Middle East Architect - May 2010 by ITP Business Publishing

MAY 2010 / VOLUME 4 / ISSUE 5

An ITP Business Publication | Licensed by Dubai Media City

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

STEPPING

OUTSIDE

The future of landscape architecture in the UAE

PLUS

ANALYSIS

WORK IN PROGRESS

PORTFOLIO

Egypt needs houses and hotels, but who will build them?

FXFOWLE’s King Abdullah Financial District

Modernism, mosques and a new gateway to Abu Dhabi

MAY | CONTENTS

MAY 2010 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 5 2

WHAT’S ON THE WEB WHAT

See mo more of MEA online, with u up to date news and arch of projects and an archive case studies

SNAPSHOT A short sharp summary of industry news from the last 30 days, including Abu Dhabi’s Estidama guidelines

WORK IN PROGRESS MEA visits KSA’s King Abdullah Financial District to see how work is getting on

CITYSCAPE Abu Dhabi plays host to a quiet but constructive installment of Cityscape

GCC ON TOUR MEA takes a look at how the pavilions shape up at the Shanghai Expo

THE WORK A detailed reference section covering all the regional projects MEA has looked at in recent months

OPINION Stuart Matthews argues that good design is partly behind developer Emaar’s recent spate of success

ANALYSIS Egypt’s housing demand is growing, but working there has its own unique challenges

THE INTERVIEW DSA’s top three architects talk about sustainability, icons and the future of Dubai

LANDSCAPING Attitudes to open space in the Middle East are changing, with the UAE at the forefront

CASE STUDIES A new mosque in Denmark, towers in Abu Dhabi and the first modernist building in Algiers in 30 years

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

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

ONLINE | MAY

ONLINE

CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM

MOST POPULAR • Power 20: Top GCC Architects • Abu Dhabi makeover can learn from Dubai, say UPC • Workers can beat the heat with cooling vest • TDIC in Cityscape apartments launch • AED1000 charge adds to Dubai Lagoon investor bill

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IN PICTURES: ROLEX TOWER We take a look at how construction is coming along at the newest high-rise on Sheikh Zayed Road, the Rolex Tower, designed by Chicago-based architects SOM.

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EDITOR’S CHOICE world’s tallest tower • Organisers praise Cityscape “success” • Clock tower to be world’s second

REBUILDING IRAQ

We take a look at some of Nakheel’s unfi nished projects in the region following news of the company’s well-received US $6 billion cash injection.

Dewan’s executive director Ammar Al Assam discusses the challenges of working in Iraq, the country where his fi rm was founded in 1971.

tallest building

SPOT POLL What is Emaar’s profi t a sign of?

29.4%

Stringent fi nancial management

29.4%

Burj Khalifa good will

23.6% NEW FRONTIER

GOODBYE

European fi rm BDP has big plans for the United Arab Emirates and the wider region, MENA director Gary Dicken told MEA at Cityscape.

Conrad Egbert reflects on five years of hate mail and car chases as editor of Construction Week, in his last column before moving to Mumbai.

STUDIO Group Art Editor Daniel Prescott Art Editor Simon Cobon PHOTOGRAPHY

• High praise for

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An economic recovery

17.6%

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Stories selected for 1-23 April, 2010

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COMMENT | GREEN DESIGN

ON THE GREEN COMMENT

Estidama has raised the bar for sustainable architecture in the UAE and beyond

GOT A COMMENT? If you have any comments to make on this month’s issue, please e-mail orlando. crowcroft @itp.com

reen architecture and sustainable design had a bit of a bad reputation in my home town. The feeling was that developers primarily used green initiatives to get hugely proﬁtable, and often vastly unpopular, projects through the town planning council, a body made up of the kind of politicians who would go all starry-eyed when confronted with the odd solar panel or roof garden. Since creating a green building was a simple matter of planting a few trees, it was an easy way to tack a few storeys or units on to a project and make a bit of extra cash. If the public raised any concerns you could distract them with recycled wooden window frames, while you quietly sent the bulldozers into the nearby

National Trust protected wetland. In some cases this attitude was fair, and in others it wasn’t, but it is one that I shared when I took on the reins of Middle East Architect last month. This part of the world, I felt, was a prime example of green double standards, where developers and designers praised sustainability with one breath and mile-high glass greenhouses with the next. I admit that I have had my preconceptions challenged time and time again in the last four weeks, and have undergone what can only be described as a conversion, from jaded green building skeptic to dancing-inthe-aisles enthusiast. It seems that, like the politicians I used to scoff at as a lowly planning reporter, it is my turn to be starry eyed.

Abu Dhabi’s new regulations will cover all aspects of the 2030 framework.

Now developers will not only be judged on their plans, but at every stage during construction and for some years after buildings are at full capacity

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

A lot of the factors behind my conversion are contained in this very issue of MEA, where we look at high-tech computer-operated screens on 25-storey towers in Abu Dhabi, Brazilian hardwood shades in Algiers and landscape designers in the UAE who are no longer content to pump gallons of water to keep the desert green. We also analyse the long-awaited launch of Estidama at Cityscape, a framework set to change the way developers build and architects design in Abu Dhabi and beyond. Of course the Middle East has a long way to go. There is still far too much glass in the desert and an inevitable reluctance to keep sustainable building from impacting the bottom line, but I think most would agree that with Estidama the region took a bold step forward. Now developers will not only be judged on their plans, but at every stage during construction and for some years after buildings are at full capacity. Few green ranking systems can claim to have such scope. It is early days for Estidama, and its true impact remains to be seen, particularly as the regulations have not yet been made mandatory and neighboring Dubai is yet to follow suit. But it is right that Abu Dhabi, and eventually the Middle East at large, should show that it is serious about sustainability. If we can do it here, in one of the most inhospitable climates in the world, then architects, developers and governments elsewhere will have no choice but to follow.

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RESEARCH

MODULE

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DISTRIBUTION OF

SERVICE

& DEVELOPMENT

& CELL PRODUCTION

& DESIGN

MODULES & COMPONENTS

& MAINTENANCE

OPINION | EMAAR

DEBT TO DESIGN OPINION

Emaar’s profit in a time of financial constraint owes a debt to design, says Stuart Matthews

GOT AN OPINION? If you have any comments to make on this month’s issue, please e-mail orlando. crowcroft @itp.com

ot long ago I took great pleasure in paying off a small car loan quite early, much to the puzzlement of an enthusiastically useless HSBC employee. For her it was ‘why bother’. For me it was more ‘phew, one less thing to worry about’. That feeling of relief gave my happiness index a positive bump for several days, though I chastised myself for taking the loan on in the ﬁrst place. Imagine then the recent relief of Emaar. The property development giant rolled over more than four billion dirhams of its debt into long-term project funding. In a move which Emaar described as ‘very comfortable’, it has removed its corporate neck from under the axe. Now I know it’s not the same as paying its debts completely, but even being able to shuffle things

around must be a relief. In essence the company bought itself some time. A few weeks later and things only got better. Emaar announced a significant and surprisingly high first quarter profit of AED 760 million, beating some forecasts by about AED 200 million; a sum not to be sniffed at. The reasons it gave included the performance of its hospitality and retail interests. The company said its Address hotels were enjoying good occupancy, and claimed decent foot traffic in Dubai Mall, which has enjoyed the publicity of high-profile brand openings - notably Bloomingdales, operated by Al Tayer. Interestingly Al Tayer also operates Harvey Nichols, so it has posh department store brands sewn up for both the Brits and their transatlantic cousins. Added influence comes from the

In a move which the company described as ‘very comfortable’, it has removed its corporate neck from under the axe

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

ever-present Burj Khalifa, which casts the world’s longest shadow over much of Emaar’s Dubai interests. The Burj is a suitable focal point for something which was not talked about in the financial news and that’s the value of good design. The Address hotels are doing their best to build a brand on this fact, while department store brand managers use words such as ‘distinct luxury offers’, and tenants in Downtown prove how much extra people are prepared to pay to live in and around what they perceive as good design. I’m not just talking about tall and surprisingly shiny spires. I mean the whole package: a nice apartment, in a nice area, with everything you need, plus a few luxury extras. It sounds simple enough, but it is as scarce as an Arabian Oryx. Emaar has, to some degree, achieved this. Although newness and faux cultural heritage make for a slightly sterile product, individual elements enjoy good design and the punters like it. This enjoyment is reflected in what they’ll pay to be there and can now be seen in Emaar’s profit statements: keep in mind the performance of other developers right now. Master planning, community development, landscaping, individual building design and even interiors all have a part to play. Emaar’s relative success in a time of financial constraint owes a debt to design. So if, as an architect, you are battling to convince a client that good design provides a pay back to their bottom line, there are worse examples to point to and say ‘it worked for them’.

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MAY | SNAPSHOT

THIS MONTH’S NEED TO KNOW “Undoubtedly thousands

of potential visitors

from Europe and the Americas have been

unable to get flights.” Rohan Marwaha, Cityscape

The height in metres of the Royal Clock Tower in Mecca

The expected demand for new homes by 2015 in Egypt

”

2 MILLION

“Architecture is a lot to do with the capacity to understand the purpose of what you are designing. I’m not a doctor but I’ve designed hospitals.”

Everything

has to be an

icon nowadays.” Floris Smith, DSA Architects

Bjarke Ingels, BIG

The size in m2 of Saudi Arabia’s pavilion at the Shanghai Expo

“People do go outside and

they want to go outside, developments need to have plazas and parks and urban

space. That

should be a model for the future.”

Lance Lowrey, Cassia

The number of five star hotels in Iraq

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

SNAPSHOT | MAY

80%

MINIMUM DEVELOPMENT OCCUPANCY BEFORE PEARL ASSESSMENT

“The UPC is taking sustainability as far as we can,” said UPC senior planner James Reed.

ABU DHABI GETS SERIOUS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY Abu Dhabi’s ‘Estidama’ system could soon force architects to include sustainable initiatives in their plans for the emirate. Abu Dhabi’s Urban Planning Council (UPC) want its new green

ranking system – which is based on LEED criteria but more speciﬁcally suited to the Middle Eastern climate – to be mandatory for developers in the emirate. The UPC, which is responsible for the Abu Dhabi 2030 framework unveiled at Cityscape last month, want Estidama, and its Pearl Rating system, to be regulatory rather than simply being guidelines for architects and developers to follow. “Currently, the LEED system is voluntary but the Estidama system needs to be regulatory. It needs to be part of the approval process, just

to encourage developers to build a better building. The UPC is taking sustainability as far as we can take it,” said James Reed, a senior planner at UPC. Under Estidama, projects will be assessed by their Pearl Design Rating, which is engaged at the design stage and followed by a Pearl Construction Rating, which is introduced for two years post completion. Pearl Operational rating then assesses the operational performance of a development when it has reached an occupancy of 80%. Architects and designers will need to work alongside Pearl-qualiﬁed professionals during the design

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

phase, and submit to an assessor for review and ranking, which can be between one pearl to ﬁve. Samuel Keehn, of Energy Management Services, said that Estidama would force architects to pursue integrated design at a very early stage, meaning there would be little reason for them not to produce a green building. “We’ve been waiting for this to officially launch for two years, there have been a lot of false starts but now it’s officially out there,” he said. “It’s a big step forward, especially if they make it mandatory for the whole of the 2030 Abu Dhabi framework development.”

MAY | SNAPSHOT

IN BRIEF Dubai, which includes Dubai Mall and a range of commercial and residential units. “This development encompasses everything good in a mixed use development - a pleasant commercial working environment, a range of excellent hospitality venues, world class shopping and a beautiful residential integration,” they said.

Architecture ﬁ rm Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ) is opening a third office in the UAE in order to capitalize on Abu Dhabi’s ambitious plans for development and economic growth. GAJ’s decision to set up a base in Abu Dhabi follows a renewed government focus on non-oil economic activity – an initiative that will see up to US $300 billion invested over the next 10 years to build industry and tourism in the Emirate. “We are mostly working on hospitality projects, which help to support the growing tourism industries, and residential and commercial projects, which assist in meeting the requirements for new accommodation in the region,” said Brian Johnson, principal and managing partner of GAJ. The Burj Khalifa scooped the top accolade at Cityscape Abu Dhabi, with judges praising the 828 meter tower in downtown Dubai as ‘truly iconic’. The Burj, designed by SOM architects for developers Emaar, won best mixed use category. As well as praising the world’s tallest tower, the judges also commended the development of downtown

Architecture fi rm Stride Treglown will begin work on its fi rst low-income school in Al Ain, which is scheduled to open at the beginning of next year. The fi rm has been in talks with ADEC about reducing the requirements placed on new private schools by the government as part of its crackdown on villa schools in Abu Dhabi. The Oasis school will cater for 500 children and will be run by a management committee made up of Indian expatriate business leaders. Saudi Arabia will soon be home to the world’s second tallest building, as plans to top a hotel complex in Mecca with a clock tower six times taller than London’s Big Ben were unveiled in Dubai. The 662-metre Mecca Royal Clock Building – eclipsing the 508-metre Taipei in Taiwan – will sit underneath a 155-metre metal spire that will hold the reputed ‘biggest clock in the world’ and will form part of a new complex of hotels called Abraj al-Bayt Towers, constructed for the Saudi government by the Bin Laden Group and managed by Fairmont Hotels and

$10

BILLION Resorts. The building should be ﬁ nished by July.

CONTRACT FOR KAUST

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia has been selected as one of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) top ten green projects for 2010. The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) praised Saudi Arabia’s ﬁ rst platinum LEED-rated developments, designed by HOK architects, for its “innovative strategies to create a low-energy, highly sustainable project in the context of an extremely hot, humid climate”. KAUST is the eighth HOK project to earn AIA COTE recognition, but its ﬁ rst in the Middle East. HOK designed the 6.5-million square foot campus on a site along the Red Sea, 50 miles north of Jeddah. Mecca Royal Clock Building will be six times taller than London’s Big Ben.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

NEWS ANALYSIS | EGYPT

ALL EYES ON EGYPT

ANALYSIS

Egypt may be a new frontier for Middle Eastern architects, but it still poses unique challenges

t will not have come as a surprise to many in the Middle East that Egypt needs housing for its growing middle class. A report by consultancy New Look, published in April, put the demand at two million new homes by 2015, as young Egyptian families seek affordable housing in a market saturated by luxury apartments. The country’s real estate market grew by 3.7% in 2009.

And it is not just in the residential sector where there is money to be made for developers. Tourism, Egypt’s major cash cow, only suffered minimal declines in 2009 despite the global recession. The country needs hotels, resorts and tourist infrastructure, and Egypt’s government is welcoming ambitious schemes with open arms. UAE developer Emaar has been taking advantage of Egypt’s new

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

ambition for some time now. The ﬁ rm’s 2.2 million m 2 Sheikh Khalifa city – paid for by a US$100 million grant from Abu Dhabi and including schools, shops, mosques and thousands of homes – is one of four major developments that it is undertaking in Egypt. Architects too are making their mark, Zaha Hadid recently unveiled plans for a 50,000m 2 conference center in downtown Cairo, while

NEWS ANALYSIS | EGYPT

Godwin Austen Johnson are involved in two massive tourism developments on Egypt’s coast in Sharm Al Sheikh. “They have the money now, and the ambition,” explained Hisham Youssef, a Dubai-based architect from Egypt, and former president of the now-defunct UAE architects association. GAJ’s two projects in Egypt are in their very early stages, but the sheer size of both illustrate that the Egyptian government are serious about developing their coastline for tourists. The ﬁ rm’s 7.5 million m 2 mixed-use development in Sharm Al Sheikh – which will include 42,000 residential units and ﬁve hotels – are dwarfed by an even bigger project in Soma Bay, which will include 72,000 residential units and a staggering 58 new hotels. Ricus Van Zyl, associate partner at GAJ architects, says the willingness on the part of the government to allow developers to build quickly and

easily is a major advantage of working in Egypt. “It’s easy to work in Egypt in terms of restrictions. From what we have experienced the mission in Dubai to get your building permit approved is always a huge challenge with Dubai municipality, there is none of this in Egypt,” Van Zyl said. But while both the government and developers welcome new projects, construction in Egypt takes time. The estimated completion dates of both GAJ’s projects could be more effectively counted in decades rather than years, and this is not only due to their size. Van Zyl explains that unlike in the UAE, working in Egypt tends to require a ‘hands on’ approach to management. “In Dubai you always guaranteed to have a project manager on from day one, and he seems to know what the design brief is and what instructions the architect requires to do the design,” he explained.

CITYSTARS Architect: Godwin Austen Johnson Site: 7.5 million m 2 Location: Sharm El Sheikh This massive hotel and apartment complex on Egypt’s coast includes four hotels, manmade lagoons, a gold course and what is expected to be the largest swimming pool in the world. Hotels based on the lagoons have their own quays and water access and the site will be served by its very own sustainable transport network. The site will also feature a tennis academy, schools a recreation center and staff quarters. The Citystars development is set to be an incredible feat of engineering, with water from the lagoons sourced from deep wells rather than the sea.

7.5 MILLION METRES2 CITYSTARS SHARM EL SHEIKH DEVELOPMENT

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

NEWS ANALYSIS | EGYPT

525,000 METRES2

STONE TOWERS, CAIRO Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects Site: 170,000 m 2 Location: Cairo Stone Towers is an offi ce, hotel and retail development in central Cairo, which gets its name from an ancient petriﬁ ed tree in the center of the site. A total of 525,000m 2 of building area will include state-of-theart offi ces, food and beverage outlets and a ﬁ ve star hotel. The stone structures were designed to imitate the complexity of ancient Egyptian architecture, and the patterns of Hieroglyphic characters. The towers, which diff er from each other in size and shape, are set around a series of ponds, walkways and paths.

STONE TOWERS’ GROSS BUILDING AREA

“But in Egypt the project manager is almost just the facilitator and the architect has to bring all the ideas to the client. We have to write the brief, draw up the design and then check that the project is what client wants. It takes a long time. What you normally do in Dubai in six months will take you 12 months there. It is a very, very slow process.” Despite this, UAE’s Youssef explains that attitudes are changing in Egypt towards quality design, something that may have been lacking some years ago. Developers are keener to pay for foreign talent than they were in the past, and the results are promising. “There’s an increased appreciation of good design and good planning in Egypt now. A lot of developers are engaging the services of foreign consultants and designers, and there is a feeling that there is a need to bring in good, experienced designers,” he said.

Youssef does point out, however, that foreign consultants have to be aware that designs that may look good on paper can often not be followed through in Egypt. “They have to be aware of what the construction industry there is capable of,” he said. Another consideration, he points out, is that Egyptian clients tend to want to take an active role in design. Architects that are too precious about their designs may ﬁ nd a different culture than they are used to in other areas of the region. “It’s the culture in Egypt that the client says do it and you don’t push back,” he said. But despite these challenges, both Van Zyl and Youssef are optimistic that as Egypt continues to be home to new projects and ambitious design, both attitudes and ability in the country will change. “There is a lot of really big stuff going on in Egypt,” Van Zyl said. “There is real ambition.”

What you normally do in Dubai in six months will take you 12 months there. It is a very, very slow process

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

WIP | KAFD

KING ABDULLAH FINANCIAL DISTRICT WORK IN PROGRESS

FXFOWLE managing director Steven Miller says work on the KAFD site is moving forward in leaps and bounds

he King Abdullah Financial District is a major development for the Saudi capital, and a major undertaking for architects FXFOWLE, who have committed to developing the KSA’s ﬁ rst Leed rated building on the site. FXFOWLE is responsible for four plots of land on what is set to be Saudi Arabia’s biggest business park, which will eventually comprise two towers, 88 metres and 133 metres respectively, a 26-storey office building, three levels of retail space and a mosque. At an estimat-

ed cost of US $96 billion, KAFD is being developed by the governmentowned Rayadah Investment Company on the outskirts of Riyadh. It is a major project, but work on FXFOWLE’s portion of the site is well underway. The two tallest towers already stand at around seven stories, and much of the low-level space is on the verge of completion. The basements of many of the buildings are now ﬁ nished, even down to the paintwork and plumbing. Steven Miller, Dubai managing director of FXFOWLE, is upbeat about the development. While the

two towers still have some 30 storeys to go, an estimated 40% of the project is being constructed below ground level, and much of this work is at an advanced stage. “The MEP work is going amazingly well. In Riyadh the soil is very soft so you can get the material out so fast, as long as it’s not raining,” he said. “Then once you get to January you

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

KAFD | WIP

know that it’s not going to rain for another ten months.” Not that the development has been entirely hassle free. One of the most distinctive attributes of the FXFOWLE towers is their exterior, with each tower slanting in seemingly random directions. While such a design is easy to create on paper, it is less easy to put into practice. “The design is such that the outside walls of the towers all slope and because of this obviously the columns have to slope too. You can’t just stick the columns up and work around them; you have to align them perfectly on a level by level basis. They have been the biggest challenge so far,” Miller said. At the same time, the reluctance of construction companies in Saudi Arabia to use structural steel has made implementing FXFOWLE’s distinctive design more difficult. “They’re not trained to use it and they don’t want any part of it,” Miller said. And while the bones of the construction are well underway in Riyadh, the environmental initia-

tives will take time. FXFOWLE has designed the façades of the buildings to include energy-reducing sun shades while each of them has green roofs and additional landscaped areas. Environmental modeling software was used to develop the building forms in response to sun and shadow patterns, permitting natural lighting and views while mitigating solar gain. There will also be signiﬁcant landscaping on the site, with plans for three levels of public space separating pedestrians from vehicular traffic. Open public areas too are a prominent part of the project. Nonetheless, Miller estimates that the two smaller residential buildings and the mosque will be completed within the next 12 to 15 months, while the rest of the development is probably around 24 months away. “On the two tallest towers we have around 30 more lifts and then maybe 20 on the other two, then there are the three low buildings and that’s it,” he said. “It’s all gone pretty well.”

KING ABDULLAH FINANCIAL DISTRICT Architect: FXFOWLE Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Status: Under Construction Completion: 2011

US $96 BILLION

ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION COST FOR KAFD

Columns are aligned on a level by level basis to form a slanted exterior.

The site is set to be the KSA’s biggest business park.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

INTERVIEW | DSA ARCHITECTS

TALKING POINTS

INTERVIEW

DSA’s three top architects sat down with Middle East Architect to discuss joined up thinking and the future of Dubai

t’s not often that you hear a city criticized for having too many iconic buildings – as unusual, in fact, as hearing architects complain that they have too much freedom to build what they like. But sitting across the table in their office in the Dubai Financial Center, Floris Smith, Fadi Sarieddine and Maher Fleifel are arguing just that. Dubai’s skyline may look great on a

postcard, they argue, but the pace of development in the last ﬁve years has not made the city a nice place to live and spend time outside. Mile-high buildings are all very well, but if you can’t walk across the street to the shops without ﬁ rst navigating a 14 lane high-way and a building site in the blazing summer heat, then the novelty soon wears off. “Dubai seems to have much too

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

much land available on which the city is built, so things tend to be like satellites connected with freeways with a lot of space in between, which will take a long time to ﬁll up with urban fragments,” explained Smith, head of architecture at DSA. “It’s a planning thing. Traditional cities grow slowly over time it’s like adding cells to an organism, here they create these nodes spread really

DSA ARCHITECTS | INTERVIEW

“If you look at the action plan that outlines the regulations it is just basically an empty sheet of paper.” Fadi Sarieddine, associate design director, DSA.

“There doesn’t seem to be urban design controls that are designed for a a user-friendly city,” Smith said. “There are two other examples of planning which I fi nd quite bizarre, and the fi rst is the metro train system – I don’t know why it was not built underground. It goes right up close to the face of buildings, so the streetscape is completely almost destroyed by that.” The second, Smith feels, is Dubai’s elevated highways, so often constructed mere meters away from buildings. “Your whole sense of being in a street environment created by buildings – which is the traditional way – is ignored,” he explains. In terms of buildings, explains associate design director at DSA, Sarieddine, much of the problem has been a lack of guidance about what architects can build in the emirate. Unlike in most other countries, the amount of space Dubai has for buildings has furnished architects and developers with a carte blanche to develop whatever they like. “If you look at the action plan which is the paper we get from the munici2 pality that outline the far apart I mean, is regulations it is just baDSA’S MADINAT the vision to fi ll this sically an empty sheet of JUMEIRAH SOUK in ultimately?” paper,” Sarieddine said. It is not only a matter “If you come from the of space the problem is that UK or Australia where the there is no link between buildings, government is very prescriptive as if architects only planned their about what you can do and what buildings from the fourth floor upyou can’t do in the public realm it is wards. As highways and metro lines absolutely rigorous, they kill you if intersect urban areas, pedestrian you have a blank wall that runs for a access and open space is ignored. certain distance without an opening

14,500 METRES

in it,” Smith added. “They are so particular about that sort of thing that it surprises you to come to place where to an extent you can do what you like.” Many of these initiatives, Smith adds, are not major burdens. In Australia, for example, architects are required to erect awnings over the street to protect the public from the rain and sun. “These are just simple things, and yet here, where you would expect it because of the climate, they are absent,” Smith said. But it is not just serving passers-by where the Dubai’s buildings are lacking; it is in their responsibilities to the environment too. For all the talk of green architecture, sustainable development and the like, architects are still failing to take their environment into account. “The climate is extreme in this part of the world yet glass buildings are very prevalent and still popular. Some clients say to me, can a building be modern without having a glass façade, I say yes of course. Like glass means progress. It’s got to be glass or it doesn’t count,” Smith said. “There is a lot of image making here, which I question from a sustainability point of view. If you’re really serious about saving material and labor and energy then you tend to make buildings simply, not unnecessarily complex.” Sustainability is another area where Smith feels that architecture in Dubai in recent years has been lacking. He describes his favorite building in the city, the 80-storey

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

INTERVIEW | DSA ARCHITECTS

AL FATTAN HOUSE, DUBAI MARINA The Al Fattan Offi ce Block is the third tower in the Al Fattan Residential Community at Dubai Marina. While the second ﬂ oor features offi ces, the ﬁ rst is retail, with a mezzanine open-air garden linking the two. Wooden screens set against the glass façade limits glare from the sun.

Index Building, designed by Norman Foster. Not only has Foster not tried to create an ‘icon’ in the conventional sense of the word, but he has created a truly sustainable structure. “I drive past that building every day and I can see how well it is engineered,” Smith explains. “The other buildings, they’re just sitting there in the sun, saying to the

sun, ‘yeah, here I am, hit me’. That building doesn’t do that, it’s clearly been thought about very carefully.” DMS are always keen to present their designs not as stand-alone structures, but as part of the cities where they are situated. It is little surprise, then, that Smith and Sarieddine have strong views about many developments in Dubai today.

This dialogue is important for Dubai. Now is the time to have this conversation.” Floris Smith, head of architecture, DSA

MADINAT JUMEIRAH SOUK A massive retail project on Jumeirah beach, the Madinat is not only a shopping center but a 14,500 m 2 mixed development including hotels, bars and restaurants. The buildings are designed to imitate the style of old Dubai, with thick walls and small windows to reduce heat.

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

“We joke about this all the time, but everything has to be an icon nowadays,” Smith explained. “So much so that now it is the building that’s not an icon that stands out. Foster’s building stands out because it’s not an icon.” Despite their criticisms, all three architects feel that now is the right time to take all these factors into consideration. As the pace of development slows down there is more room to breathe and to take stock of the big picture, unlike in 2008 when developers were more concerned with building as fast as possible. Midway through 2010, however, Smith, Fleifel and Sarieddine are upbeat that architects, planners and designers now have time to think about how Dubai fits together. “We’re no longer in the race of building fi rst that we were in up to two years back,” Smith said. Fleifel, associate director at DSA, added: “Just having square meters in the project back then was all that mattered, because a year later renting would become more expensive. The turnover was very fast and there was little time to think long-term before the fi nancial crisis.” “This dialogue is important for Dubai. Now is the time to have this conversation,” Smith said.

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GREEN DESIGN | ADVERTISEMENT

ON THE RISE THE POPULARITY OF GREEN BUILDINGS IS SET TO INCREASE AS THE WORLD ECONOMY RECOVERS

n recent years architects have been increasingly vocal in extolling their green credentials, with developers struggling to out-do

each other with sustainable initiatives. Governments too have placed a new emphasis on reducing waste and increasing the use of renewable energy, especially in the Middle East, where air conditioners battle to cool vast glass tower blocks and sprinklers pump out thousands of litres of water to keep the desert green. So much so that a recent report by Lux Research, a New York-based consultancy, has predicted that the green-tech industry will expand by 6.1% year-onyear, rising to US$ 277 billion in 2020, up from US$ 144 billion today. Lux Research’s focus in Diamonds in the Rough:

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Government-led initiatives have also resulted in substantial interest from international venture capital.

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ernment policies, such as the Green

“From our perspective we’ve been

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Leaf Building initiative in Dubai, will

able to close our second book of fund

above that of the standard used at

see more projects from infrastructure

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the time of original construction.

to commercial develop.

The energy-saving equipment –

Enviromena, the Abu Dhabi-based

“There’s been a substantial inflow of green technology money and that

which comprises lighting, HVAC and

developer of solar products including

demonstrates a real interest. Investors

water heating systems as well as

power plants, is one company to ben-

believe in a short- to mid-term series

energy-generation technologies such

efit from recent governmental support

of subsidies and incentives coming

as rooftop solar systems - will reach

for environmentally conscious, sus-

from the government.”

a market value of US $146 billion

tainable projects .

in 2015, spurred by new growth in

Sander Trestain, vice president –

LEDs, smart lighting, and advanced

technical, said that although the initia-

heat technologies. More technology

tives are quite new and occurred in

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

SPECIAL REPORT | CITYSCAPE ABU DHABI

PLAYING THE NUMBERS

SPECIAL REPORT

Cityscape fails to draw the crowds in Abu Dhabi, but architects appreciate the chance to get noticed. 24

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

CITYSCAPE ABU DHABI | SPECIAL REPORT

This reality check that the region has had has probably been a good thing for everyone. Gary Dicken, BDP Architects

ityscape closed as it opened last month in Abu Dhabi, quietly and with little of the pizzazz that it was for so long known for. Organisers were quick to brand Cityscape Abu Dhabi a success, with managing director Rohan Marwaha hitting out at those who made “gloomy predictions” in the run up to the four day event. Marwaha observed that long-term constructive schemes had replaced the speculative investments of the past. And browsing the stalls in the Abu Dhabi National Convention Centre, it was difficult not to come to same conclusion. Long term, large-scale infrastructure projects – many government-backed – had replaced ambitious icons, and developers courted end-user buyers rather than investors after a quick cash injection. The event’s centrepiece, a huge model laying out Abu Dhabi’s 2030 framework, epitomised the change of direction, as did the two major

deals signed during the event, both large-scale housing projects for Abu Dhabi signed between developers and the government. For designers and architects, this change in tack was a positive one. Instead of the event being dominated by check book waving investors, it felt more like a forum for professionals, an opportunity for new fi rms on the block to show off their designs and older players to check out the opposition. Nathan Hones, general manager at Stride Treglown, said that Cityscape was in many ways getting back to its roots. “It’s coming back to the business to business event that it used to be. It seems to be more about people getting together and meeting each other, which is good,” he said Hones said that Stride Treglown’s stand had been already been visited by a number of developers, who, with a dearth of customers, had taken the time to fl ick through the fi rm’s book of recent projects.

ABU DHABI 2030

The Urban Planning Council’s model formed the centerpiece of Cityscape in Abu Dhabi. The 23 by 17 metre model was created at a scale of 1:2,000 and covers an area from the Corniche on Abu Dhabi’s main island to Shahama, Mussafah and Al Falah on the mainland and includes the islands of Saadiyat, Yas, Lulu, Reem and Sowwah. “It is

23 X 17 METRES

1:2000 SCALE MODEL OF ABU DHABI 2030

a visible demonstration of our commitment to deliver what we embarked upon three years ago, when the Urban Planning Council was set up by a decree. It will be a living, breathing model that will be constantly updated to refl ect progress on the ground, and serve as a great communication and promotional platform for all of Abu Dhabi’s stakeholders,” said Falah Al Ahbabi, UPC General Manager.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

SPECIAL REPORT | CITYSCAPE ABU DHABI

THE DEALS

AED4.5 BILLION

The Abu Dhabi government was

Shamkha, another community

the major player at Cityscape this

for Emiratis. Both projects will

year, and the two most signiﬁ cant

contribute 9,000 homes over the

deals signed were with the Urban

next ﬁ ve years.

Planning Council (UPC) and the

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi

Department of Municipal Aff airs.

developer Aldar signed an

Sorough Real Estate signed

AED730 million contract with the

an agreement with the UPC to

Department of Municipal Aff airs

develop Watani, a master plan

to provide the infrastructure for

community for UAE nationals,

a development of around 1,045

costing a total of AED4.5 billion.

villas, a school and other facilties

Sorough will also develop

in Al Ain near Jebel Hafeet.

– Cityscape was graced with a number of high profi le government figures, befitting its emphasis on government projects. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, toured the stands on day two of the event, paying special attention to the vast UPC model of Abu Dhabi 2030, as well as Mushrif Park, His Highness’s pet project.

Meanwhile, while Cityscape Abu Dhabi may not have been the shot in the arm that many in the region wanted and expected it to be, but in its emphasis on infrastructure projects and joined up thinking, many felt that it was exactly what was needed. “This reality check that the region has had has probably been a good thing for everyone,” said BDP’s Dicken.

COST OF SOROUH DEVELOPMENT FOR UAE NATIONALS

Gary Dicken, MENA director for European architecture fi rm BDP, who have recently merged with local fi rm Syna in a move into the Middle East market, agreed. “I guess Cityscape is quite an open forum, a place where we can examine critically the way forward for the region,” Dicken said. Developers too felt that Cityscape had developed a new emphasis on the long term, with buyers snapping up homes that they actually intended to live in rather than fl ip quickly and sell on. From his semibusy stand, Wael Tawil, CEO of Developer Baniyas Investment and Development Company (BID), said that he felt the lack of long queues of speculators chucking their checkbooks around was positive. “For us, Cityscape has been active, but active from the perspective of end users,” Tawil said. “The market is free of speculators now. It’s not slowing down, it’s more focused. Good projects have replaced bad projects and end users have replaced speculators.” And while many potential buyers stayed away – because of either volcanic ash or market uncertainty, depending on whom you believe

Abu Dhabi’s 2030 framework targets a population increase of 2m in 20 years.

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

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FEATURE | LANDSCAPING

BETWEEN THE BUILDINGS A new appreciation of open space and green design is changing the face of landscaping in the UAE

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 05 10 | www.constructionweekonline.com www constructionweekonline com

LANDSCAPING | FEATURE

t is a fact of life that the car is king in many Middle Eastern cities, and while tree-lined highways and public parks do exist, much of the region’s landscape architecture has been designed to be viewed through car windows. It is not only breakneck development that is to blame for the region’s lack of well-designed open space, it is the climate too. After all, sitting outside is not very agreeable in 50 degree heat, and it was inevitable that air-conditioned passages would take precedence over open air walkways. But this situation is changing, and new projects in the United Arab Emirates seem to be paving the way for an increasing awareness of the role of open space. Architects seem to be attempting to join up cities that have so far been orientated around individual structures and roads. Peter Sheard, senior associate at Gensler London, was one of the landscape architects involved in the Dubai International Finance Centre, a good example of a well-landscaped development in the city. Unlike so many

areas of downtown Dubai, pedestrians are able to easily walk between the DIFC’s network of offices, retail outlets and restaurants and cafes. The DIFC is almost eerie for its lack of cars and street noise, and Sheard believes this makes it one of very few developments in the Middle East that is both workable and enjoyable at the same time. “It works on two different levels. The central spine allows people to get through that whole area during the less tolerable summer months, and during the winter they can walk around outside in a traffic free pedestrian area,” Sheard said. “It is a design that is very much based on the idea of pedestrian connectivity. We wanted to ﬁnd a way of

moving between these structures in a way that is comfortable.” Sheard points out that in so much of the Middle East landscape is not designed to be usable, in fact it plays a very superﬁcial role in urban planning, particularly in the UAE. “If you look at a lot of the landscape work in Abu Dhabi and Dubai it is of a high quality, but at the end of the day you just wonder what it is all for. It is actually designed to be viewed from a car; it’s just eye-wash,” he said. “We could do what we did with the DIFC because the client was convinced that you had to create a workable area or it wouldn’t attract people. If you create an environment that is car dependant then you are immediately hamstrung.”

“If you look at a lot of the landscape work in Abu Dhabi and Dubai it is of a high quality, but at the end of the day you just wonder what it is all for.” Peter Sheard, senior associate, Gensler London.

Mushrif Park’s ‘shade house’ will remain at 20 degrees all year round.

Gardens at the Ritz Carlton, Dubai.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

FEATURE | LANDSCAPING

“We looked at introducing different landscape using types of grass and some shrub material that reduces overall water consumption,” he said. They have also had to take into account the habits of the people who frequent the park. Unlike in the US or Europe, people in the Middle East tend to want to spend time outdoors in the evenings, so trees and football pitches are not enough to create a popular urban space. This is something that while innovative in the UAE, is more established elsewhere in the Gulf, according to Genslers’ Sheard. He says that countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have been creating OF MUSHRIF PARK Shading remains integral to good landscaping in the Gulf. well landscaped open REDUCES HEAT spaces for longer due to BUILD-UP This is sentiment that, while new was making the park the influence of western in Dubai, is being embraced in Abu are more pleasurable architects in development Dhabi, where landscaping and joined place for Abu Dhabi residents projects there. up master-planning has formed a to spend time, while embracing the “There’s been a real commitment major part of the emirate’s 2030 emirate’s commitment to green there to creating landscaping, which redevelopment plan. The recent design. In order to do so, the designers is very, very popular with locals in the design brief for the Al Bateen Marina, had to challenge some of the design evenings. That is another difference for example, demanded that designers concepts of the past. between locals and expats, expats include pedestrian walkways, shading “The park right now is completely tend to enjoy outside areas in the and even bicycle lanes. covered in turf grass which is enorevenings, while locals will go out for Abu Dhabi seems reluctant to mously water consumptive. We’ve a walk at 2 am because it is cooler,” repeat the mistakes of its northern tried to reduce the amount of turf he said. neighbor in its grand designs for the grass and make the areas that are In the residential realm architects next two decades, and Mushrif Centhere more usable,” Lloyd said. are also developing new ways of tral Park – the pet project of Crown Over 70% of the total site has been making urban areas more pleasurable Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed designed to naturally reduce urban places to spend time. At the GalAl Nahyan – is demonstrative of this. heat buildup, by using canopies of leries site in Jebel Ali, a mixed use The 25 year old park has embarked trees as shade and paving materials development that opened last month, on a redevelopment process, featuring that are able to reflect the sun in an designers have tried to buck the trend some innovative landscape design. effort to reduce overall surface heat of building endless tower blocks and Brent Lloyd, associate at Valley gain throughout the park. Changing concentrated on open spaces, gardens Crest Design, the firm that redesigned the nature of the vegetation was also and community areas. the park, explained that their focus important, Lloyd explains. The offices and residential towers are surrounded by a network of fountains and gardens, and the importapeople really value open spaces here, and that is tion of mature trees from abroad has something that will continue.” made the exterior of the buildings ready for use almost immediately. Brent Lloyd, associate, Valley Crest Design A shade canopy provides protection from the sun when crossing between the two buildings.

70%

“I think

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

We provide • Soft and hard landscape construction • Automatic irrigation • Preserved palms • Indoor plant arrangements • Planters • Maintenance services Tel: +971 4 267 2499 | Fax: +971 4 267 2492 P.O.Box 86972, Dubai, UAE | Email: info@brookplants.com

FEATURE | LANDSCAPING

BEATING THE HEAT – Keeping cool and sustainable in a desert climate

LIGHTING

SHADING

In Mushrif Park, an integrated

At Mushrif Park, Seba have

solar photovoltaic system is

emphasized shading in order to

anticipated to generate in excess

make the park usable even in the

of 300,000kwh annually, helping

summer. Over 1,000 trees will be

to power the park’s lighting. At

planted alongside the Botanic

Jebel Ali, low-energy, sensor

Gardens and Shade House; many of

lights are used throughout the

them are over 25 years old, making

Galleries development in Jebel Ali,

them the most mature trees in

in an effort to meet Leadership in

Abu Dhabi. The temperature in

Energy and Environmental Design

the Shade House is expected to

(LEED) standards.

remain at around 22 degrees all year round. Meanwhile, at Jebel Ali, a shade canopy reduces the sun’s glare for residents.

MATERIALS Using stone has the immediate beneﬁt of being cheap, but it is also a staple of landscape design

WATER

in hot climates. The concept of

At the Galleries, the irrigation

xeriscopes, or ‘hard landscaping’,

network feeds off the main

promotes the use of materials that

irrigation system serving the entire

survive well in the heat. Genslers’

area of zone one of downtown

Sheard explained: “The Middle

Jebel Ali, while the main pool and

East is very comfortable using

fountain use recycled water from

a lot of stone because the cost,

the air conditioning units from

labor and supply are really low.”

nearby office towers.

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

“It was always our intention that the space between the towers felt like a complete plaza,” explained Lance Lowrey, the project manager on the Jebel Ali site. “Shade in design is a critical element here and I have learned a lot about it while doing this project. In fact, all the designs that we are working on now try to incorporate it.” Environmental initiatives also play a part in the Jebel Ali development, which is an increasingly important consideration at a time when governments are unwilling – both in moral and ﬁnancial terms – to pump out vast amounts of water in an effort to keep lawns green. The Galleries uses an irrigation system that recycles water from the air conditioning units from nearby offices, saving up to 4,000 gallons of water a day. Lowrey, who came to Dubai from the US to lead the Jebel Ali project, said that urban space is likely to become more and more important for developments in the Middle East, especially as it has not been explored signiﬁcantly so far. “People do go outside and they want to go outside, developments need to have plazas and parks and urban space. That should be a model for the future,” he said. “The nature of being in a public space is basically like being an actor in a play, and I think people love that. No matter who you are, what culture you come from, or where you are in the world.” Valley Crest’s Lloyd’s agrees. Just because the UAE has lacked welllandscaped public space in the past, the indications are that the demand will only increase as redevelopment picks up the pace in the emirates. Lloyd believes that both local and expats in the region are screaming out for it “I think people really value open spaces here, and that is something that will continue,” he said.

SPECIAL REPORT | SHANGHAI EXPO

GCC ON TOUR How the pavilions shape up at the Shanghai Expo

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

SPECIAL REPORT | SHANGHAI EXPO

The main shell was constructed in just six months during a season of heavy rain in Shanghai – that was quite an impressive feat. Gerard Evenden, associate partner, Foster + Partners

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Theme: Sand Dune Architect: Foster + Partners The Saudis may have spent the

said architect Gerard Evenden.

most cash on their pavilion, but

The decision to base the design on

the UAE’s remains one of the

a sand dune was not only to draw

biggest in Shanghai, and has the

attention to the UAE’s climate,

beneﬁt of being fully recyclable –

but also to ﬂaunt the country’s

the whole thing will be taken apart

emphasis on sustainable building.

and brought back to the UAE in

“The curve of the dune responds

October. Designed by Foster +

to the arc of the sun and is

Partners, the pavilion is modeled

orientated towards the north, with

on a sand dune, constructed from

the solid shell forms protecting

a two-metre triangulated grid of

against the direct glare from

oxide-colorized steel. But although

the south and allowing indirect

the ﬁrm’s in house modeling

light to enter the habitable areas

group had a difficult task,

via a complex series of louvres,”

Shanghai’s unpredictable weather

Evenden said. The architect was,

was the main challenge during

however, tight-lipped about where

construction. “The main shell was

the pavilion will go come October.

constructed in just six months

“I’m afraid it is too premature to

during a season of heavy rain –

discuss its location after the Expo

that was quite an impressive feat,”

at this stage,” he said.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

SPECIAL REPORT | SHANGHAI EXPO

The Expo is a carnival of humanity. Wang Zhenjun, chief architect, China Electronics Engineering Design Institute (CEEDI)

SAUDI ARABIA Theme: Moon Boat Architect: China Electronics Engineering Design Institute (CEEDI) The Saudi pavilion is quite a hit in China, not only because it is designed by local architect Wang Zhenjun, but also because it is the most expensive and second biggest (after China, of course). Wang’s ‘moon boat’ design beat over 40 other submissions from around the world, making him somewhat of a hero in the local press. Wang, who worked with Saudi Arabian architects throughout the design process, said that he chose to base the pavilion on the moon boat as it is something that appears in both Chinese and Arabian fairytales, while the date trees on the top of the structure, “symbolised the friendship between the two countries”. The poles that hold the 5,000 m2 boat in place also act as elevators. “A well-designed pavilion must be effective in getting visitors involved, so that they are not passively looking at it, but are also happily

5,000 METRES2

OMAN Theme: The Voyages of Sinbad Architect: City Neon

SAUDI’S PAVILION THE SECOND BIGGEST AFTER CHINA

to comment on the project

Singapore based architects City

when contacted by Middle East

Neon, Oman’s Expo off ering is not

Architect, used glass to illustrate

on a similar scale to its neighbors,

the traditional Omani sailing ship,

but at 2,000 square meters it is

contrasting it with the distinctive

not among the smallest pavilions

round tower of Oman’s old

either. The pavilion combines two

capital, Nizwa. At the front of the

of the country’s most famous

pavilion the tower of Sohar, a city

attributes, its historic forts and

once known as the Gateway to

its traditional merchant ships, the

China, now once again welcomes

Ganjahs. City Neon, who declined

visitors from Shanghai.

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

experiencing it,” Wang said, describing the Expo generally as a “carnival of humanity.”

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www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

BRITISH EMBASSY ALGIERS | CASE STUDY

BRITISH EMBASSY ALGIERS

Architect: John McAslan + Partners Client: British Foreign Office

CASE STUDY

1800 M2

THE PROJECT Algiers is not known for modernist architecture; in fact the closest the city has to a contemporary building was designed by Swiss-French urbanist architect Le Corbusier some 70 years ago. But with the new British Embassy John McAslan and Partners were determined to break that dry spell, and effectively fuse the site’s historical background with ambitious modernist themes. The building incorporates a visa applications room, offices and a recreation center with an outdoor swimming pool and

GROSS INTERNAL AREA OF BUILDING SITE

landscaped gardens. JMP had to work around the historic Ambassador’s Residence, contrasting its colonial style with a modern, eco-friendly building that will serve as an administrative hub for a busy embassy. As well as disabled access and ecological concerns, JMP also had to incorporate security perimeters into the site while retaining an open and welllandscaped space. They also had to bear in mind cost, with the British Foreign Office conscious not spend too much taxpayers’ cash.

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

CASE STUDY | BRITISH EMBASSY ALGIERS

THE SITE The FCO sought to incorporate the embassy into the grounds of the residence rather than fi nding another site elsewhere in order to save money, as well as to ensure greater security. From the garden, the massing of the three-storey building appears to be reduced because the ground floor is partly sunk. The ground and fi rst level floor plates step back in plan, delivering a building of 1,800m 2 gross internal area on a tight footprint. With stunning views over the Bay of Tangiers, designers had to be careful that the embassy did not obscure the line of sight from the residence building.

THE CONCEPT The embassy was designed to fuse Arab and colonial architecture, creating a 21st century building that did not look out of place in a traditional setting. At the same time, explained London-based architect Simon Goode, JMP did not want to create a pastiche of Islamic architecture. While the form and layout are distinctly modernist, Islamic themes are subtly alluded to rather than duplicated outright. The architects also had to maintain both a physical and conceptual separation between the modern embassy and the pre-existing colonial residence.

WOOD One of the most notable landscape features on the site is the 6m high wooden twisted fi ns which separate the embassy from the residence, while also providing shading. The slats are made of FSC-certified Brazilian secondary species hardwood and were steam twisted by West Country timber expert Michael Berringer. “We would never have got away with doing something purely decorative, so we had to go after something with a positive use,” JMP’s Goode said.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

BRITISH EMBASSY ALGIERS | CASE STUDY

SECURITY “Security was a fundamental part of the project, as it was the main reason why they relocated the embassy onto the residence site in the ﬁ rst place,” Goode said. The architects had to meet regularly with the FCO security forces to discuss how to protect the site, and striking the balance between security concerns and architectural considerations was one of the most challenging parts of the project. “It was important to ensure that the building, while secure, did not look like a military compound,“ Goode said.

INTERIOR The interior of the building was a challenge, as the inherent emphasis on functionality of an embassy ran the risk of making it look boring and sterile. While the architects did introduce subtle references to Algerian architecture – by imitating the winding streets of the Kasbah in the building’s curved, narrow corridors – they did not want to go overboard with interior design. “There’s already a lot going on with this building, we felt it would be best just to keep it clean,” Goode explained.

ENVIRONMENT Environmental initiatives were, as always, important to the development, and while the twisted wooden ﬁ ns add to the appearance of the building, they also act as shading for the embassy and reduce solar

gain. The use of concrete also has a cooling effect on the interior, cutting down on air conditioning bills. The ﬁ nished embassy is the ﬁ rst building in Algeria with a BREEAM rating, achieving ‘good’.

SIX METRES HEIGHT OF WOODEN TWISTED FINS

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

COST Every element of the building underwent a cost evaluation, including the roofi ng, walls, and internal fit-out, while the use of fair face concrete throughout reduced the need for additional fi nishes.

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ADIC HEADQUARTERS | CASE STUDY

ABU DHABI INVESTMENT COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS (ADIC) Client: Abu Dhabi Investment Council Designer: Aedas Architects CASE STUDY

20%

THE PROJECT

REDUCTION IN ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION THROUGH SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES

The aim of the design was to produce a landmark building for Abu Dhabi, the fi rst project on a large site on the emirate’s coast. Aedas won the contract to develop the site after an international competition. Their design will provide 350,000 square feet of office accommodation in two 25-storey towers, which are joined at the base by an entrance podium. Facilities include cafes, a lecture theatre and prayer rooms for the building’s estimated 2,000 office workers. Aedas expects to fi nish work on the site in 2011.

THE SITE The 11,500m 2 site near Al Qurum beach and adjacent to Abu Dhabi’s mangrove swamps has been set aside for development by the government. The Aedas site, near Abu Dhabi’s eastern ring road, is made up of two adjacent plots of land that ADIC hope will serve as a gateway to the city.

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

CASE STUDY | ADIC HEADQUARTERS

THE CONCEPT The AIDC building is immediately notable for its green credentials, and both the developers and architects hope that it will attract a Leed silver rating. The project utilizes sustainable building techniques, including a state-ofthe-art, computer operated shading system. The designers have sought to fuse Islamic architecture with modern design, basing the entire structure of the building on a mixture of two-dimensional circles and three dimensional spheres. The entire structure is designed to reflect a single geometric theme. “Our concept was generated from a mathematically pre-rationalised form which was in turn derived from Islamic principles,” said Aedas deputy chairman Peter Oborn. “It’s a thoroughly modern building rooted in tradition.”

THE DETAILS Both towers are covered from top to bottom with a ‘mashrabiya’ screen, which opens and closes in response to the position of the sun. The mashrabiya comprises over 1,000 translucent moving elements on each tower and is controlled by specially designed computer software. It will reduce solar gain by an estimated 20%, and provide 80% to 90% of the shading on the building. Orborn said that despite the apparent complexity of the

mashrabiya, it is actually relatively simple to produce. “The reality is that in terms of design, construction and implementation it really isn’t that complicated,” he said. “There is a premium to be paid, of course, but that needs to be seen in context. This will be a landmark for Abu Dhabi and show the emirate’s commitment to sustainable design.” The mashrabiya is made of a translucent fabric mesh (PFTE), providing views outside even when the screen is completely closed. The interior of the building is also designed in a spherical style, with the room partitions fanning out from the interior column to the exterior wall. The ceilings, on the other hand, mimic the exterior of the building and are arranged in a honeycomb pattern. A sky garden with a four-storey space above it will be constructed every 7th floor, while the exterior will be landscaped with water features, pedestrian access and a palm reserve.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

COPENHAGEN GRAND MOSQUE | CASE STUDY

COPENHAGEN GRAND MOSQUE Client: Bach Gruppen A/S Designer: BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group CASE STUDY

THE PROJECT Denmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first purpose-built mosque has been designed by Copenhagen-based designers BIG and built in cooperation with the Muslim Council of Denmark, an umbrella organization representing 13 different Muslim organizations and with over 40,000 members. The mosque is part of

The 99 names of Allah

a 124,000m 2 religious complex in downtown Copenhagen with facilities including a prayer hall, shops, conference facilities, a gallery, an auditorium and an Islamic library. The developers of the site, which will include more traditional Danish housing in an alpine style, hope that the Grand Mosque will

5 sides

support and facilitate the cultural integration of Islamic and Danish societies and strengthen the ties between the Danish Muslim community and the region. Work on the building is ongoing, but planning permission has been given for the whole project. The development is will be finished by the end of 2011.

An infinite ribbon

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

Exterior facade

Interior facade

CASE STUDY | COPENHAGEN GRAND MOSQUE

THE SITE The municipal government passed a resolution more than ten years ago that earmarked the site for a mosque, but developers in Copenhagen struggled to come up with a project. “Nobody really knew what to do with it,” architect Bjarke Ingels said. “We were approached by a private developer and asked to create a master plan that combined cultural areas,

living spaces and a mosque.” Because of the incorporation of the mosque into the design, the developer was able to acquire the site. Ingels said that the plans have since been approved by the government, and have been praised by nearby residents, quite a feat considering the firm European tradition of not-in-my-backyard complaints to new developments.

THE DESIGN While mosques in the Arab world are designed to provide protection from the hot climate and keep out sunlight, the Grand Mosque in Copenhagen is adapted to the Danish climate. The 46m dome, rather than blocking light, lets it in. “We needed to adapt it to the light conditions of its location. The sun is much lower here than CAPACITY OF THE in the Middle East, so GRAND MOSQUE’S while the primary chalPRAYER HALL lenge there is protecting people from the sun, in Scandinavia the objective is to make as much of the light as you can,” Ingels said. The mosque stands 46m high and is formed from a single ‘ribbon’ which is folded five times in a spiral towards the sky. On the exterior the

3000

inscriptions represent the 99 names of Allah. Ingels explains that the aim of the tower was to provide an Islamic counterpart to the nearby Our Saviour Church steeple in Copenhagen. While there are strict guidelines governing how and where a mosque can be built, modern technology allowed many of these criteria to be met easily. Designing a mosque was a fi rst for the company, but BIG’s design had gained approval from both the Muslim Council as well as by a consultant brought in to inspect the plans. “Architecture is a lot to do with the capacity to understand other parameters and functions and understand what the purpose of what you are designing. I’m not a Muslim, but I’m also not a doctor and I’ve designed hospitals.” he said.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

PROJECT UPDATE | THE WORK

THE WORK

PROJECT UPDATE

RUKN AL AQEEQ Architect: Maan Alsalloum, Cowi Location: Saudi Arabia

BREAKWATER BEACON JEDDAH Client: Saudi Aramco Location: Saudi Arabia

LAUFEN FORUM

ONE

MOLD WAS USED TO CAST THE CONCRETE FACADE

Client: Laufen Architect: Nissen & Wentzlaff Engineer: Walther Mory Maier

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

The Rukn Al Aqeeq is a mixed-use development incorporating a 21 storey hotel and 12-storey office 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 hotel and office towers joining together at the fourth ﬂoor with an open-air garden area in the centre. The steel mesh is designed to help the building obtain a Leed ranking.

This contemporary lighthouse in Jeddah was commissioned by HOK, architects for the nearby King Abdullah University or Science and Technology (KAUST) project. Designer Dan Tobin was originally asked to produce a 30 meter 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.

Swiss bathroom company Laufen’s new headquarters is an unconventional design, constructed entirely from concrete and without windows. The two-storey showroom is a scale replica of a Laufen ceramic washbasin, and was constructed in a single mould with the 44-cm thick concrete roof added later. Around 50 skylights are designed to provide light while also limiting the effect of seasonal changes in the sun’s position.

Arhitect: Dewan Location: Riyadh

MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT FOR LUSAIL DISTRICT

US$800

MILLION

Arhitect: KEO Location: Doha

TOTAL VALUE

BUILDING CONCEPT FOR KING ABDULLAH FINANCIAL DISTRICT Arhitect: Woods Bagot Location: Riyadh

MIXED USE CONCEPT FOR KING ABDULLAH FINANCIAL DISTRICT Arhitect: FXFowle Location: Riyadh

THE WORK | PROJECT UPDATE

COURTYARD CONCEPT IN AL SHEGERY

Al Shegery’s dimensions are 700m x 800m with an area of 535,000m 2 . 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 traditional Arabian neighbourhood.

Diyar Al Kuwait (DAK) commissioned KEO International in 2008 to design the pioneer project for the Lusail District in Doha. The programme for the project is relatively straightforward. It is based on a mixed use development consisting of commercial, residential and retail spaces. It encompasses 247,044m 2 of allowable area – 159,989m2 for commercial; 130,220m 2 for office space; and 29,769m 2 for retail.

Woods Bagot released designs for a building in Riyadh’s KAFD that is being touted as ‘an exemplar 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 mathematical 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 KAFD Parcels proposes a separation between pedestrian walkways, vehicular traffic, and public spaces within each site. The ﬁ rm’s intent is to create dynamic, visually porous structures, while also drawing attention to three distinct levels of public space.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

PROJECT UPDATE | THE WORK

CENTRE OF ISLAMIC STUDIES & DIALOGUE OF CIVILISATIONS Arhitect: Typsa Location: Riyadh

MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART Arhitect: IM Pei Location: Doha

15,000 GRANDSTAND SEATING CAPACITY

RUGBY SEVENS STADIUM Arhitect: R&R Design Location: Dubai

AL HITMI MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT Arhitect: Norr Group International Consultants Location: Doha

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

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 65,000m 2 , the centre needed to serve as a landmark because of its distinct location as well as a symbol of architectural and design excellence.

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 ﬁguratively 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.

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 clubhouse for local teams, including 12 changing rooms, and VIP facilities, including executive boxes.

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

PROJECT UPDATE | THE WORK

KING ABDULLAH INTERNATIONAL GARDENS Arhitect: Barton Willmore and Buro Happold Location: Riyadh

US$2.5 BILLION TOTAL VALUE

THE PEARL QATAR Arhitect: Callison Location: Doha

THE HABITAT Architect: Norr Group Location: N/A

134.5

METRES PEAK OF THE VERTICAL POINT

THE DUBAI QUILL Arhitect: Mishascape Location: Dubai

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

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’.

The Pearl Qatar is a multibillion dollar manmade island project spanning 985 acres of reclaimed land. The development is the country’s fi rst international urban development venture, its largest urban development and the fi rst to offer freehold ownership to foreign nationals. The Pearl Qatar is a 13-island mixed-use development comprising 10 themed districts to be developed over five years.

The ‘Habitat’ project is a theoretical attempt at addressing the challenge of high-density development within the contemporary urban condition. Located somewhere in the Middle East, this model for urban living is predicated on a variety of uses massed as interlocking and interconnected elements that allow for accidental relationships and celebrate shared landscaped public realm spaces.

Dubai’s newest ﬁ rm, Mishascape, created the Dubai Quill for a competition that called for a ‘Tall Emblem Structure’ in Dubai’s Za’abeel Park. The project’s design aims to be an emblematic symbol that represents the aspirations of the city of Dubai, its leaders and its inhabitants. Designed by Misha StefanStavrides, founder of Mishascape, Dubai Quill offers a recreational, scientiﬁc and cultural space.

Official launch of the Middle East Facilities Management Association (MEFMA) at the FM Expo Conference Visit www.fm-expo.com now for full programme and pricing Attend the FM Expo Conference and be there for the exclusive launch of the Middle East Facilities Management Association (MEFMA) – the only dedicated association for facility managers, by facility managers. Take this first opportunity to hear how the organisation will be spearheading the growth of the industry and network with its top management team. Attend the FM Expo conference and YOU will be able to: · Assess the local and regional market growth · Discover a new view of FM in the property development cycle · Understand the opportunities in a stalled marketplace · Utilise your human capital to drive your FM growth · Evaluate how remote building technologies benefit end users

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CULTURE | LIKE WANT NEED

LIKE WANT NEED

BATHROOM

MONOLITH TOILET Geberit

It is not often that you hear the words ‘elegant’ or ‘innovative’ applied to a toilet, but the Geberit Monolith is no ordinary commode. The company say that their cisternfree design, finished in brushed aluminium and glass, makes the

CULTURE

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 05.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

toilet “a focal point in its own right” – so if you find your guests gathering around the bathroom door whispering to each other there is no longer cause to panic. The Monolith is also economical, offering a 3 and 4.5 liter dual flush option.

LIKE WANT NEED | CULTURE

BOOK

ECO STRUCTURES: FORMS OF SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE White Star Publishing

It’s the topic that everyone is talking about, not least in the Middle East, where architects are lining up to promote their green credentials. Eco Structures, published this month, is a portfolio of green architecture so far, showcas-

ing a range of projects designed by architects from across the world. The book is focused on showing how advanced technology, local materials and the modernization of existing structures can push the envelope of green design in 2010.

GADGETS

CAR CAMERA CAMCORDER Gadget Brando

APP

GOBIM

Buro Happold The iPad may be getting a rough ride in the media of late, but the boffi ns at engineering consultancy Buro Happold are convinced that its big screen and portability will eventually make it an important asset to architects and engineers on the move. The company have jumped aboard the Apple application bandwagon with an app that enables Building Information Modeling (BIM) – three dimensional, real

1280X 960PX

Ever pitched an idea with such oratory skill that you wish you could relive it again and again? Well if so, Gadget Bravo has the solution. For a mere US$60 you can have your very own racingcar camcorder, allowing you to record sound, video, and pictures through the car’s tiny pinhole lens. The gadget also has practical use in that it is pocket-sized, so useful for taking photos or video when out and about.

time, dynamic building CAMCORDER COLOUR VIDEO modeling software – to RESOLUTION be viewed on the iPad, and therefore accessed in remote locations including on site. “The majority of building designers still use two dimensional drawings to communicate design ideas and this can result in confusion and the waste of manpower and materials,” designer Ian Keough explained.

www.constructionweekonline.com | 05.10 | MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT

CULTURE | LIKE WANT NEED

SOFA

BOCONCEPT DUBAI Milos

In the tradition of the chesterﬁeld, BoConcept has introduced a modern, casual looking sofa, Milos, which plays with the effect of check patterns and stitches. The Milos sofa is both soft and sleek-looking, but the coolest

thing about it is that it is made up of 13 different modules, meaning you can take it apart and create other sofas and chairs in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The Milo sofa is available in a variety of leathers and fabrics.

PODCAST

ARCHITECTURE KNOWLEDGE REVIEW American Institute of Architects

Architecture Knowledge Review is a weekly podcast series for design professionals from the American Institute of Architects. The 15minute podcasts feature interviews, discussions, and reviews of best practice by architects and other design professionals.

BOOK

ENGINEERS: A HISTORY OF ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DESIGN By Matthew Wells Routledge, ISBN: 978-0-415-32526-4

This new book, published in March, presents the vast historical sweep of engineering innovation to describe and illustrate design and what has brought it to its present state. Authored by architect and engineer Matthew Wells, the book is an excellent guide to design for WELLS HAS BEEN students and practiTECHNICAL TUTOR tioners alike. AT THE BARTLETT

SOFA

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SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS

Milos

Milan’s 2010 furniture fair showcased all kinds of weird and wonderful chairs, tables and other assorted furniture this month, among them the Tonic collection from northern-Italian designers Rossin. The chairs, designed by Catharina Lorenz and Steffen

MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT | 04.10 | www.constructionweekonline.com

Kaz, boast subtle pastel colors, and horizontal inclines formed from either wood or metal. Rossin’s new collection, which come in a variety of different colors, shapes and sizes, are a trendy and colorful way of brightening up an otherwise dull and plain interior.

somfyarchitecture.com

Reacting to the outdoor climate to create indoor harmony: the bioclimatic façades challenge Somfy’s automated solutions power a building’s openings and sun protection devices, playing a key role in the creation of bioclimatic façades. These solutions create a constant state of harmony between the indoors and the outdoors. By optimizing the management of air, light, sun and shade in buildings, Somfy solutions actively improve the health and well-being of the occupants, while also reducing energy consumption. Natural light management, Dynamic Insulation™ and natural ventilation are three areas of expertise that are unique to Somfy and make an effective contribution to a building’s economical performance. Our solutions are simple and suitable for all types of buildings. Somfy works with others in the building sector to create environmentally-friendly solutions. Each day, our network of 5,400 employees offers ongoing help and assistance to businesses in more than 50 countries.

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