An ITP Business Publication
JANUARY 2013 / VOLUME 07 / ISSUE 01
NEWS, DATA, ANALYSIS AND STRATEGIC INSIGHTS FOR ARCHITECTS IN THE GCC p2// FRONT
p4// PEOPLE
Gensler reveals Kuwait entertainment hub
Remembering Brazil’s legendary Oscar Niemeyer
p14// COMMENT How will the construction industry fare in 2013?
SPECIAL FEATURE
2012
REVIEW
SITE VISIT
Standard Chartered’s new $140m LEED certified Dubai HQ/p32
HIGH FLYER Tall building expertise helps Tabanlioğlu win major commission on JBR Walk
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CASE STUDY AGI’S MOP HOUSE IN KUWAIT CITY CASE STUDY SIKKAS IN THE SKY FOR ABU DHABI
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JANUARY | CONTENTS
JANUARY 2013 VOLUME 7 ISSUE 01 2
FRONT
Top stories in the world of architecture, such as Gensler’s new Kuwait project
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PROJECTS A round up of the latest project news from MENA and the rest of the world
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PEOPLE Key regional appointments, famous architect news and top quotes
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COMMENT
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INTERVIEW
Melkan Tabanlioğlu on her practice’s new Dubai office and JBR mega-scheme
Georgina Chakar asks how the construction industry will fare in 2013
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FEATURE
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SITE VISIT
Standard Chartered’s new eco headquarters in Downtown Burj Khalifa
MEA looks back at the key projects that have emerged over the last year
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CASE STUDIES
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THE WORK A detailed reference section covering all the best projects in the world
AGi’s Kuwait villa, a Mauritania resort and a student project for Abu Dhabi
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CULTURE
56
LAST WORD
A snapshot of funky furniture, books and other accessories in the market
Kirk Rosenbaum, KEO, on healthy buildings, sustainability and Qatar deadlines
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
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FRONT | JANUARY
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Staff in the new Dubai office of Tabanlioglu (page 16)
KUWAIT SET FOR COASTLINE ENTERTAINMENT HUB Gensler appointed as lead consultant on Wafra Seef project
5,760M2 AREA OF PROJECT
TOP STORY
The F&B-focused
Wafra Real Estate appointed Gensler as lead consultant for a 5,760m2 F&B and entertainment destination in Kuwait. 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 offer beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces, with spectacular views of the Gulf. Our designers utilised Gensler’s ample expertise in retail to provide
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scheme is located in Al Mahboula.
a distinctive complex enhanced by the beautiful surroundings of the Arabian Coast.” The design is based on a shelland-core system that maximises leasing opportunities, increases the utilisation of outdoor space and contributes to efficient circulation in the lobby and dining outlets. A critical design element is said to be connectivity; smooth transitions between drop-off and ground floor terraces in the form of sloped walkways were integrated into the site.
MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
A strong linear axis between the street entrance and the ocean allows for clear views from nearly all occupied locations. To enhance this, a series of focal points were created at the primary entrance, the under bridge area and the sunken courtyard. The aesthetic in the design is finished with landscaping, outdoor furnishing and lighting, specially treated in order to promote ‘calm’ alongside the dining terraces. The design team will also implement lifestyle functions such as gyms.
JANUARY | FRONT
FIVE
$140M
Target QSAS rating for Qatar’s Marina Mall
Value of Standard Chartered’s new Dubai HQ (page 32)
(page 26)
Atkins to design futuristic Oman sports academy
Winners for Construction Week Awards revealed
academy • AECOM’s new Dubai office opened by government officials • Gensler to design beach-side Kuwait entertainment hub • Beirut bank scheme handed to UK firm
WEIRD PROJECT OF THE MONTH
Fashion guru Pierre Cardin is focused on delivering 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 flowers, an offering to Venice.” The 65-storey tower is estimated to cost $3bn. DATASTREAM TOP FIVE HOSPITAL PROJECTS IN GCC
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
10 SPECIALISED HOSPITALS IN SAUDI ARABIA
CLEVELAND CLINIC IN AL MARYAH ISLAND
1350
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NEW HOSPITAL FOR SKEIKH KHALIFA MEDICAL CITY
The event, supported by platinum sponsors Tekla Corporation and FAMCO, saw awards presented in 17 categories covering people, projects, initiatives and companies. The gala ceremony, presented by Du, was the culmination of events held in Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in 2012.
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Winners of the 2012 CW Awards.
SIDRA MEDICAL & RESEARCH CENTRE
(Costs in US$M - Source: Ventures Middle East)
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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’.
• Atkins to design futuristic Oman sports
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The roof is inspired by dunes.
swimming and diving pools housing spectator stands for 1,000 people. A 3,000-seat outdoor tennis stadium will be the design’s focal point, featuring a roof structure that illuminates at night. Additional facilities will include football fields, a 400m athletics track, a tennis stadium, beach volleyball courts, a gymnasium, 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.”
• Andy Warhol uncovered
KING ABDULLAH PROJECT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SECURITY FORCES MEDICAL COMPLEXES
Atkins will deliver detailed design and construction supervision services for the Sultan Qaboos Sports Academy in Muscat, Oman. The firm was also behind its concept design, which includes 60m and 200m indoor running tracks, and an indoor aquatic training centre with Olympic-size
DESIGNMENA.COM
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FRONT | JANUARY
60 SECOND INTERVIEW
PEOPLE
Thom Mayne wins 2013 AIA Gold Medal
Pioneer of modernism passes away.
Oscar Niemeyer dies at 104 in Rio 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 Corbusier, 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 commented: “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.
The current facilities in Dubai need to be scaled up in line with future ambitions.”
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 influentially designing theoretical premises. The result has been a 40-year body of work that is intellectually 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 dramatically pitched canyon of concrete and corrugated metal.
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 project in the UAE, probably in the region. We have been beating 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 recognised 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 Platinum; and the Incubator, another commercial building. We have the second phase of Masdar Institute which has higher targets than the first phase in terms of sustainability and Estidama. Mayne man: AIA’s top architect.
Some Chinese products for the building industry rank among some of the best in the world.”
HH SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM, Ruler of Dubai
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SULTAN AL ALI, HEAD OF INVESTMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ACTING DIRECTOR OF MASDAR CITY. How does it feel to win Best Overall Project at the Construction Week Awards?
MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
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FRONT | JANUARY
MENA PROJECT SNAPSHOT 1
2 3
3
1 QATAR
2 LEBANON
3 ABU DHABI
Qatar handball stadium given to Croatian team
Bank HQ to help regenerate Beirut’s CBD
GAJ to design Abu Dhabi home for top UK school
Croatian 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.
UK practice John Robertson Architects 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, executives and customers. Situated at the centre of the Mina El Hosn district and near to central Beirut, BANKMED HQ will help regenerate the area and extend the Beirut Central Business District westwards.
GAJ announced that it has been awarded the contract of full service for top UK boarding school Cranleigh, 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.
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FRONT | JANUARY
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5
4 OMAN
5 SAUDI ARABIA
6 KUWAIT
Work begins on shopping centre at The Wave
Dewan to design Saudi multi-tower scheme
Al Hamra pipped by Gehry in skyscraper award
A 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.
UAE-based architecture firm 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 twostorey podium and basement. The towers will contain a five-star hotel, Grade A offices, 1,500 luxury apartments and a 25,000m2 retail mall.
8 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.”
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
FRONT | NOVEMBER
JANUARY | FRONT
GLOBAL PROJECT SNAPSHOT 1 2
3
1 CHINA
2 GERMANY
3 USA
Broadway Malyan mall opens in Suzhou
gmp wins extension to art museum in Mannheim
Miami set for twisting tower project
The 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 designconscious customers. Natural elements such as water shape the design, with the feeling of ripples and pools flowing through the space and the inclusion of curved balustrade details.
German firm 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 different heights and widths, and by the arrangement of squares. With a louvered façade, the design distinguishes itself with its colour scheme.
A team featuring Danish architecture firm 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 firm Terra Group, construction is scheduled 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.
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FRONT | JANUARY
THE BIG PICTURE
SWEDE DREAMS Respected Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects has completed the Umeå Art Museum in Umeå University in northern Sweden. The façade features vertical louvers in Siberian larch, which supports its verticality — only broken by the large windows and the glass floor in the middle.
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JANUARY | FRONT
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
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COMMENT | EDITOR’S LETTER
KUWAIT CALLING EDITOR’S LETTER
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
F
or this month’s main feature, we decided to look back over all the weird, wonderful and wacky designs that have emerged across the GCC. While we struggled to find 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 reporting on construction projects in the GCC, Kuwait is one country that has always felt a little off the radar. Despite seeming a little impenetrable, there is no denying that there are some quality pieces of architecture, either build or under development, in Kuwait. It’s not just the buildings themselves 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
BDP’s Kuwait Cultural Centre is one of many great projects to have been unveiled in the last 12 months.
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 section 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
Despite its unglamorous association with a household cleaning device, Mop House is another Kuwaiti classic.”
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
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 buildings 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 impressive 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.
COMMENT | GEORGINA CHAKAR
YEAR OF HOPE OPINION
How will the construction industry fare in the next 12 months?
Georgina Chakar is an Australian architect and a Master of Urban Planning. She works in Abu Dhabi
T
he world’s population will step into its fi rst days of 2013 facing major challenges as a result of more than five years of economic recession, political disputes, natural disasters and famine. The construction 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 influenced by the economic movements of the entire world. What are the reports and projections forecasting for 2013? In the USA, the only steady section in the construction industry remained the residential. Meanwhile, the most affected countries in Europe don’t show promising forecasts. Good news comes from Bangkok, Thailand, where construction fi rms are
entering 2013 with a major infrastructure project: the construction of ten electric train lines scheduled for completion in 2015. The governments of Zimbabwe and Tanzania are investing in infrastructure. So is the Turkish government, 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.
Huge sports projects are underway in Qatar.
The projects that the UAE is commencing in the new year do not seem to follow the current trends.”
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
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 sector 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 Emirates 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. However, some branches of the non-residential sector are entering 2013 with confidence, 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 development 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.
INTERVIEW | MELKAN TABANLIOĞLU
Break on
THROUG THE INTERVIEW
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
P
ossessing an impeccable portfolio, a string of regional awards and an almost unpronounceable name, Tabanlioğlu is a Turkish architecture firm 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
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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 firm to open an office in Dubai. Melkan Tabanlioğlu, one half of the husbandand-wife design duo which runs the practice, was understandably beaming about the latest developments.
MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
“We are in the second stage of Dubai,” she remarks. “We have been coming here for nine years, but this year is different 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
MELKAN TABANLIOĞLU | INTERVIEW
GH www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
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INTERVIEW | AUKETT FITZROY ROBINSON
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CONSTRUCTION TIMEFRAME Bodrum Airport in Turkey.
will house a hotel operated by Turkish company Rixos Group, as well as apartments, offices, retail and beach clubs. Tabanlioğlu gives the low down on the project. “It was a competition between all the English and American companies and the client chose our project. Construction has started — we have finished 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 building with the environment, and this is the first 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 requirements, but in terms of lifestyle. Being a part of the city is very important.” When asked whether the building will be a signature Tabanlioğlu project, she replies: “Every project has a story — we take this feeling from
IN MONTHS the location. For us it is we like to have friends very important to make a in Dubai.” Tabanlioğlu smart, local project. It’s not reveals that there will be 10 only the life in Dubai, it’s the life to 12 people in the Dubai office, but in this specific part of Dubai, which is it’s “related to the future”. giving us inspiration. The silhouette She continues: “Of course, we from the seaside is critical. It must be are waiting for a lot of things in the something that is fitting for Dubai.” second life of Dubai. I think the crisis Yet it is perhaps surprising that it taught a lot of things to the people. It has taken until 2012 for the Turks wasn’t only here. You learn a lot from 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 effort. For this project we opened an office.” Regarding the Dubai office, she comments: “We have very well-educated architects — they have experience 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 —
“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
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
MELKAN TABANLIOĞLU | INTERVIEW
these crises. I think the second phase will be more clever — it’s very important to know the end users. “From the first day you should always 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 firm 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 important 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 firm’s key recent projects is Astana Media Centre in Kazakhstan, which won a Cityscape Award for Community 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 suppliers, 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 because of the war we stopped,” added Tabanlioğlu. Previously, the firm
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 firm valuable tall building experience for Dubai’s Crystal 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 office, we have a residence. Dubai is our second home.”
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
Melkan (left) picking up MEA’s Architect of the Year Award in 2010.
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PORTFOLIO | MELKAN TABANLIOÄžLU
X LOFT GARDENS, ISTANBUL This 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.
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
MELKAN TABANLIOGLU | PORTFOLIO
S ASTANA ARENA, KAZAKHSTAN This 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.
W ISTANBUL SAPPHIRE Standing 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.
T 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.
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FEATURE | YEAR IN REVIEW
ar MEA looks back over the weird and wonderful projects that have emerged in the GCC over the past 12 months
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e iie evie
MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
YEAR IN REVIEW | FEATURE
> DUBAI
W
hile there may have been a lack of major project openings, 2012 signalled the return of Dubai. Countless new schemes were launched, mainly in the tourism and hospitality sectors. Property giant Emaar was particularly active, although shy to reveal detailed architectural renderings. 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 station, scheduled to be operational this year. Emaar was not the only big name developer to unveil 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 Holdings, on Al Wasl Road. The neatly-designed and compact development received a Construction Week award for Commercial Project of the Year, and is currently nearing completion. One of the strangest buildings to emerge was an underwater hotel , reminiscent of a Star Trek spaceship, conceived by Polish company Deep Ocean
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
L-r: Water Discus Hotel; Dubai Mall bridge; Arts District; Jumeirah College.
23
FEATURE | YEAR IN REVIEW
Arts District; Palm Tree Court; The Address The BVD (below); Infinity Tower (right).
Technology. In May, Dry Docks World, the shipbuilding arm of Dubai World, signed a deal to become the exclusive main contractor for the hotel in the Middle East. Another unorthodox design emerged in October, with plans announced for a giant picture frameshaped tower containing a 150mhigh glass bridge and a café, offering
views of the entire city. Scheduled for completion by 2013, it is expected to attract about two million visitors and tourists annually. Other tourism flavoured 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
50
ART GALLERIES IN DUBAI
24
MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
fruitful, with a major win for BDP with the $45m Jumeirah College. the year, it was Earlier on in th Cayan would deliver reported that Cay Infi nity Tower the landmark twisted twi by October 2012. However, the scheme impressive SOM-designed SOMcontinued delays, pushing saw continue its opening date into 2013.
YEAR IN REVIEW | FEATURE
> ABU DHABI
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, courtesy 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.
A huge project in the capital that saw a significant delivery was Sowwah Square by Goettsch Partners, which was highly commended as MEA’s Best Overall Project. Also nearing completion is Siemens’ 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, Institutional 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 hospital design which gives a welcoming feeling to the community.” Many high-end office towers on Al Maryah Island were revealed, including 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 hospitality 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).
290,000M2 OFFICE SPACE IN SOWWAH SQUARE
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25
FEATURE | YEAR IN REVIEW
> QATAR
Q
Marina Mall (below); Al Hitmi Fraser Suites; Burj Qatar (right).
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 pieces 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 office section, completed in 2010. Another striking complex to be delivered was Jaidah Square, a seven-storey office 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 office 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 Building Rating System. Vice president of HOK, Barry Hughes, told MEA: “We have termed it as a ‘supernatural’ building — a combination of natural and futuristic. It’s like being in a giant Henry Moore sculpture.”
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
YEAR IN REVIEW | FEATURE
> SAUDI ARABIA
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. Looming 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 patterning. It is set for completion in 2014. In June, UAE giant Dewan unveiled 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 exception. The fi rm revealed its design for the KAFD Conference Centre, a 27,350m2 futuristic greenhouse-like complex, with a 600-seat auditorium, and a ‘digital forum’ approach which allows all venues to be internal and external. Albert Speer and Partners is working on a striking 44.4m-high criminal court complex in Riyadh which is scheduled for
27,350M2 AREA OF KAFD
CONFERENCE CENTRE
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.
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Al Ahsa mall; Court complex (left); Dammam tower; KAFD centre (above).
27
FEATURE | YEAR IN REVIEW
> KUWAIT
258,000M
2
AREA OF CLADDING ON AL HAMRA
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 twisted 412m Al Hamra Tower by SOM, which contains offices, 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 Kuwait City by AGi Architects, which won MEA’s Residential Project of the Year. Judges praised the clean-
Entertainment hub (above); S Cube chalet; Cultural Centre (right).
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
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, screening 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 coastline of the Al Mahboula area.
YEAR IN REVIEW | FEATURE
> OMAN
$43.2M
VALUE OF THE SOHAR BANK HQ
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 Academy 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 flat 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 internal oasis traversed by three internal bridges, hanging gardens and sea views on a 36,000m2 site.
XXXXX XXX XXteeming with workers at the
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29
FEATURE | YEAR IN REVIEW
> BAHRAIN
M
Wyndham Hotel (right and below); Pearl Roundabout (far right).
30
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 ďŹ ve years, according to the report.
MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
YEAR IN REVIEW | FEATURE
WPC protecs primeval forests. Our first objective was to develop the technology to create a composite wood superior to natural wood in order to combat the thoughtless lumbering of forest trees
NEW SHOWROOM, NOW OPEN! Come and visit us at our Grand Showroom “WORLD OF FLOORING” For the complete display of Natural Wood and Composite Flooring - @ The Curve Building., SH-12, Sheikh Zayed Road.
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SITE VISIT | STANDARD CHARTERED HQ
Standard bearer
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 certification for core-and-shell construction and fit-out. LEED for core-and-shell certification 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.
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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 criteria for developers, owners and tenants. Saeed Alabbar, from consultant AESG, explains the concept during a site visit just prior to the building’s official opening. “For the core-and-shell, it would be actual certification of these components.
MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
STANDARD CHARTERED HQ | SITE VISIT
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33
SITE VISIT | STANDARD CHARTERED HQ
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 efficiency. And then the same elements apply to the interior spaces.” Alabbar continues: “All the bathrooms are in common areas and very efficient 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
treated through a grey-water treatment system and then gets re-used for toilet flushing.” 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 effectively 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 Brookfield Multiplex, says that while the contractor 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 everything”, from design to
23,500M2
TOTAL GROSS FLOOR AREA
It is certainly one of the most advanced buildings of its kind in Dubai in particular.” Andrew Phillips, project manager, Brookfield Multiplex
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
STANDARD CHARTERED HQ | SITE VISIT
tĹ?ĚĞ ^ĞůĞÄ?ĆšĹ?ŽŜ ŽĨ ÄžĆ?Ĺ?Ĺ?ĹśĆ? ĂŜĚ ^ĆľĆŒÄ¨Ä‚Ä?ÄžĆ? &Ĺ?ĹśĹ?Ć?ŚĞĆ?͘
Bedienen Sie sich aus einer Vielzahl von 'HNRUHQ XQG 2EHUĂ€lFKHQ HUKlOWOLFK LQ YHUVFKLHGHQHQ 3ODWWHQVWlUNHQ construction and ďŹ t-out, which necessitated an unusually high level of collaboration between the professional team. The project has been developed by Gulf Resources Development & Investment, with ADNP/Hines as the development manager and Emaar Properties as the master developer. It comprises a ground oor, 13 office oors and four parking garage oors. The total gross 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 purposes. Four are ďŹ nished, but these are turned off to minimise wear-and-tear,â€? explains Phillips. He reveals the executive oor, the top oor, and explains that Standard Chartered will occupy levels 10 to 17. On a lower oor he points out what is termed a ‘break-out’ or ‘club zone’. Every oor, except for the top oor, has one of these, and they vary in size. Phillips says that Standard Chartered has conďŹ gured 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 efficient.â€? Looking more closely at the LEED standards adopted by the building, Alabbar says: “A big element of Standard Chartered’s
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Ä&#x17E;Ä?Ĺ˝Ć&#x152;Ć? Ç Ĺ?Ć&#x161;Ĺ&#x161; Ä&#x17E;Ä&#x161;Ĺ?Ä&#x17E; ĆľÄ?Ä&#x201A;Ĺ? KĨĨĹ?Ä?Ä&#x17E; Íť ĆľĆ?Ĺ?ĹśÄ&#x17E;Ć?Ć? sĹ?ĹŻĹŻÄ&#x201A;Ĺ?Ä&#x17E; Íť KĨĨĹ?Ä?Ä&#x17E; ĎłĎĎą Íť WĹ˝Ć&#x152;Ć&#x161; ^Ä&#x201A;Ä&#x17E;Ä&#x17E;Ä&#x161; Ä&#x17E;Ĺ?Ć&#x152;Ä&#x201A; ĆľÄ?Ä&#x201A;Ĺ? Íť hÍ&#x2DC; Í&#x2DC; Í&#x2DC; Íť WÍ&#x2DC;KÍ&#x2DC; Ĺ˝Ç&#x2020; ĎĎĎŻĎŹĎ´Ďą Íť d Đ˝ĎľĎłĎ ĎąĎąĎ˛ Ϲϳϴ ϯϳϯ Ĺ˝Ĺ&#x161;Ä&#x201A; KĨĨĹ?Ä?Ä&#x17E; Íť 'Ä&#x201A;Ć&#x161;Ä&#x17E; ĎĎ´Ďą Íť ^Ć&#x161;Ć&#x152;Ä&#x17E;Ä&#x17E;Ć&#x161; ĎŻ Íť /ĹśÄ&#x161;ĆľĆ?Ć&#x161;Ć&#x152;Ĺ?Ä&#x201A;ĹŻ Ć&#x152;Ä&#x17E;Ä&#x201A; Íť Ĺ˝Ĺ&#x161;Ä&#x201A; Íť YÄ&#x201A;Ć&#x161;Ä&#x201A;Ć&#x152; WÍ&#x2DC;KÍ&#x2DC; Ĺ˝Ç&#x2020; ĎąĎĎ´Ďł Íť нϾϳϰ ϰϰϲϏ Ď°ĎĎŹĎ°
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
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SITE VISIT | STANDARD CHARTERED HQ
cost base is its staff, so there are a lot of features in here that allow people to work more efficiently. “For example, this flooring is Green Label certified. 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 international 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
Alabbar, AESG, (left) and Phillips from Brookfield Multiplex (right).
1.5
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
36
a lot of energy efficiency from that. You will see as well that 90% of the occupied spaces actually receive enough daylight, and there are daylight 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 buildings like this in Australia and the UK, so it has been done before, though not for this region,” remarks Phillips. Brookfield 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,” comments Phillips. In terms of the construction challenges UV VALUE OF HIGHposed by building in the PERFORMANCE AND crowded Downtown ENERGY-EFFICIENT Dubai area, Phillips says GLASS 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 fit-out, [the main issue was making sure] the floor plans all fit and accommodate everyone. The client has been planning for years how many people will be moving into these offices, and it has allowed for expansion, so Standard Chartered knew it had to take eight floors. 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 fit. “For us, the actual building of it was sort of the easy bit.”
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38/48 CASE STUDIES
50/53 THE WORK
54/55 CULTURE
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MOP HOUSE | CASE STUDY
THE PROJECT Originally conceived as a singlefamily 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 ďŹ rst a basement. It uses dark brown, natural sandstone and white plaster in the façade to differentiate between the different levels. Bamboo is used generously in the interior, built into curved walls to contribute a natural feeling of continuity and uniformity throughout.
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
CASE STUDY | MOP HOUSE
MOP HOUSE Designer: AGi Architects Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait CASE STUDY
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 different visions from the vantage point of each area of the home. It is built in an integrated curve, intended to mimic a mop. The flow surrounding the patio on the fi rst floor leads to a succession of living spaces that communicate, connecting the interior to the exterior.
750M2 AREA OF PLOT
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
39
MOP HOUSE | CASE STUDY
THE CONCEPT The house was originally designed to accommodate a family with two children, providing enough private space for all. A lounge, guest dining room, play room and garage are situated on the ground floor around a courtyard. The fi rst floor houses the children’s bedrooms, linked to a family dining room by a shared lounge. A separate independent space for the main bedroom and guest room is also on this level, while a gym and private terrace are located on the second floor. Both interior and exterior walls are softly curved, furthering the mop theme.
FOUR
NUMBER OF LEVELS
THE DETAILS Bamboo is utilised throughout the interior, used as flooring on the fi rst and second levels to distinguish the more intimate spaces, and incorporated into the curved walls and staircase, for overall continuity. The flooring on the ground floor is stone, with the interior matching the same material as the façade. The structure’s fi rst floor overhangs to shield the bottom floors, 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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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
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SNIM HOTEL | CASE STUDY
SNIM HOTEL Architect: Draw Link Group Location: Nouakchott, Mauritania CASE STUDY
THE PROJECT Sponsored by the National Industrial and Mining Company (SNIM), the ďŹ 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 tranquility. Landscaped grounds link a central reception building to living
3.3M
POPULATION OF MAURITANIA
42
MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
and recreational areas, including a spa and pool. Part of the connecting area was designed as a public gallery. The rooms are in a twoband formation with a mix of public, semi-private and private spaces.
CASE STUDY | SNIM HOTEL
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 shielding plant screens to reduce the impact of sandstorms. Protective walls, shelter areas and vegetation keep the north-eastern portion of the property 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 cafĂŠ, restaurants, a business centre and more.
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
43
SNIM HOTEL | CASE STUDY
THE CONCEPT The structure taps into the regional architecture of Saharan Africa, expressed in natural, local materials in earth tones. Terracotta, wood, raw concrete and glass are all used in the design. The hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 facilities in the spa area include an indoor pool, treatment rooms, jacuzzi, saunas and gym.
1960
INDEPENDENCE FROM FRANCE
THE DETAILS Hotel rooms are laid out in a banded system, with the most private spaces protected by the outside ring. A vegetated wall subtly separates the path leading from public
44
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
MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
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.
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SIKKAS IN THE SKY | CASE STUDY
SIKKAS IN THE SKY Designers: Alexandre Carrasco and Omelmominin Wadidy, University of Nottingham Location: Abu Dhabi Corniche 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 Alexandre Carrasco and Omelmominin Wadidy, Masters in Sustainable Tall Buildings Course, Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham. The studio promotes high-rises that respond to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apex.
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
CASE STUDY | SIKKAS IN THE SKY
THE SITE
Image © SOM/ L’Autre Image
The scheme is situated on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, adjacent to the ADIA Tower. The vertical interpretation of the sikka creates comfortable spaces shaded from the harsh desert sun and wind, and is suitable for socio-communal activities. Focus was given to the façade’s environmental performance, its impact on the quality of light and the interiors, with thin shafts of light moving WIDTH OF across spaces reminiscent TRANSPARENT of vernacular Middle ELEMENTS Eastern architecture such as souqs and mosques.
0.6M
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
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SIKKAS IN THE SKY | CASE STUDY
THE CONCEPT In the design, the traditional corridor 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 building. To cater for the larger extended families, the apartments are duplex creating private spaces on the upper floors away from the sikkas and courtyards below.
0.4M
WIDTH OF PROJECTING CONCRETE FINS
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 significant 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 projecting concrete fi ns.
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
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PROJECT UPDATE | THE WORK
THE WORK PROJECT UPDATE
CIRCLE SNACK BAR
7M2
AREA OF THE PROJECT
Architect: Farshad Mahdizadeh Location: Isfahan, Iran
NEW COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING — QATAR UNIVERSITY Architect: Mimar Emirates Engineering Consultants Location: Doha, Qatar
WASL SQUARE Architect: NAGA Architects Location: Dubai
270
TOWNHOUSES AND APARTMENTS
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MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 01.13 | www.designmena.com
Designed by Iranian architect Farshad 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.”
Designed by Mimar Emirates Engineering Consultants, it is one of the university’s flagship colleges and is intended to house six academic departments: Chemical, Civil, Architecture, Electrical, Mechanical, and Computer Engineering. Mimar was challenged to conceive of a facility that could handle the college’s current enrolment of 1,200, but grow over the next three years to accommodate a projected 2,200 students.
This mixed-use commercial and residential project just off Al Safa Park is geared towards design savvy, middle-income residents and retailers. The multi-dwelling property is intended to socially integrate its community. The three-storey complex incorporates retail spaces on the ground floor to cater to pedestrians, and apartments on the top two floors, providing an element of privacy from the two-story townhouses.
2016
COMPLETION DATE OF SKMC
Architect: SOM Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
SIEMENS MIDDLE EAST HQ Architect: Sheppard Robson Location: Masdar City, Abu Dhabi
THE CHEDI, KHOR FAKKAN
100+
NUMBER OF SUITES IN THE RESORT
Architect: GAJ Location: Khor Fakkan, Sharjah
S CUBE CHALET
750M2
AREA OF PROJECT
Architect: AGi Architects Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait
Conceived as three hospitals under one roof, the new Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) is a 300,000m2, 838-bed medical complex that will combine a general hospital 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.
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 efficiency. With completion scheduled for 2013, it will be the fi rst headquarters building at Masdar City.
Designed by Dubai’s GAJ, this boutique hotel resort north of Khor Fakkan 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.
Designed by Spain and Kuwaitbased architecture studio AGi Architects, the S Cube Chalet residential space is comprised of three intertwined 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.
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
51
THE WORK | PROJECT UPDATE
SHEIKH KHALIFA MEDICAL CITY
PROJECT UPDATE | THE WORK
AL HILAL BANK TOWER Architect: Goettsch Partners Location: Abu Dhabi
KAFD CONFERENCE CENTRE
28,350M2 SITE AREA
Architect: SOM Location: King Abdullah Financial District, Saudi Arabia
JAIDAH SQUARE
70,000M2 TOTAL CONSTRUCTIBLE AREA
Designers: Woods Bagot, MZ & Partners and United Designers Location: Doha, Qatar
BODRUM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Architect: Tabanlioglu Location: Bodrum, Turkey
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Goettsch Partners (GP) has designed a 24-storey commercial development for Al Hilal Bank in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s Al Maryah Island. Totalling 87,570m2 overall, the tower includes 49,110m2 of office and retail space with 1,000 parking spaces for tenants and visitors. The speculative office tower is located in the capital’s new central business district, next to GP’s huge Sowwah Square project for Mubadala.
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.
This seven-storey commercial office building in Doha broke ground in 2009. The initial concept was given to Woods Bagot to create the building’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 fit-out in the communal areas.
Bodrum International Airport, designed by Turkish architecture fi rm Tabanlioglu, was completed in June this year, with a construction timeframe of 15 months. The 455,000m2 building consists of two main structures, an ‘air side’ of transparent glass and steel linear scaffold which connects to the planes and a ‘land side’ terminal building. Primary elements are organised to provide easy circulation for passengers.
24
STOREYS TALLEST OF THE FIVE BUILDINGS
Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Location: London, UK
MASDAR INSTITUTE
86,138M2 AREA OF PHASE 1B
Lead consultant: RW Armstrong Designer: Foster + Partners Location: Masdar City, Abu Dhabi
DISASTER PREVENTION AND EDUCATION CENTRE Architect: Dinkoff Architects and Engineers Location: Istanbul, Turkey
12
NUMBER OF SUPPORTING COLUMNS
SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILION Designers: Herzog & de Meuron with Ai Weiwei Location: London
Picking up two International Property Awards in 2011, Neo Bankside was designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + 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.
The Masdar Institute is the fi rst development 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 September 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.
This disaster prevention centre in Istanbul draws inspiration from ancient cave dwellings. A conference hall and planetarium are each situated at opposite ends of the facility. The conference hall is flanked by an exhibition hall, orientation stage and children’s section, while the planetarium is surrounded by the 4D-video display room, fi re fighting training room and rainstorm simulation section.
Every year since 2000, a different architect has been responsible for creating the Serpentine Gallery’s Summer pavilion for Kensington Gardens, London. The 2012 edition, 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.
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
53
THE WORK | PROJECT UPDATE
NEO BANKSIDE
CULTURE | LIKE WANT NEED
LIKE WANT NEED CULTURE
BATHROOM CASE COLLECTION Laufen S Laufen has created a versatile, practical solution for all situations with its Case furniture and mirror collection featuring minimalist lines which can fit 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 fitted with an optional touch-free concealed sensor control, and offers the latest in energy-saving technology.
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LIKE WANT NEED | CULTURE
FURNITURE PAIMIO ARMCHAIR Vitra 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, offices 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 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; lacquered white and lacquered black.
APP iRHINO 3D Robert McNeel & Associates MATERIALS EUROLIGHT Egger 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, offices and many other spaces. The product is supplied by 4K Building Materials.
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.
www.designmena.com | 01.13 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT
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LAST WORD | KIRK ROSENBAUM
Registered at Dubai Media City PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: 00 971 4 444 3000 Fax: 00 971 4 444 3030 Web: www.itp.com Offices in Dubai & London ITP BUSINESS PUBLISHING CEO Walid Akawi Managing Director Neil Davies Managing Director ITP Business Karam Awad Deputy Managing Director Matthew Southwell Editorial Director David Ingham EDITORIAL Senior Group Editor Stuart Matthews Editor Oliver Ephgrave Tel: +971 4 444 3303 email: oliver.ephgrave@itp.com Reporter Aidan Imanova Tel: +971 4 444 3497 email: aidan.imanova@itp.com ADVERTISING Sales Manager Alexander James Tel: +971 4 444 3393 email: alexander.james@itp.com Sales Director, Construction Group Yazan Rahman Tel: +971 4 444 3351 email: yazan.rahman@itp.com Business Development Manager, Saudi Arabia Rabih Naderi Tel: +966 1 2068697 email: rabih.naderi@itp.com STUDIO Group Art Editor Daniel Prescott Designer Wasim Akande
HEALTH KICK THE LAST WORD
Kirk Rosenbaum, manager for commissioning works at KEO, on the importance of healthy buildings.
PHOTOGRAPHY Chief Photographer Jovana Obradovic Senior Photographers Isidora Bojovic, Efraim Evidor Staff Photographers George Dipin, Juliet Dunne, Murrindie Frew, Verko Ignjatovic, Shruti Jagdeesh, Mosh Lafuente, Ruel Pableo, Rajesh Raghav PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Deputy Production Manager Matthew Grant Production Coordinator Nelly Pereira Distribution Executive Nada Al Alami Managing Picture Editor Patrick Littlejohn Image Editor Emmalyn Robles CIRCULATION Head of Database & Circulation Gaurav Gulati MARKETING
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.
Head of Marketing Daniel Fewtrell Marketing Manager Michelle Meyrick ITP DIGITAL Director Peter Conmy Internet Applications Manager Mohammed Affan Web Designer Meghna Rao ITP GROUP
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.
Chairman Andrew Neil Managing Director Robert Serafin Finance Director Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Board of Directors K M Jamieson, Mike Bayman, Walid Akawi, Neil Davies, Rob Corder, Mary Serafin Circulation Customer Service Tel: +971 4 444 3000 Certain images in this issue are available for purchase. Please contact itpimages@itp.com for further details or visit www.itpimages.com Printed by Atlas Printing Press L.L.C. Dubai Subscribe online at www.itp.com/subscriptions Audited by: BPA Worldwide Average Qualified Circulation 5,184 (Jan – June 2012) The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review.
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.
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