two fl oors, providing an element of privacy from the two-story townhouses.

WASL SQUARE

Architect: NAGA ArchitectsLocation: Dubai 270

TOWNHOUSES AND APARTMENTS

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www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

Designed by Spain and Kuwait-based architecture studio AGi Archi-tects, the S Cube Chalet residential space is comprised of three inter-twined seafront houses developed into three levels. Located in Kuwait City, each house is complete with an outdoor terrace overlooking the sea. The plot is divided into two units, mirror images of each another, separated by a staircase that leads to the third house on top.

S CUBE CHALET

Architect: AGi ArchitectsLocation: Kuwait City, Kuwait 750M2

AREA OF PROJECT

Conceived as three hospitals under one roof, the new Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) is a 300,000m2, 838-bed medical com-plex that will combine a general hos-pital and trauma centre with tertiary women’s and pediatric hospitals. It is a joint venture between ICME, Tilke, and SOM. The new complex is designed for SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, and will be the largest hospital in the country.

SHEIKH KHALIFA MEDICAL CITY

Architect: SOM Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

2016 COMPLETION

DATE OF SKMC

Winning both the Sustainable and Commercial categories at this year’s MEA Awards, the Siemens Middle East Headquarters at Masdar City is anticipated to be one of the fi rst buildings in the region to achieve LEED Platinum. The building was designed from the inside out in order to achieve maximum effi ciency. With completion scheduled for 2013, it will be the fi rst headquarters build-ing at Masdar City.

SIEMENS MIDDLE EAST HQ

Architect: Sheppard Robson Location: Masdar City, Abu Dhabi

Designed by Dubai’s GAJ, this bou-tique hotel resort north of Khor Fak-kan won the 2012 MEA Award for Hospitality & Leisure Project of the Year. The design draws inspiration from historical references in similar settings. The slope and nature of the existing mountainside have determined the massing of the hotel form. It has been sited to reduce the cutting of the natural rock as much as possible.

THE CHEDI, KHOR FAKKAN

Architect: GAJLocation: Khor Fakkan, Sharjah

100+ NUMBER OF SUITES IN

THE RESORT


Goettsch Partners (GP) has designed a 24-storey commercial develop-ment for Al Hilal Bank in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s Al Maryah Island. Totalling 87,570m2 overall, the tower includes 49,110m2 of offi ce and retail space with 1,000 parking spaces for tenants and visitors. The speculative offi ce tower is located in the capital’s new central business district, next to GP’s huge Sowwah Square project for Mubadala.

AL HILAL BANK TOWER

Architect:

Goettsch

Partners

Location:

Abu Dhabi

This futuristic complex by SOM provides a multipurpose event hall with operable walls, a 600-seat auditorium with full lecture and cinema support, and a ‘digital forum’ approach that allows all venues to be internally and externally networked. The conference rooms are clad in electrochromic glass which permits users to change from clear to opaque glass in order to control light levels and privacy.

KAFD CONFERENCE CENTRE

Architect: SOM

Location:

King Abdullah

Financial

District, Saudi

Arabia

28,350M2 SITE AREA

JAIDAH SQUARE

Designers:

Woods Bagot, MZ

& Partners and

United Designers

Location: Doha,

Qatar

70,000M2 TOTAL

CONSTRUCTIBLE AREA

This seven-storey commercial offi ce building in Doha broke ground in 2009. The initial concept was given to Woods Bagot to create the build-ing’s primary plan. MZ & Partners further cultivated the building’s aesthetic as consultant of record. Finally, United Designers of London completed the detailed architectural design for the colour of the glass, the showroom façades and the fi t-out in the communal areas.

Bodrum International Airport, designed by Turkish architecture fi rm Tabanlioglu, was completed in June this year, with a construc-tion timeframe of 15 months. The 455,000m2 building consists of two main structures, an ‘air side’ of transparent glass and steel linear scaff old which connects to the planes and a ‘land side’ terminal building. Primary elements are or-ganised to provide easy circulation for passengers.

BODRUM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Architect:

Tabanlioglu

Location:

Bodrum, Turkey

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The Masdar Institute is the fi rst de-velopment in Abu Dhabi’s eco-driven Masdar City. It is being developed in phases, with a total planned area of 343,740m2. Construction of the six buildings in Phase 1A commenced in 2007 and was completed in Septem-ber 2010. Expansion of the existing campus under Phase 1B started in January last year, and is scheduled for completion in Q3 2012, covering 86,138m2.

MASDAR INSTITUTE

Lead consultant:

RW Armstrong

Designer: Foster

+ Partners

Location: Masdar

City, Abu Dhabi

86,138M2 AREA OF PHASE 1B

Picking up two International Prop-erty Awards in 2011, Neo Bankside was designed by Rogers Stirk Har-bour + Partners. The development contains a range of six to 24 storey buildings with 229 residential units. Situated in the Bankside area of London, the scheme forms a linking between Southwark, the Thames and the Tate Modern. Apartments vary from studios to four bedrooms as well as penthouses.

NEO BANKSIDE

Architect:

Rogers Stirk

Harbour +

Partners

Location:

London, UK

24 STOREYS

TALLEST OF THE FIVE BUILDINGS

This disaster prevention centre in Istanbul draws inspiration from ancient cave dwellings. A conference hall and planetarium are each situ-ated at opposite ends of the facility. The conference hall is fl anked by an exhibition hall, orientation stage and children’s section, while the planetarium is surrounded by the 4D-video display room, fi re fi ghting training room and rainstorm simula-tion section.

DISASTER PREVENTION AND EDUCATION CENTRE

Architect:

Dinkoff

Architects and

Engineers

Location:

Istanbul, Turkey

Every year since 2000, a diff erent architect has been responsible for creating the Serpentine Gallery’s Summer pavilion for Kensington Gardens, London. The 2012 edi-tion, on display until October 14, features a collaboration between Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. This year’s designers went for an archaeological approach, with excavation revealing the traces of previous pavilions.

SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILION

Designers:

Herzog & de

Meuron with Ai

Weiwei

Location:

London

12 NUMBER OF SUPPORTING

COLUMNS


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BATHROOM CASE COLLECTIONLaufen

Laufen has created a versatile, practical solution for all situations with its Case furniture and mirror collection featuring minimalist lines which can fi t in any modern bathroom. It is available in white, limed or anthracite oak grinding, while the matte, easy-to-clean surface is scratch, water and UV light resistant, making the range extremely durable. The mirrors can be fi tted with an optional touch-free concealed sensor control, and off ers the latest in energy-saving technology.


FURNITUREPAIMIO ARMCHAIRVitra

Designed by world-renowned Finnish architect and designer, Alvar Aalto, this armchair dates back to 1932, and is now manufactured by Vitra, the suppliers of contemporary and classic furniture for homes, offi ces and public spaces. The armrests of the chair are made from natural lacquered birch while the seat boasts bent birch plywood. The chair can be personalised to suit its surroundings with two standard colour options — lacquered white and lacquered black.

APPiRHINO 3DRobert McNeel & Associates

Available on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, iRhino 3D allows one to see designs in three-dimensions. It includes features such as panning, zooming and rotating with a tap or drag of a finger. The handy navigator allows one to scroll through thumbnails, enabling fast jumps to the model of preference. You can even capture views for markup and emailing, which can be done directly from your device.

MATERIALSEUROLIGHTEgger

The Egger Eurolight is a composite board made from extremely strong 8mm Eurospan chipboard, combined with a light, yet robust cardboard honeycomb core. Keeping sustainability in mind, Eurolight is made using quality residual wood from local sawmills as well as recycled wood. Another key feature is that the product is fully recyclable and can be reused at the end of its lifecycle. It can be used on a wide range of applications including kitchens, living rooms, offi ces and many other spaces. The product is supplied by 4K Building Materials.

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LAST WORD | KIRK ROSENBAUM

56

Kirk Rosenbaum, manager for commissioning works at KEO, on the importance of healthy buildings.

THE LAST WORD

HEALTH KICK

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Commissioning agents are like doctors for building projects; we help bring healthy projects into this world and we help sick buildings get better.

My biggest challenge is educating building owners, architects, engineers and contractors in the GCC about commissioning services.

Basic education and understanding of sustainability is the area that I believe requires the most improvement within the GCC.

Improve that single area and I believe that all other aspects of designing a sustainable society will naturally fall into place.

Based on the progress I have seen over the last year in Qatar, I am not comfortable in saying projects are on track to be ready for the 2022 FIFA

World Cup. But there is still time to build momentum in 2013 and to achieve the 2022 goal.

Considering the vast amount of work that needs to be done, and the fact that all the projects cannot run in parallel, the timeframe appears very tight. Most importantly, the momentum must be gained in 2013 on the development of all

these projects.

The time for commissioning and operational readiness preparations cannot be squeezed into an impossibly short period immediately before the events.

With these points addressed it is my opinion that Qatar can look forward to a very successful 2022 World Cup.

Changing Perspectives by Discovering Innovations.

Concepts

Products

Service

Lindner is your partner of choice when it comes to „Building New Solutions“ in all areas of interior fi nishes. Our strength is to combine aesthetically appealing materials with superior quality and functionality.

We are looking forward to supporting you by offering products tailored to your needs:Raised Floors - Demountable Partitions - Suspended Metal Ceilings - Lightings - Chilled Ceilings

Lindner Middle East LLCOne Business Bay Tower, Offi ce 2702Dubai, United Arab [email protected]

Metro Dubai - Red Line

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Documents

Middle East Architect | January 2013