Middle East Architect - June 2010

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

JUNE 2010 / VOLUME 4 / ISSUE 6An ITP Business Publication | Licensed by Dubai Media City

WORK IN PROGRESS

ADNEC’s Capital Gate takes shape in Abu Dhabi

ANALYSIS

Saudi Arabia warms up for Cityscape Jeddah

PORTFOLIO

A desert hotel, container housing and the world’s tallest minaret

PLUS

The Middle East’s top fi ve green buildings revealed

JUNE | CONTENTS

www.constructionweekonline.com | 06.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT 1

2

JUNE 2010 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 6

WHAT’S ON THE WEB See more of MEA online, with up to date news and

an archive of projects and case studies

6OPINION Gensler’s Hisham Youssef argues that the GCC can learn from what has happened in Dubai

9SNAPSHOT

A short sharp summary of industry news from the last

30 days, including Qatar’s World Cup 2022 stadiums

12ANALYSIS Cityscape Jeddah will focus on Saudi Arabia’s coming construction boom

16WORK IN PROGRESS

MEA visits Abu Dhabi to see how work is progressing at

ADNEC’s Capital Gate

18THE INTERVIEW Aukett Fitzroy Robinson’s top two on returning to the Middle East

22COVER STORY

48CASE STUDIES A new mosque in Algeria, a luxury hotel in the UAE desert and container housing in Sudan

56THE WORK

A detailed reference section covering all the regional

projects MEA has looked at in recent months

62CULTURE Cool products, clever ideas, a useful app and some of the latest reading material from the world of architecture

WHATSee mowith u

an arch

30BATHROOMS How has modern bathroom design been eff ected by the fi nancial downturn?

37URBAN METABOLISM

We look at the fi nal projects of students at the American

University of Sharjah

Our experts nominate the top fi ve buildings in the

Middle East

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 06.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

ONLINE | JUNE

2

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GEHRY SLAMS LEEDAbu Dhabi Guggenheim designer says green rank-ing system is based on “bogus stuff ”.

ECHOES OF THE SEANewly-released designs for the Doha Mobu are infl uenced by Qatar’s his-tory of pearl diving.

METRO FOR JEDDAHWe take a look at govern-ment plans for a subway system in Saudi Arabia’s coastal hub.

MIDDLE GROUNDMEA editor Orlando Crowcroft argues that the age of icons is not yet over in the Middle East.

IN PICTURES: PRITZKER PRIZE 2010We take a look at some of the work of Ryue Nishizawa and Kazuyo Sejima, the Japanese winners of theprestigious architectural award.

CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COMONLINE

COLUMNS & FEATURES

EDITOR’S CHOICE

• IN PICTURES:The world’s sixugliest buildings

• Trio to designnew Abu Dhabieducation hub

• WATG to design world’s biggest resort in Egypt

FOR BREAKINGNEWS, ANALYSIS,

INTERVIEWS, TENDERS, AND PROJECTS, LOG ON

TO: CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM

MOST POPULAR

• Besix and Takreerwin contracts inAbu Dhabi

• IN PICTURES: Qatar’s World Cup Stadiums

• UK spending cuts threaten ME con-struction recovery

• Cost of labour inAbu Dhabi takes a 10% drop

SPOT POLL

Do you agree with the midday work ban?

71.4%It’s very important for the welfare and safety of the workforce.

14.3% It’s disruptive but I can see the value.

14.3% It makes the work day far too long.

Stories selected

for 1 - 23 May, 2010


COMMENT | EDITOR’S LETTER

4

Frank Gehry is not the fi rst person to criticise the LEED ranking system, and he is unlikely to be

the last. But the Pritzker prize-winning

architect’s comments have caused quite a stir on the internet, with some leaping to the defense of the 81-year-old architect, but many criticising him for undermining the grand mission of green design at a crucial time.

Both views, of course, rely on a mis-understanding of what Gehry said, a state of aff airs not unusual in online debates. Yes, he did say that a lot of LEED rankings “are given for bogus stuff ” and he did sarcastically dismiss the idea of designing a LEED-rated

There will always be green washing and off -the-peg ways to boost the ratings

GREEN DESIGN

building – but did he come out against sustainable design in the same way all those wackos dismiss global warm-ing? Of course not.

This was clarifi ed later in an interview with Business Week which, naturally, got far less attention than his initial comments in Chicago. Gehry told the magazine that what he objected to was the “fetishization” of green design, and the fact that very little of what gets done serves any purpose other than good PR.

And in many ways he is right. LEED has achieved some notoriety for the credit it gives to environmen-tal ‘initiatives’ such as bicycle racks, while the fact that Las Vegas City Center casino – all 18-million ft2 of

FINE TUNING

it – achieved a LEED gold rating still strikes some as baffl ing.

But what is crucial here is the recognition that green design, and its recent boom, is still young, and green ranking systems are not perfect. There will be green washing, and there will be off -the-peg ways to boost the ratings, but as developers, governments and individuals become more interested in sustainable design, these will fade.

This brings us nicely to our cover story this month, in which we asked fi ve green design experts to nominate the building that they felt was the most sustainable in the Middle East. What we got was fi ve projects that, bar one or two, many of you may not have heard of. Some of these projects have already been recognised, among them Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the American Univer-sity of Beirut, while others have not, despite some truly amazing initia-tives. One such project, the Waagner Biro Labour Camp, incorporates an artifi cial wetland sustained by sewage - an incredible feat given that it has been built in the desert.

As for Gehry, far from criticising him for his challenges to LEED, the proponents of green design should be welcoming them. Constructive criti-cism from architects of his stature will only serve to hone the guidelines, and draw attention to their fl aws. Blind acceptance and over-sensitiv-ity, after all, are rarely conducive to positive development.

LEED isn’t perfect, nor should we expect it to be

GOT A

COMMENT?

If you have any

comments to

make on this

month’s issue,

please e-mail

orlando.

crowcroft

@itp.com

LEED accredited buildings such as City Center

in Las Vegas have provoked criticism.

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COMMENT | DUBAI

6

This is a great time to be in the GCC. Don’t get me wrong, for many profes-sionals in our industry it

is tough and disruptive, but this is the glass half empty view. For many of us architects who experienced the pre-2008 frenzy in Dubai, and care about the successful evolution of GCC cities, the current slowdown and project cancellation could not have come at a better time – and let me explain why.

As the pace of construction reached a dizzying and seemingly unstop-pable pace, no one had the time to consider or critique the viability of many projects. And why would anyone do so? ‘If you build it, they will come’ was almost the mantra in Dubai, and

An overall city plan was catching up with developments rather than the other way around.

OPINION

come they did, or so it appeared. We know better now, after the speculative buying ended. Now that we have time for introspection, there is an urgent need for it.

I am sure many questioned why clients asked us to build one twisting and screaming tower after another just because we could. In Dubai, icon-itis led to a city full of buildings vying to stand out, and yet very few are memorable. Public space also suff ered, buildings need to engage with their surroundings to create public activity areas instead of simply fi lling the leftover spaces in between buildings. An overall city plan was catching up with the developments rather than the other way around.

With projects cancelled, some de-servedly so, and the speculative invest-ment in real estate gone, we can now focus on the real issues: public space, cohesive vision, transit linkages. How can we emerge stronger, and smarter, to address the inherent needs, instead of imaginary ones? As a profession, we must regroup to emerge with a clearer vision about our cities. Abu Dhabi’s Urban Planning Council’s Vision 2030 is a big step in the right direction.

Dubai set the standard to emulate, but we now need to learn from the pitfalls. We need to engage in a mean-ingful and coordinated dialogue with clients, the authorities, educational in-stitutions, and the public to debate the relevant issues that will make our cit-ies livable, beyond buildings. Creation of space is what makes a city, while lack of public space leads to alienation. A dialogue about these issues could lead to initiatives that would set the course for the next phase.

Instead of parachuted generic designs, it would be more meaningful to develop an architectural identity which refl ects the unique demographic mix of the place. We need to capture the essence of our region, what and who we are today. This can only lead to a new approach to design and planning, that is at once sustainable, relevant, and more meaningful.

This is an opportunity we must seize. We have the funds, we have the talent, and more importantly, we have the time. Dubai set the benchmark for the world. Let us now chart the course forward for the region.

The way forward for the GCC

LESSONSLEARNED

Hisham Youssef

is an architect

at Gensler,

responsible

for the fi rm’s

projects in

Egypt and

North Africa.

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JUNE | SNAPSHOT


THIS MONTH’SNEED TO

KNOW

“There was nothing there.

Len Grundlingh, DSA Architects (Page 48)

We had the whole desert to choose from.”

THE E

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F THE

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IN A

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IA’S

NEW

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OSQU

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AGE5

4)

The proportion

of GCC consumers

who want their

country to reduce

reliance on fossil-fuels

9/10“We have used techniques on this tower that will

be studied by students

of architecture for years

to come.”

Michael Johnson, ADNEC (Page 16)

“Sustainability is about more than just reduced

energy and water.It’s about buildings

that endure and thatgive something back to society.”

Nicholas Lander, Inhabit (Page 26)

The estimated population ofSaudi Arabia by the end of 2010

27 MILLION

THE BREEAM SCOREOF STRIDE TREGLOWN’SCARDIFF HEADQUARTERS

“People are certainly hanging their hats on Saudi Arabia. There is pent up

demand for everything.”

Yahya Jan, NORR (Page 12)

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 06.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com10

SNAPSHOT | JUNE

Qatar has outlined plans for massive investment in transport and sport-ing facilities as part of its audacious bid for the 2022 World Cup.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the chairman of the Qatar 2022 Bid Committee, handed over a 750-page dossier to FIFA in May, which revealed de-

tailed plans to build or redevelop a total of 12 football stadiums.

The dossier contained detailed plans for an initial fi ve stadiums, designed by Albert Speer and Partners,

QATAR UPS STAKES IN WORLD CUP 2022 BIDThe country unveils plans for 12 football stadiums in 750-page FIFA dossier.

two of which will be redeveloped and three built from scratch.

The solar-powered, air-condi-tioned facilities will be developed if the country is successful in its World Cup bid. Each of the stadi-ums will exploit Qatar’s extreme environmental conditions by chan-neling sunlight to generate power using solar technology. All of them will be designed to maintain a tem-perature of 28 degrees even during Qatar’s scorching summer months.

The fl agship development will be Qatar’s Al Rayyan stadium, situated

20 km northwest of the capital, Doha. The plan is to adapt the struc-ture and surround the building with a screen which will show match up-dates, tournament information and other material. Another existing stadium, the Al Gharafa will also be redeveloped.

The three stadiums to be built from scratch are the Al Shamal, based on traditional Gulf fi sh-ing boats; the Al Khor, based on the shape of a sea shell and the Al Wakrah, a huge sports complex with a swimming pool, mall and spa.

Qatar believes its case for hosting the World Cup is strong, given that all stadiums will be built within one hour of the FIFA World Cup 2022 headquarters, allowing fans to attend more than one a game a day. A 320 km metro system will also be completed by 2021.

In December 2010 FIFA will make their fi nal call as to which of the 11 bidding nations are to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Qatar’s Al Rayyan stadium could be redeveloped before 2022

28 C̊MAINTAINED

TEMPERATUREWITHIN ALL

TWELVESTADIUMS

JUNE | SNAPSHOT


A UK fi rm with offi ces in Abu Dhabi has achieved the world’s fi rst BREEAM outstanding rating for a development in Cardiff . Stride Treglown’s 500m2 headquarters in a former industrial park achieved a score of 89.12%, with predicted emissions of just 14.2kg CO2/m2 per annum. The building uses a wood pellet biomass boiler for space and water heating, and a small array of roof-mounted photo-voltaics. Stride director Gareth Davies said: “As an architectural practice we are passionate about sustainable design, so naturally when it came to building our own fl agship Cardiff offi ce we wanted to really push the envelope.”

IN BRIEF

Work is underway on Design International’s landmark mall in Casablanca, Morocco, which is being touted as the North African nation’s answer to Dubai Mall, the biggest shopping center in the world. The mall is 650 metres long and shaped like a sea shell, an allu-sion to its position on Casablanca’s waterfront. When opened, the Casablanca Mall will boast some 250 luxury outlets, restaurants and entertainment facilities as well as the fi rst Galleries Lafayette depart-ment store in North Africa.

The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will be tendering for construction of its super-structure nearer the end of this year after the design scheduled for the end of this month is fi nished. The art museum is part of the ex-tensive AED120 billion portfolio of projects conceived by the Emirate’s Tourism Development & Invest-ment Company (TDIC) for Abu Dhabi over the next 20 years.

Dubai-based fi rm Dewan expect work to be fi nished on Iraq’s fi ve-star Baghdad Rotana in under two years. The architecture fi rm, which was founded in Iraq in 1971, has de-signed the hotel to be a hub for tour-ists, businessmen and other visitors in Baghdad. The 35,000m2 hotel will be built in Baghdad’s green zone, the area that once housed the palaces of Saddam Hussein. The green zone now houses military and government fi gures, as well as NGOs, aid workers and diplomats working in the capital.

Architectural and engineering consultancy Arklics and Inedit has opened new company headquar-ters in the UAE. The fi rm specialise in architecture, as well as civil and infrastructure engineering.

35,000M2

SIZE OF IRAQ’SFIVE-STARBAGHDADROTANA

Design International’s

Morocco Mall in Casablanca.

12 MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 06.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

NEWS ANALYSIS | SAUDI ARABIA

Cityscape Jeddah will increase the focus on Saudi Arabia’s demand for homes

ANALYSISSAFE AS HOUSES

It is little surprise that Saudi Arabia continues to draw hun-gry developers, contractors and designers to its dusty cities. As

rich in ambition as it is in oil wealth, the GCC giant’s growing population is creating the demand to fuel an im-minent construction boom.

At least that is what the organiz-ers of Cityscape Jeddah are hoping. The property road show hits Saudi Arabia’s coastal hub this month, and director Deep Marwaha expects po-tential housing projects to dominate proceedings over the three days.

Marwaha points out that 80% of Saudi Arabia’s population is under the age of 39, and many are married couples in search of aff ordable entry-

level housing to start their own fami-lies. With a population likely to reach 27 million by next year, the govern-ment are rushing through legislation that will provide Shariah-compliant mortgages to enable young couples to leave the roost for the fi rst time.

“There is a growing urgency to bal-ance residential developments so that everyone has the opportunity to buy a house that fi ts their needs and their budgets,” Marwaha said.

Architects and engineers have been making the move into Saudi for many years, and some, like Atkins, already have major projects underway in the capital. Joe Tabet, the designer of Atkins’ Riyadh Tower, believes that there will be plenty of work for fi rms

in the country once the housing mar-ket begins to get off the ground.

“As soon as the government pass the new law regarding fi nancing and mortgages I think the boom will start in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Yahya Jan, vice president and design director at NORR Group in Dubai, agrees. NORR is currently in the process of opening an offi ce in Saudi Arabia and already has two ma-jor projects underway in the kingdom, a tower block in Jeddah and a massive housing development in Al Khobar, near the Bahrain border.

Like Tabet, Yahya believes that laws to enable young Saudis to obtain mortgages are essential if the kingdom’s market is going to boom,

SAUDI ARABIA | NEWS ANALYSIS


but he says a potential problem is the emphasis so far on low-level design in the housing market.

In cities such as Riyadh and Jed-dah, housing has traditionally been villas spread out across vast areas, Yahya feels that if Saudi is going to house its population in a sustainable way, the country will have to embrace the vertical living favoured in neigh-bouring UAE.

At the same time, Yahya believes that architectural development in Saudi Arabia needs to focus on city planning, something that cities such as Dubai have largely ignored.

“Everyone has traditionally been fi xated on objects here, not the space between the buildings. I hope that mindset will change,” he said.

“I don’t think necessarily that what Saudi Arabia needs now is fl ashy buildings, It needs a bigger vision of how these cities are going to develop.”

Atkins’ Tabet, however, thinks that although Saudi Arabia is rich, fi nancial considerations will prevent development in the region from get-ting out of hand in the way that it did in Dubai. He argues that just because Saudi Arabia may be seen to be more fi nancially secure, designs need to make fi nancial, as well as aesthetic sense.

“The challenge for us as designers is to

design buildings that are of the high-est level of quality and sustainabil-ity, but can still keep to our client’s budget,” he said.

“There is still the same risk as there was before. Even if you have a million dollars now you are still in the recession, you’re not going to spend all of your money, you are going to be careful how to spend it,” he said.

Nevertheless, the demand is certainly there. KSA has one of the highest housing densities in the world

and a report published last year by Jones Lang La Salle

showed that 900,000 people in Jeddah alone were living in

“unplanned settlements”, otherwise known as slums.

“Industry analysts affi rm that low-cost housing has joined busi-ness parks as the top two investment attractions of Saudi Arabia due to surging demand for residential units,” Cityscape’s Marwaha said.

Designers can rest assured that at least in the immediate future, Saudi Arabia will be crying out for good design if it is to fulfi ll its ambition of housing a growing population.

“I think people are certainly hanging their hats on Saudi Arabia. It’s a popular place because there is pent-up demand for everything in the market,” Yahya said. 80%

OF SAUDI ARABIA’S POPULATION ISUNDER THE AGE

OF 39

Development at both Al Khobar (left) and Jeddah Gate (right) is ongoing.

Atkins’ Riyadh Tower is set to become a new landmark for the city.


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WIP | CAPITAL GATE

T owering over the Abu Dhabi National Exhibi-tions Company (AD-NEC) conference centre,

the host of Abu Dhabi’s Cityscape event, Capital Gate had a captive audience back in May.

The iconic tower, famed for its 18 degree lean –which is steeper than the Leaning Tower of Pisa – has been under construction since 2007, and all of the major work has now fi nished. As of April 2010, workers at Capital Gate had clocked 6.5 million man hours, and at the peak of construction there were more than 1,200 workers on site.

The question on everyone’s lips, of course, is how ADNEC got the building to lean. Michael Johnson, senior project manager at AD-NEC, explains that the fl oor plates throughout the building are more or less the same size, and up to level 12 are stacked vertically on top of each other.

“Between levels 12 and 29 the plates stagger over each other, in

ADNEC is putting the finishing touches to its ‘gravity defying’ tower in Abu Dhabi. Michael Johnson, senior project manager at ADNEC, explains.

WORK IN PROGRESS

CAPITAL GATE

CAPITAL GATE | WIP


relation to the lean and twist of the shell, by between 800 to 1,400mm and then back to 900mm – which is 4m fl oor to fl oor. Between the 29th storey and the 35th, the range is be-tween 900 and 300mm in relation to the line of the façade,” he said.

The lean, of course, puts immense pressure on the core of the building, which uses vertical post-tensioning to resist the stress. The core has been built with vertical pre-cambering and contains more than 15,000m3 of concrete reinforced with 10,000 tons of steel.

Capital Gate’s shell comprises a super-strong exo-skeleton called a ‘diagrid’ that provides a clear, unob-structed fl oor plate, using much less steel than a conventional structural frame. The external diagrid has more than 720 members with some of the heaviest weighing 16.5 tons.

All in all Johnson says Capital Gate was an ambitious and exciting project to work on.

“I have worked on some interest-ing projects in my career, but none

of the others come close in terms of complexity,” he said.

“We have used techniques on this tower which have never before been attempted anywhere in the world, such as the development of the world’s fi rst pre-cambered core. These are things that will be studied by students of architecture for years to come.”

Work on the exterior façade of the tower is now complete, although the installation of the bridge that links to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre is still underway. ADNEC are now primarily focused on the interior of the projects, including kitting out 20,000m2 of offi ce space and a 20,000m2 luxury Hyatt hotel.

“Interior fi t-out of the hotel fl oors is currently ongoing, as is installa-tion of all MEP services . Construc-tion of the helipad is also ongoing and landscape design is expected to commence over the coming months,” Johnson said.

CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE • SEPTEMBER 2007

Enabling works commence

• APRIL 2008Core wall construction starts

• FEBRUARY 2009Façade work commences

• MAY 2009Capital Gate reaches 100m in

height

• OCTOBER 2009Attains fi nal height of 160m

• DECEMBER 2009Completion of exterior core

structure

• FEBRUARY 2010Interior fi t-out commences

• MARCH 2010Work on link bridge to Abu

Dhabi National Exhibition

Centre begins

• APRIL 2010Work on of atrium roof begins

• END 2010Expected completion of

construction

• OPENING DATETo be confi rmed

6.5MILLIONMAN HOURS OFCONSTRUCTION,AS OF APRIL 2010

Capital Gate is famed for its 18 degree lean,

created by gradually staggered fl oor plates.


INTERVIEW | AUKETT FITZROY ROBINSON

18

CEO Nicholas Thompson and Middle East managing directorStephen Embley update MEA on AFR’s new lease of life in Abu Dhabi.

THE INTERVIEW: AUKETT FITZROY ROBINSON

COMEBACK KIDS

Aukett Fitzroy Robinson may have only opened its Abu Dhabi offi ce two years ago, but the

global fi rm is by no means new to the Middle East.

In the 1970s and 80s AFR designed several high-profi le buildings on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche, including the Bank of International Commerce and Credit and Bank of Oman, as well as working on developments in Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.

The fi rm’s most recent Middle Eastern foray has been the develop-

ment of two hotels on Yas Island for Aldar, which were completed just in time for last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In the shadow of the hotels which were designed, built and opened in just two years, Middle East Architect caught up with Aukett Fitzroy Robinson’s CEO Nicholas Thompson and Stephen Embley AFR managing director in the Middle East.

So tell us a little bit about the Yas Island project. Stephen Embley: “When we started on these two hotels it was

just sand, a desert, I mean, there was nothing here. It was a rapid programme; I think the quickest probably anywhere in the world. From a standing start we completed both hotels in 24 months.”Nicholas Thompson: “There was literally no scope for missing the date, failure was not an option. It became fairly clear towards the end of the project that while with a retail shopping mall you could be sched-uled to open on Friday and push it to Saturday, here you had to open on Friday and that was it. People were going to start arriving.”

Aukett Fitzroy

Robinson

CEO Nicholas

Thompson,

left, and Middle

East managing

director Stephen

Embley

AUKETT FITZROY ROBINSON | INTERVIEW


What was your motivation for moving back to the Middle East?NT: “We looked at coming to Middle East some time ago but the me-chanics of it didn’t really work, we couldn’t price ourselves into the market and we didn’t have a local partner. Although over the years we bid for work in Bahrain, Oman, Saudi and various places we never got close enough in terms of the economics to make it work. It wasn’t really possible for us until now.” SE: “We felt it was the right time not only from a strategic, company point of view, but because more generally we see the centre of gravity moving east. We felt it was the right time and that already the signs were begin-ning to show that you had to diversify your market eastwards.”

So what do you think has changed in recent years that have made this region so attractive? SE: “I think the economic situation now is going to push the region into a much more mature market because I think people are going to be a lot more discriminating. They’ll still want the quality, they’ll still want fantastic architecture but they’ll want it to work economically, with plans that work.”

NT: “There has been a sea change, which you can see in both the 2030 plan and its equivalent in Dubai. Here in Abu Dhabi, and also in Qatar, they’re taking a realistic ap-proach – they’re trying not to have so many high buildings, not to make development so dense. I think that will open the market up. With high-rise buildings there is a limit on who can work on them, there is a feeling that because a building is very tall the architect has got to be a world-renowned name. If you come down in height it opens the market up to many other fi rms. I mean, it’s more competitive but from our point of view that’s quite a good thing.”

One of the criticisms levelled at Dubai is that because of the short time architects were given to design and get things on the ground during the boom time, quality suff ered. Do you think that Abu Dhabi, in its latest con-

struction drive, is going to learn from that? NT: “It does appear to be a cultural issue, that whoever makes the deci-sion wants these buildings tomor-row. I think even on the more recent projects that we’ve looked at the programs are still what we would consider to be very short, particular-ly in the design phase. I think there is still an assumption that you can get to the beginning of the building phase in fi ve months. If you do that, quality does suff er.”

Did what happened in Dubai have anything to do with AFR’s decision to choose Abu Dhabi as a base? NT: “We decided not to base our-selves in Dubai because we didn’t think that market was sustainable. But we also decided we would build a hub up in Abu Dhabi for geographi-cal reasons. It’s much easier to get from here to Oman, Dubai and

“It’s more competitive but from our point of view that’s quite a good thing.Nicholas Thompson, CEO, Aukett Fitzroy Robinson.

Abu Dhabi’s iconic Corniche. The fi rm’s new hotels on Yas Island were built in just 24 months.

Jeff

Robe

rts

Jeff

Robe

rts


INTERVIEW | AUKETT FITZROY ROBINSON

20

Qatar as well as North Africa, Libya and Egypt. This is really a hotspot. Even if there wasn’t any work in Abu Dhabi it would still be a good loca-tion for us.”

You have both said that you were somewhat thrown in at the deep end with the Yas Island hotels. Would you do anything diff erent with the benefi t of hindsight? SE: “I’m not sure it would change anything in terms of form, but I think I have developed a greater knowledge of local materials over the last two years, and benefi ts of using local building techniques over bringing in techniques from the west. Of course there are good things you can bring from the west but equally sometimes you can fi ght too hard against what people do here. If I was doing it again I would probably use more local materials, and we probably could have done things a bit quicker than we had done.”

In the last 12 months we have seen a lot of UK architects

THEN AND NOW:Aukett Fitzroy Robinson in the Middle East

1982: ARAB MONETARY FUND, ABU DHABIOne of the fi rm’s earlier projects

in the region, the landmark offi ce

tower is adjacent to the Bank of

Credit and Commerce Building,

which was also designed by AFR

and completed in 1978. Both

buildings were among the fi rst

few in the world to use triple

glazed facades and have the

added accolade of appearing on

the AED1,000 note.

2010: RADISSON BLU HOTEL, ABU DHABIThe hotel forms part of a

complex on Yas Island adjacent

to the Formula One race track

and completed in October

2009. AFR were responsible

for the architecture and design

on the project for both hotels,

developed by Aldar, which

comprise 600 rooms, three

restaurants and a spa. The hotels

were started in 2007 and fi nished

just over two years later in time

for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

moving to the region – GAJ, Allies and Morrison and Stride Treglown among them – why is that? Is it just a dearth of projects at home? NT: “It is true that in the UK the market has slowed down quitedramatically and the fi nancial sideof projects has dried up. I think government work is going to abate as well, because most of Western European countries have got pretty big debts, so governments can’t keep spending the money. But it’s an obvious place to come too, because Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar haveall said they are going to increase their capital spending by 10% this year. That represents a huge amount of work.”SE: “There are fantastic opportuni-ties here for quality architecture, and things happen quickly here. When you think that in two years we have been able to create something out of nothing, while in the UK this project probably would have taken us four years. I think, as an archi-tect, this region provides a fantastic canvas to paint on.”

A new focus on realistic and joined-up design bodes well for fi rms.

10%EXPECTED BOOST

IN CAPITAL SPENDING IN ABU DHABI, OMAN AND

QATAR IN 2010


COVER STORY | GREEN BUILDINGS

Five experts talk about their favorite green buildings in the

Middle East

Sustainability has become a bit of a buzz-word in recent years, and the myriad ranking systems and acronyms can distract from green design’s true purpose – creating

buildings that do not do more harm than good. Middle East Architect asked the people who spend

their lives encouraging others to build green – the

consultants, designers and experts – to pick a favorite. The result? Five fascinating local projects that, bar one or two, have so far failed to court the limelight.

These fi ve projects, as yet, are in no particular or-der, and it is MEA readers who will have the fi nal say on which should take the top spot. To cast your vote log on to www.constructionweekonline.com.

GREEN BUILDINGS | COVER STORY


Vast shaded areas reduce solar gain.

FANArchitect Sultan Faden, founder of the Saudi Green Building Council, Saudi Arabia.

WHY?“Despite Saudi Arabia’s extreme climate KAUST has been able to achieve a LEED Platinum ranking. Not only will sustainable initiatives have an eff ect once the building has been fi nished, but also during the construction phase, with developers using 38% locally-sourced and 20% recycled materials. It’s basically a great project, and one that paves the way for many more in this part of the world – the fact that it has been built in Saudi Arabia is fantastic.”

KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (KAUST)Date of completion: 2010Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

In terms of green projects, KAUST is the latest darling of the architecture world. The development, designed by HOK architects, makes use of solar power, water saving measures and shading to achieve a LEED platinum ranking, the fi rst of its kind in Saudi Arabia.

THE BEST BIT“The best bit for me is the chilled beam HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) system. A chilled beam HVAC is a system which uses cold water to remove heat from a room, requiring signifi cantly less energy than conventional air-condi-tioning. The plugs for electric cars in the car park are also a nice touch. “

THE BIG PICTURE“The KAUST development has proved what architects in this part of the world can do if they truly want to make a building sustainable. Its platinum rating has created a benchmark for up and coming LEED registered projects in the region.”

KAUST is ‘a new benchmark’ for green design in KSA.

20%RECYCLED

MATERIALS USED DURING

CONSTRUCTION



24

FANChris Pal, Director of Engineering Services, NORR Group Consul-tants International.

WHY?“The reason I would cite WBLC as our favorite example of a green project is because they continuously improve upon the initiatives that they have implemented. They are completely off grid and potable wa-ter must be brought in at substantial expense, so their sustainability initiatives are successful examples of enlightened self interest where operating costs are reduced and quality of life for the facility oc-cupants is improved. This is grass

WAAGNER BIRO LABOUR CAMPDate of completion: 2007Location: Dubai, UAE

Set in a dusty and non-descript industrial section of Dubai, the Waagner Biro camp is an oasis of sustainability in action. The camp uses engineered wetlands to process human sewage and waste water from a car washing to generate clean water suitable for re-use as garden irrigation, fresh water to fi sh ponds, PV panel wash-down, car and truck wash operations.

roots sustainability at its best and should be a lesson to us all that ac-tions speak louder than words. We should spend less time ticking boxes and more eff ort on achieving real and meaningful results.”

THE BEST BIT“The best bit for me is the fi sh pond that surrounds the main complex with the lushness of the greenery and diversity of life that is present there. Dragonfl ies and interesting insects, bird species not usually spotted in the city and a pleasant shaded vegetable garden combine to create a sense of peace and nature that is all too often missing from our urban lives.”

THE BIG PICTURE“When we think of the global issues that face us all, the problems seem insurmountable. The WBLC is an example of the success that can be achieved when people think about what good can be accomplished within the local sphere of their personal infl uence. If we all act locally, we will be able to make a diff erence globally.”The labour camp is home to wildlife as well as workers.

GREEN BUILDINGS | COVER STORY


FANSamuel Keehn, Environmentaland Sustainability Manager atEnergy Management Services,Int. (EMS).

WHY?“AUB is sited on an iconic location in one of the region’s most beauti-ful cities. The campus’s position, on the hill above the Mediterra-nean, has inspired students and facility alike for decades. Theproject benefits from a number of the traditional green design fea-tures, including energy efficiency, water savings and re-use, storm water infrastructure, displace-ment cooling, green materials and high levels of indoor environment quality.”

CHARLES HOSTLER STUDENT CENTRE (AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT)Date of completion: 2008Location: Beirut, Lebanon

As AUB’s new student facilities, the Hostler Centre is another example of universities taking the lead in green building initia-tives. Designers VJAA, from, led a team of local and inter-national designers to create something that is going to be a part of campus life in Beirut for years to come.

THE BEST BIT“One of the most interesting aspects of this project is the diff erent strate-gies used to condition the building. Natural ventilation, using a well to the ocean as a heat sink, radiant heating and cooling and chilled slabs all play a part in keeping the building a comfortable temperature throughout the year.”

THE BIG PICTURE“AUB has been able to create a user oriented and environmentally friendly project that will impact the thousands of students and facility who will use the space. By creating something that people enjoy being in, the Hostler Center demonstrates to its users that being green also means making sure that users are comfortable and happy, and thus continue to use the facility.”

The Hostler Centre won AIA’s compeition for best green building in 2009. Cooling is integral to the design.



26

FANNicholas Lander, Senior Associate at Inhabit.

WHY?“The great thing about it is the architecture itself. I understand Dr Khaled Azzam tried to incorporate Jordanian into his design, rather than dropping generic Islamic features in. This makes the building really fi t into the city and makes it a Jordanian mosque, instead of a

mosque in Jordan. This is critical, and more important in a way than fancy bits of “green kit”, because if a building isn’t loved by its users it will get ripped down.”

THE BEST BIT“Environmentally, the design is inherently effi cient. Thin and deep courtyards create a layer of cool air which is drawn through to high level openings in the vaults of the hall, naturally ventilating what is a deep space. The construction also used local labour, providing local crafts-men with valuable skills.”

THE BIG PICTURE“Sustainability is about more than just reduced energy and water. It’s about buildings that endure and that give something back to society. This mosque is a beautiful building and addresses the social and cultural pillars of sustainability.”

The King Hussain Mosque incor-porates traditional architectural features found in Jordan, and uses local materials. It also used local craftsmanship, training Jordanians in various skills to complete the construction.

KING HUSSEIN MOSQUEDate of completion: 2009Location: Amman, Jordan

ESAB MIDDLE EASTOFFICE AND WAREHOUSEDate of completion: 2010Location: Jebel Ali Free Zone- South, Dubai, UAE

FANThomas Bohlen, chief technical offi cer at the Middle East Centre for Sustainable Development (MEC-SD) in Dubai.

WHY“The building is able to achieve a to-tal energy reduction approximately 70% better than a conventionally designed offi ce warehouse, by using solar thermal systems and lighting techniques. It is also includes an onsite water treatment plant.”

THE BEST BIT“The best bit is the building’s solar thermal cooling system, which uses a roof-mounted solar tube collec-tors to provide hot water to six ab-sorption units, that in turn provide cold water to air handling units on the roof. Cold air is then circulated through the concrete pre-cast, hol-low core ceiling slabs of the offi ce,

providing cool air and radiant cool-ing. The way this system is woven into the building structure is a great example of how early commitment by the stakeholders to sustainability can make for a great building.”

THE BIG PICTURE“This project has proven that even industrial buildings in the Middle East can be designed, constructed, and operated to the highest current standards of sustainability.”

The new ESAB Middle East Offi ce and Warehouse Facility in JAFZA is set to earn a LEED Platinum rating upon completion this month.


INTERVIEW | SOMFY

28

Somfy’s Abdo Aoun expects new technology to help fuel the green building revolution

INTERVIEW: SOMFY

TECH YOURSELF

It wasn’t so long ago that build-ings able to respond indepen-dently to their surroundings would have been the domain of

sci-fi movies, but the development of bioclimatic facades is bringing this idea one step closer to reality.

Traditionally used in Europe to retain heat, bioclimatic facades – which move to provide shading in response to the position of the sun – are being used to reduce solar gain and energy usage in some of the region’s newest buildings.

Somfy develop the systems that allow the technology to work, as well as the motors for automatic blinds and shades. Abdo Aoun, projects, business and specifi ca-tion manager, spoke to Middle East Architect about the tech revolution.

SOMFY | INTERVIEW


Bioclimatic facades seem to be a relatively new phenomenon, can you explain how the tech-nology has developed? “People have been using screen fabric to reduce glare for more than ten years. The blinds reduce glare and fi lter light, so you don’t have the contrast on your computer screen, you can work and you are protected from the UV and the sun. After that, the industry moved towards using motors and a switches and a remote control, so that people didn’t need to get up and pull the blind. What we’ve done is move this on even fur-ther, automating the blinds so that when the sun hits the glass, whether there is somebody in the offi ce or not, the blind will go down.”

Can you give us an example of a typical bioclimatic façade? “The kind of façade you need depends on how much you want to reduce energy consumption in your building. If you’re happy with a solar gain factor of the building of 25%, for example, then you are better installing an automated shading system internally. But if you need more, then you need to think about positioning the shading system outside – and in a high-rise building you need to think about how to protect it from the wind, the rain and the dust. This is why we are developing the concept of the double skinned façade. This is a double-glazed façade with a cavity in the middle, and a venetian blind inside the cavity. The blind is inside, but in thermal terms it is external and therefore you have a solar gain fac-tor below 12%, I assume, we haven’t done the calculations yet.”

That’s pretty high tech. It doesn’t have to be. In a hotel, for example, you might go for an inter-nal shading system. This is used to open and close the curtains. When

the guest leaves his room the cur-tains automatically close. We have studies that show that this reduces the cooling costs by between 10 and 15% in the room. Imagine the cost saving in a hotel of 300, 350 rooms, all over the year, at a 60 to 65% oc-cupancy. It’s a lot of money for both the developer and the operator.

What other benefi ts are there to bioclimatic facades? “Having a blind to react automati-cally to sun orientation reduces so-lar gain inside. If you take this into account from the beginning, in the design phase, it has a direct eff ect on downsizing the HVAC system and reducing cooling demands. If you synchronize it with a lighting control system then you have very signifi cant savings in artifi cial light-ing and the internal heat gain that is produced by the lighting fi xtures. Another benefi t has to do with well being, comfort and productivity. A lot of strategies show that people are happier depending on natural light instead of artifi cial lighting. Studies in hospitals also show that patients’ recovery period shortens if they have a connection to the outside.

What is the hardest thing about persuading people to install this technology? “Our challenge is presenting a business case, or an invest-ment case, because the fi rst thing that comes

into a client’s mind is: ‘OK, I’m installing this technology but how can I make the benefi ts tangible for me? What is the payback period?’ and so on. We have to show the economic benefi ts, the cost benefi ts, to the developers and the return on investment. This is not such a prob-lem at the moment because more and more developers are looking to have their building LEED rated and abide by regulations. Developers also have more need to diff erentiate themselves with energy saving and comfort creating measures. These are the top selling arguments to investors and to end users, espe-cially in terms of natural light and reducing AC.“

“It saves a lot of money for boththe developer and the operator.Abdo Aoun, Somfy.

Abdo Aoun,

projects,

business and

specifi cation

manager at

Somfy


FEATURE | BATHROOMS



BATHROOMS | FEATURE

31www.constructionweekonline.com | 06.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

W ith sleek black marble and glass, low lighting and modern,

minimalist design, it is diffi cult not to fi nd the new breed of bathrooms emerging from the design industry giants compelling.

But with developers and designers far more conscious of cash-fl ow and fi nancial uncertainty still looming, the most functional room in the house seems an obvious place to shave a few numbers off the bottom line.

Guy Wilson, head of the Gulf region at Geberit, acknowledges that the fi nancial downturn has led to cost cutting among many Middle Eastern buyers, but by the same token, it has led to a greater emphasis on quality. Customers are now, more than ever, keen to ensure they are getting their money’s worth.

Despite the downturn, options abound for architects in the world of bathroom design

“There has been a move towards cost cutting on many projects, and in some cases this has directly aff ected the design and product selection in bathrooms,” said Wilson.

“But there is also some movement towards placing greater emphasis on the quality of bathrooms and kitch-ens. We see that in all but the really low budget developments a reason-able standard has been maintained throughout the region.”

Market uncertainty aside, there has been a signifi cant change in at-titudes towards bathrooms in recent years, and this is refl ected by the increasing number of major fi rms that moved to the Middle East on the heels of the region’s construction boom.

Christian Meyer, at, explains that while 20 years ago architects may not have paid much attention to bathrooms when designing a project,


FEATURE | BATHROOMS

clients now expect more from their facilities – far from being cut off , or segregated from living space, bath-rooms have become an extension of it.

“The bathroom design is a key fac-tor customers are looking for because it can enhance a building’s style and architecture. In great buildings, the bathroom design is not accidental, architects work in collaboration with interior designers and think about the best possible solution for the bathroom,” he said.

Designing bathrooms for a Middle Eastern market, explains Wilson, is not very diff erent from in Europe or the US, except in terms of who the

Technology has

allowed toilet cisterns

to be minimised or

hidden completely.

BATHROOMS | FEATURE


company is dealing with. While in the West, designers are usually cater-ing to the demands of the end user, the project driven nature of the Gulf markets puts the decision making processes in that hands of developers and designers.

It is essential, therefore, that designers working in the region make it easy for architects, and companies such as Geberit are doing just that. The company’s new Monolith toilet, for example, can be installed and ready for use just a few hours after purchase, this despite the fact that is cistern free.

“It can be fi tted into almost any

bathroom without impinging on space and is ideal for the retrofi t market as it conceals marks from previous fl oor-standing pans and there is no need for any complex plumbing alterations,” said Wilson.

It is not just behind the plaster-board where technology is having an impact on bathroom design. Technol-ogy has come a long way in recent years, and designers have used it to their advantage. Duvarit incorporate a range of technological aspects into their modern designs, and the role of lighting has grown alongside the availability of low-energy LEDs.

“At the push of a button, the stage is set for light performances from sunny yellow via subtle red to magical blue or the entire rainbow of colours in a continuous sequence,” said Meyer.

Meanwhile, design fi rm Roca is launching a hi-tech version of its Khroma collection, Khroma Robot, which incorporates electronics into the china of the sanitary ware. This allows users to control the shower and bidet, open and close the toilet seat and cover and even heat up the seat and cover at the press of a button.

“Technology is really starting to permeate all products,” said David Kohler, president and COO of Kohler. “Not technology for the sake of technology, but technology

that really enhances the experience and provides a diff erent level of functionality.

“So, we have products that make your whole showering experi-ence digital, with a system that can control light, steam and music, as well as the showering experience,” he said.

But like in every other area of mod-ern design, sustainability has become the number one issue for bathroom designers, and all the major fi rms are quick to laud their green credentials. By their nature, bathrooms consume vast amounts of the Middle East’s most precious resource, and all the

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Designers now see the

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Sustainability is paramount

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FEATURE | BATHROOMS

34

Tel: +971 4 267 2499 | Fax: +971 4 267 2492P.O.Box 86972, Dubai, UAE | Email: [email protected]

• Soft and hard landscape construction

• Automatic irrigation

• Preserved palms

• Indoor plant arrangements

• Planters

• Maintenance services

We provide

major fi rms have some up with ways of limiting that impact.

Swiss design fi rm Laufen point to their new water saving toilets, which fl ush with 4.5 and 3 litres instead of the 6 and 3 litres – in many house-holds even 9 and 6 – of conventional WCs. Duvarit have installed similar technology into their new designs.Kohler, meanwhile, have built water saving technology into their taps. A new ceramic faucet consumes 5.8 litres of water per minute, compared to an average 8.32 litres consumed by traditional faucets.

But Geberit’s Wilson points out that water conservation is only one area in which bathroom designers can have an impact.

“Designers can contribute mean-ingfully to bathroom sustainability through careful selection of products from companies with proven sustain-ability and environmental policies,” he said.

Rivals Laufen also point to their use of sustainable materials, its designs avoid the use of tropical wood and instead opt for domestic woods sourced from sustainable forestry.

Because of their willingness to em-brace both sustainability and modern technology and design, bathroom designers believe that their products will continue to be valued in the post-recession Middle East. The bar has been raised in terms of high-quality bathroom design, and buyers are unlikely to accept second best, even in the current fi nancial climate.

“I don‘t think any modern architect underestimates the importance of the bathroom,” said Ivan Zupanovic, head of international sales at Laufen.

“The days are gone when bath-rooms were merely functional side rooms for sanitary purposes. Modern bathroom design concepts give archi-tects plenty of scope to create rooms for living and well-being.” Laufen opt to use non-tropical wood in their designs.


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URBAN METABOLISM | FOCUS


C ities are in constant f lux. Regardless of the nature of these changes, their impact on its citizens is largely

unpredictable while their repercussions are unknown. This climate of uncertainty is abundant with potential, and within it even the most minimal operations have impact. This is a new type of urbanism.It is the manipulation of the urbanfabric by instigating change and provok-ing a response.

This studio work progressed in a series of stages, with each stage corresponding to an increase in scale for a prescribed duration: mm3, cm3, m3 and km3. Dur-ing each stage, design proposals are developed to address the specified scale, considering both the singular object and the way in which it is assembled.

TRANS_FORM_A(C)TIVE AGENCIESFifth-year architecture students at the American University of Sharjah show off their final review projects

STAGE 1 - 1MM3

Transform, research and initiate a concept for 1mm3 space.

STAGE 2 - 1CM3

Modulate: Design a space of 1cm3 derived from the 1mm3 space.

STAGE 3 - 1M3

Design a device for the body or a toy-town, a container, a full scale object, a performance machine, a pinhole camera, spatial modeling, end-less space; systematize to a spatial data-form-ing geometry.

STAGE 4 - 1KM3

Multiply: a scaled city and multiplicity, a fi lm-script, infrastruc-ture, panorama, vista, landscape, a mountain, subdivided, extreme site.

STAGE 5Extraction at variable scale.

THE PROCESSTHE ASSIGNMENTBy Professor George Katodrytis

FOCUS | URBAN METABOLISM


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56/61THE WORK

48/55CASE

STUDIES

62/63CULTURE

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TILAL LIWADESERT HOTELArchitect: DSA Architects InternationalClient: RoyaLocation: Madinat Zayed, Empty Quarter

THE PROJECT The Tilal Liwa Desert Hotel on

the edge of Rub-Al-Khali desert opened to guests in January after a speedy 11 months development. The hotel is situated some two hours from Abu Dhabi in the Empty Quarter and consists of 120 guest rooms on a 40,500m2 site, as well as a restaurant, health club and confer-ence facilities. The hotel is next to the annual camel festival site, and walking distance from both the race track and camel paddock. Developed by Roya and designed by DSA Archi-tects, the building’s interiors were designed by Dubai-based fi rm WAi.


CASE STUDY


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THE SITE The site is about 240 km from

Dubai and 150 km from Abu Dhabi. The architects were able to choose any site they liked in the desert that surrounds the camel festival site, which is little more than a few fences and a camp site. “It was just a desert, there was nothing there,” explained architect Len Grundlingh. “We had the whole desert to choose from.”

THE CONCEPT The site on the edge of the camel

racetrack has long been a meeting point for locals, drawn to the annual camel festival and beauty contest. In traditional desert forts caravans one would arrive through the front gate and proceed to the courtyard, where camels would sleep down-stairs and their owners upstairs.

While the camels are kept strictly outside the hotel walls at Tilal Liwa, the system of courtyards and main gate have remained. While main-taining the façade of a traditional fort, DSA were keen to provide a link between the building and the desert, and views onto the sand are paramount through the liwans.

40,500 METRES2

TOTAL SIZE OFTILAL LIWA

HOTEL’S SITE


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The architecture was intended to imitate the traditional buildings of the UAE, and specifi cally the round towers and high walls of the forts in cities such as Al Ain. Thick walls and small windows have the added benefi t of keeping out the heat in the hotter months, cutting down on air-

THE DETAILS The major elements of the hotel

are arranged around courtyards, as in traditional desert hotels. The proportion, geometry and placement of the courtyards were designed to refl ect the traditional courtyard in Islamic architecture, each providing a sense of procession from one to another establishing a hierarchy and progression prevalent in Arab traditional culture and the architecture of the region.

The designers were keen to maintain a clear line of site through the courtyards and out into the wild desert. An infi nity pool backs onto a line of arches and then straight onto the sand, from the pool and restau-rant guests are able to see camels being led from the paddock.

conditioning costs. The design was something of a new departure for DSA, Grundlingh explained. “It’s a lot more basic, very low in plan, almost Spartan. We had to strike a balance between looking great and keeping costs relatively low,” he said.

The main lobby of the hotel is sky lighted and overlooks the dramatic courtyard, which makes use of palm trees for style and shade. The interi-ors of the building were designed to refl ect the traditional luxury of an Arab fort, with low lighting, water features and views to the courtyard.

240KMTILAL LIWA

HOTEL’S DISTANCE FROM DUBAI


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SALAMCENTREClient: Emergency Ong OnlusDesigner: Tamassociati Location: Sudan

CASE STUDY

THE PROJECT Italian architecture firm Tamas-

sociati used cargo containers at a site in Soba, Khartoum, to create staff accommodation for a hospital they had designed nearby. The architects used around ninety 20ft containers to provide homes for 60 staff, and seven 40ft containers to build a canteen. The firm had used the containers to transport materi-als to Soba, and felt re-using them would be more environmentally friendly than shipping them back. The development is highly sustain-able, using shading and cooling techniques to protect against the harsh African sun.

THE SITEThe staff compound is on an 8,663 m2 site, with a total built-up area of 1,668 m2, on the banks of the Nile. The site contains some 150 trees, planted by the architects to offset the carbon they used transporting materials to Sudan.


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THE DETAILS The dwellings have two layers

of insulation, with 5cm insulating panels inside and a bamboo screen panel system on the outside - as a result the sun is never directly on the containers. While the tem-perature of the metal can rise up to 65 degrees in summer, inside the cabins it is rarely more than 30 degrees without air conditioning.

THE CONCEPT Architect Raul Pantaleo

explained that the development had both practical and political benefits, reducing the need to transport empty containers while also demonstrating a commitment to sustainable architecture. He

also stressed that the firm only used containers that were no longer useful for shipping. “A lot of simi-lar developments use brand new containers, but ours were rusty and broken. We wanted to use contain-ers at the end of their lives,” he said.

The air conditioning system uses chilling ma-chines powered by solar panels, which are also used to heat water. Thick stone walls at either end of the blocks help keep the buildings cool during the day.

Despite their sustainable creden-tials, Pantaleo said that the cabins were designed to look slick and modern. “We wanted to make them environmental but we also wanted to make something very modern in terms of design.” he said.

150TREES WERE PLANTED

TO OFFSET THECARBON USED

TRANSPORTING MATERIALS TO

SUDAN

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DJAMAÂEL DJAZAÏRClient: Government of AlgeriaDesigner: Jürgen Engel ArchitektenLocation: Algeria

PROJECT Djamaâ el Djazaïr is set to

become the third biggest mosque in the world, with a prayer hall capable of holding 35,000 worshippers and a complex including conference rooms, libraries and other facili-ties. Architects Drees & Sommer are working with Jürgen Engel Architekten and the engineering consultancy Krebs und Kiefer on the project, which is likely to take more than four years to complete.

CASE STUDY

THE SITEThe mosque complex will be built on a 440,000m2 footprint in the Bay of Algiers, land set aside by the Algerian government. Algeria’s hot and humid climate posed chal-lenges for both the designers and engineers, while its seaside location has made salty air and potential high winds a major concern. The mosque’s façade is almost entirely formed from natural stone, which covers a total area of 95,000m2.



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DESIGN CONCEPT Jürgen Engel worked closely with

Islamic scholars and architecture specialists to ensure that the build-ing met the strict requirements of mosque design. Many Islamic ideas, such as the mashrabiya screen, have been given a modern makeover. The 264-metre high minaret is capped with a modern glass structure instead of traditional stone. Jürgen Engels Architect Sebastian Schöell explained that the height of the minaret was paramount. “I think it is the same thing as the skyscrapers, in North Africa everyone wants to have the tallest minaret,” he said.

The dome soars to a height of 70 metres and features a mashrabiya screen attached to the outside of the thermal shell like ribs. This gives the impression of the screen being an external support structure, although support is actually provided inter-nally. Sunlight is refl ected into the dome using a system of mirrors. The mashrabiya was made using fi bre-reinforced precast concrete panels and covers a total area of 15,160m2. As well as having a decorative role, the mashrabiya helps to cool the building and provide shading to the façade of the minaret, on which it covers an area of 7,300m2.

Architect Schöell said that Jürgen Engel’s designs had got a mixed reaction in the media in Algeria. He has done his own canvassing, however, among taxi drivers on the streets of Algiers. “50% of them think that it’s a good idea, and 50% of them think that it is too much money to be spending,” he said. In terms of a Christian fi rm designing an Islamic place of worship, Schöell said that the client did not feel it was an issue. “They had no problem with it at all,” he said. “They said that all the new mosques, or the renovations of old mosques, were being designed by Christian architects.”

264METRES

HEIGHT OF MINARET - THE TALLEST IN THE

WORLD

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BRITISH EMBASSY ALGIERS

Client: British Foreign Office Architect:John Mc Aslan+ PartnersLocation: Algeria

This project in the Algerian capital saw a thoroughly modern embassy building incorporated into the site of a colonial residence. The British For-eign Offi ce had strict requirements relating to cost, use and security, all of which had to be balanced against design considerations by John Mc Aslan + Partners. The eco-friendly building also had to fi t into a tight 1,800m2 footprint, without obscur-ing views across the Bay of Algiers.

COPENHAGEN GRAND MOSQUE

Client: Bach Gruppen A/SArchitect: BIG-Bjarke Ingels GroupLocation: Denmark

Denmark’s fi rst purpose-built mosque is being built in coop-eration with the Muslim Council of Denmark, an umbrella organization representing 13 diff erent Muslim organizations. The mosque is part of a 124,000m2 religious complex that will include a prayer hall, shops, conference facilities, an auditorium and an Islamic library. Work on the project is ongoing but planning permission has been granted.

ABU DHABI INVESTMENT COUNCIL HQ

Client:Abu Dhabi Investment CouncilArchitect: Aedas ArchitectsLocation:Abu Dhabi

Touted as the new gateway to Abu Dhabi, the ADIC headquarters will provide 350,000ft2 of offi ce space, as well as retail and food outlets for an estimated 2,000 workers. Designed by Aedas Architects’ London offi ce, the two 25-storey towers utilize a number of high-tech green initia-tives, including a mashrabiya screen which shifts in order to protect against direct sunlight. The towers will be completed in 2011.

3000CAPACITY OF THEGRAND MOSQUE’S

PRAYER HALL

THEWORKPROJECT UPDATE


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COURTYARD CONCEPT INAL SHEGERY

Arhitect:Dewan Location: Riyadh

Al Shegery’s dimensions are 700m x 800m with an area of 535,000m2. The project, which is currently in concept design phase, will contain residential buildings, a 150-room hotel, a school, a healthcare facility, retail space, a mosque and a health club. The urban design strategy of the project depends on situating the buildings as vehicle-free clusters to create an atmosphere of the tradi-tional Arabian neighbourhood.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

RUKN AL AQEEQ

Architect:Maan Alsalloum, CowiLocation:Saudi Arabia

The Rukn Al Aqeeq is a mixed-use development incorporating a 21 storey hotel and 12-storey offi ce tower, linked by a single storey of retail space. The entire building will be clad in stainless steel mesh and is designed to be elliptical, with the ho-tel and offi ce towers joining together at the fourth fl oor with an open-air garden area in the centre. The steel mesh is designed to help the building obtain a LEED ranking.

LAUFEN FORUM

Client:LaufenArchitect: Nissen & WentzlaffEngineer: Walther Mory Maier

Swiss bathroom company Laufen’s new headquarters is an unconven-tional design, constructed entirely from concrete and without windows. The two-storey showroom is a scale replica of a Laufen washbasin, and was constructed in a single mould with a 44cm-thick concrete. 50 skylights provide light while also limiting the eff ect of seasonal changes in the sun’s position.

BREAKWATER BEACON JEDDAH

Client:Saudi AramcoLocation:Saudi Arabia

This contemporary lighthouse in Jeddah was commissioned by HOK, architects for the nearby King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) project. Designer Dan Tobin was originally asked to produce a 30m tower but the project ended up twice as high. Eventually the tower will include 150 lights, which will glow through the lattice of hexagons from top to bottom, and a marble interior.

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T U E S D AY 9th NOV2010Dubai, UAE

M E D I A P A R T N E R

For a chance to have your achievements recognized at this year’s awards or to book your place at the gala dinner, please visit:


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CENTRE OF ISLAMIC STUDIES & DIALOGUE OF CIVILISATIONS

Arhitect:TypsaLocation: Riyadh

Set within the most updated master plan for the Al Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud University, Typsa’s Centre of Islamic Studies & Dialogue of Civilizations aims to be an integral part of the university’s spirit and a champion of the Riyadh identity. Approximately 65,000m2, the centre needed to serve as a land-mark because of its distinct location as well as a symbol of architectural and design excellence.

BUILDING CONCEPT FOR KING ABDULLAH FINANCIAL DISTRICT

Arhitect:Woods BagotLocation: Riyadh

Woods Bagot have released designs for a building in Riyadh’s KAFD that is being touted as “an exem-plar of the modern workplace”. Its shape is derived from a nested and repeated fractal form, which has been designed with Islamic patterns in mind. By following mathemati-cal rigour to create an interlocking and infi nite geometric pattern, the design creates a balanced and harmonious building form.

Although four sites comprise FXFowle’s portion of KAFD, they were considered and designed as a single mixed-use project. The design of FXFowle’s parcels proposes a separation between pedestrian walkways, vehicular traffi c, and public spaces within each site. The fi rm’s intent is to create visually porous structures, while also drawing attention to three distinct levels of public space.

MIXED USE CONCEPT FOR KING ABDULLAH FINANCIAL DISTRICT

Arhitect: FXFowleLocation: Riyadh

Diyar Al Kuwait (DAK) commis-sioned KEO International in 2008 to design the project for the Lusail Dis-trict in Doha. The programme for the project is relatively straightforward. It is based on a mixed use develop-ment consisting of commercial, residential and retail spaces. It encompasses 247,044m2 of allowable area – 159,989m2 for commercial; 130,220m2 for offi ce space; and 29,769m2 for retail.

MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR LUSAIL DISTRICT

Arhitect: KEOLocation: Doha

US$800MILLION

TOTAL VALUE


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A joint venture between British consultancies Barton Willmore and Buro Happold recently completed the design for the KAIG – a giant botanical garden commissioned by the City of Riyadh. Taking a subtle new approach to the creation of a botanical garden in an arid climate, KAIG aims to “explore, demonstrate and portray the great paleobotanical ages that have swept across this land”.

KINGABDULLAHINTERNATIONAL GARDENS

Arhitect:BartonWillmore and Buro HappoldLocation: Riyadh

RUGBYSEVENS STADIUM

Arhitect:R&R DesignLocation:Dubai

R&R Design was brought on board to design a world class Rugby Sevens stadium from scratch. It was a job that started out as an extension to existing facilities, then changed suddenly to one involving full design and build of the facilities within 18 months. The development needed to house six rugby pitches, a club-house for local teams, including 12 changing rooms, and VIP facilities, including executive boxes.

MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART

Arhitect:IM PeiLocation:Doha

The Museum of Islamic Art in Doha is dedicated to becoming the world’s foremost museum of Islamic art. The design and location of the building literally and fi guratively positions the museum to become a catalyst for the development of Doha as a centre of excellence for its burgeoning culture and education sectors. Moreover, it demonstrates the country’s commitment to the international cultural sector.

15,000GRANDSTAND

SEATINGCAPACITY

AL HITMI MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT

Arhitect: Norr Group International ConsultantsLocation: Doha

Located on a prime waterfront site along the Doha Corniche, this contemporary project is a new land-mark in this city. The development consists of a 7-storey high linear arranged offi ce block anchored by a 15-storey residential tower. The concept for the project was inspired by imagery of stone formations can-tilevered over a body of water. It is clad with dark tinted glass, polished and textured natural stone tiles.


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KITCHENTOP BIMATERICOTechLab Italia

TechLab Italia has mixed stain-less steel and DuPont Corian to create the innovative Top Bima-terico. The collection of kitchen

surfaces combines the tactility, beauty and mouldability of

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LIKEWANTNEEDCULTURE

GADGETSDIGITAL MEASURING TAPEThinkgeek.com

At an amazing 16 feet long, this digital measuring tape records distances in feet, inches and centimeters and millimeters all the way down to 1/16th of an inch. It also does away with the need to write your measurements down, displaying them on a digital screen and then storing them. The tape

runs on two batteries (included) and turns itself on and off when the tape is extended or fully retracted, preserving battery life. The tape also has a setting to include case length in the overall measure-ment, allowing you to get precise inside measurements.


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With more than 650 photo-graphs and case studies on some of Dubai’s most iconic and cutting edge buildings, New Frontiers in Architecture is an exploration of modern building design in the UAE. Focusing in particular on the use of glass and steel in design in Dubai, photographs combine with analysis by author Oscar Eugenio Bellini and Laura Daglio. The book’s strength is that it focuses on more than just the usual suspects, while also exploring the role of Islamic architecture in Dubai’s modern buildings. It is more than a coffee table book, but will still look great on a coffee table.

LAMPBOCONCEPT

BoConcept has unveiled its lat-est collection of lamps. While the colour basics are still black and white, this year’s palette also in-cludes turquoise, orange, red and multi-coloured stripes. Shades come in all sizes and in a range of materials, including glass, wood and coloured aluminium.

BOOKSNEW FRONTIERS IN ARCHITECTURE: THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES BETWEEN VISION AND REALITYWhite Star Publishing

CHAIRSTWISTED Wolfson Design

LG Hausys has introduced Twisted, an eclectic collection of furniture designed by Philip Mi-

chael Wolfson. The collection uses complex shapes and bold black and white contrasts to accentuate the chairs’ unusual

designs. They come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, with

low, high, stool or desk chairs now available.

650PHOTOS AND

CASE STUDIES ON ICONIC UAE ARCHITECTURE

LAST WORD | RAFAEL VINOLY

64

MEA catches up with Rafael Vinoly, the architect behind Tokyo International Forum, Leicester’s Curve Theatre and, more recently, a number of projects in the Middle East.

THE LAST WORD

FINE FORM My fi rst design was a museum for the new city of Brasilia. I remember I built a really tiny model, it looked like an amoeba and it took me about a month to do it. I must have been 15 or something like that.

Architecture is such a punishing profession because each building takes fi ve to seven years. If you’re a fashion designer you have four or fi ve collections a year, and you can be wrong occasionally, but in this profession each project is a big chunk of your life.

I love the Burj Khalifa. It’s a special building, as nonsensical as it may be. It’s a fantastic form and it just does what it needs to do to enable it to be so tall.

The best building I have ever designed is the Tokyo International Forum. It gets better as time goes on because it makes sense. It uses function as a way of raising awareness . It explores how to deal with a diffi cult urban environment.

I don’t think there is a contradiction between function and form; if a building works then it is beautiful.

Architecture is both in a very good place and a very bad place. We are far freer and faster and more effi cient than ever before, but in many situa-tions architecture seems to have transformd into a grandiose form of sculpture.

I believe that the person who is alert to a nation that is not their own, the expat, has the ability to perceive the nuances and the diffi culties of a diff erent place, and I think that helps a lot.

What makes this part of the world stunning is not the waterfront, it is the desert.

Everyone thinks you have to be the largest or the weirdest of the lot and that is the problem with architecture, it has been the problem for 30 years.

Architecture is the one form of art you cannot close your eyes to. You cannot avoid it. Even if you were blind you would still have a relationship with buildings, with space.

If there is one good thingabout the fi nancial crisis it is that people are far more conscious of absurdities.

My favorite building is always the one in the making.


FORM FOLLOWS FLOW.Living City, design Phoenix Design Bathroom Culture since 1892 www.laufen.com/middleeast

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Lebanon: Georges Nassr +961 1 482 462 [email protected]: Ahmed Mohsin Trading L.L.C. +968 248 17 019 [email protected]

Qatar: M.S.K Building Material +97 44 440 051 [email protected] Arabia: Articasa +96 6 2252 4402 (Jeddah), +96 6 1480 0720 (Riyadh) [email protected]

Syria: Uni Group +96 31 15 32 67 00 [email protected] Arab Emirates: German Home for Bathrooms & Kitchens +971 4 268 9993 [email protected]

Yemen: Abu Al-Rejal Trading Corp. +967 1 272 519 [email protected]

Middle East Architect - June 2010

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