Completed: WEST BAY COMPLEX

[Dubai-Lover]

what are these towers, name, use, height, owner, floors,...?

http://www.halcrow.com/slideshow/images/westbay14.jpg

office tower
http://www.halcrow.com/slideshow/images/westbay15.jpg

hotel
http://www.halcrow.com/slideshow/images/westbay13.jpg

http://www.halcrow.com/slideshow/images/westbay4.jpg

http://www.halcrow.com/slideshow/images/westbay10.jpg

http://www.halcrow.com/slideshow/images/westbay1.jpg

http://www.halcrow.com/slideshow/images/westbay2.jpg

[Dubai-Lover]

is this the hotel where the proposed four seasons might be?

[Dubai_Boy]

I just ADORE those buildings (Mashalah) they are reallly great looking , almost like the first phase of the Dubai marina.

[Dubai-Lover]

thought that too when i first saw these pics
very similar indeed

[Qatar4Ever]

There similiar cause i thing they both have the same architect. Well the office building has been entirely bought by QTEL. The hotel is going to be the Four Seasons hotel, and i heard it will look great once its finished. The hotel and the two residentail towers belong to shk. hamad bin jassim qatar's foreign minister.

[Dubai-Lover]

finally some official news on this one and the four seasons hotel :)


http://www.itp.net/pictures/features/50%20Project%20Index.jpg

Constructing a hotel to last for all four seasons

Construction Development Company (CDC), a Qatar-based contractor, achieved seven-day floor cycles with Doka Table forms during the construction of the Four Seasons West Bay complex in Doha.

The system helped the contractor on the construction of the major complex, which includes high-rise hotel, office and apartment buildings surrounded by luxury facilities. CDC has used a wide range of Doka equipment to form all of the slabs, beams, columns, shafts and rafts within the towers and associated buildings.

The development stands on a 55.4 hectare site in a prime development area of Doha. CDC began its US $137 million contract in July 2001 and work is now nearing completion, providing a dramatic new focus for the West Bay skyline.

There are both Islamic and Qatari influences in the design of the complex. The concept is based on the Alhambra, the Moorish palace-citadel in Granada, Spain, which brings together elements of a fortress, residential area and palace into a single complex. Just like the Moorish palace, the Four Seasons West Bay project combines many roles. It includes townhouses, a marina, health club and spa as well as the four focal towers containing the hotel, offices and apartments.
CDC has carried out the work in parallel across all sections of the site and Doka equipment has been central to ensuring that the operation has kept to schedule. “From the initial supply negotiations, sealing the order, timely delivery of materials, down to technical assistance and site supervision, Doka has been efficient and solid in their support,” said a spokesperson for the project.

The Four Seasons Hotel stands at the centre of the complex, set in landscaped grounds and flanked by a pair of 22-level apartment blocks and the tallest building, the 28-floor office tower. The hotel will have 230 guest rooms as well as suites and other facilities such as restaurants, a tea lounge, cigar bar and lounge, a grand ballroom and meeting rooms.
The inclusion of five presidential suites and a Royal suite emphasises the hotel’s prestige as one of the world’s most luxurious places to stay. Completing the development are 20 three-storey townhouses, a hundred-berth marina and the other splendid leisure facilities.

The contractor ensured optimum economy by taking advantage of Doka’s flexible arrangements, which enabled it to rent some of the equipment while buying other items. CDC purchased the Doka systems that have been used as formwork for the main bodies of the towers. Rental arrangements were used for the formwork for beams and
slabs in the lower and plaza levels within the tower footprints.

Rented formwork was also used for many other one-off areas.
Each tower had its own sets of Doka formwork, with the exception of that needed for the raft foundations. This was reused in each of the main buildings.

The Four Seasons Hotel, the central feature of the complex, has 18 floors, plus lower and plaza levels, giving a gross floor area of 46,340 m2. Doka formwork has been in use throughout the structure, including the Dokaflex Table system, which has made its Qatar debut on the project.
Dokaflex is one of Doka’s most important innovations of recent years. It makes for highly efficient forming of floor slabs, because the tables are pre-assembled and can be repositioned very quickly using a shifting trolley.
Doka supplied 1568 m2 of the Dokaflex Table formwork plus one set of shifting equipment for the forming of the hotel’s beams and 300 mm-thick slabs.

Doka Top 50 Large Area wall formwork has been used for casting the walls and columns. Top 50 is made-to-measure formwork from a modular system, which can cater for a vast range of applications. Shape, size, anchor pattern and sheeting of the panels can be adapted to suit any set of requirements.

Column and wall formwork had form heights of 3.4 m and 3 m, to suit the building’s 3.35 m floor-to-floor heights. CDC bought sufficient quantities to form half of a typical floor in the hotel - 14 columns, using 366 m2 of wall formwork. This proved sufficient to meet the seven day floor cycle demanded by the tight schedule. However, CDC bought sufficient beam and slab formwork for the entire floor area of the hotel, as well as enough of the Eco 20 300 floor prop system for re-propping.

The hotel’s shafts were formed using Top 50, which was climbed ahead using telescopic shaft beam internally and the 150 F climbing brackets externally.
CDC bought a sufficient quantity for one and a half times the two typical floor shafts.
Both apartment blocks stand on 22 levels and each has a gross floor area of 19,052 m2. One has been designated primarily for single businessmen and the other for families.

The apartments each used the same Doka Table and Top 50 systems as the hotel, and the floor-to-floor heights are the same, 3.5 m. As in the hotel, sufficient column formwork was bought to form 50% of the typical floor, while the other systems were bought in sufficient quantities for an entire level. Beam depths are 700 mm and the slab depths vary between 200 mm and 300 mm. The apartments have needed a greater quantity of shaft formwork than the hotel, though the amount of floor area formwork needed was smaller, at 1024m22 per tower against the hotel’s 1568 m2.

Tallest building on the site is the office tower, which has 28 storeys as well as lower and plaza levels. As elsewhere, Doka
Top 50 Large Area wall formwork has been used for columns, though in this case CDC bought enough for 100% of the columns in a typical floor, instead of the 50% in the other structures. The shaft construction is much bigger in this building, with 2976 m2 of formwork supplied. This was designed with a form height of 4.6 m, to create the higher floor-to-floor height of 4.25 m needed in an office building. The shaft uses the same Top 50 climbed-ahead Doka system as in the development’s other towers.

The office building’s beam and slab formwork was made up of Dokaflex 20 for the internal work and Dokaflex Table for the external drop beams. One set of shifting equipment was supplied. Doka also provided the Eco 20 300 floor prop system for the office building for re-propping.
Lower and plaza levels under all four buildings have been cast using Doka d2 tower and timber beam H20 equipment.

The proven d2 load-bearing tower combines with all Doka floor-system superstructures. Its characteristics include easy erection and enormous versatility. This equipment was all rented, and between 1024 m2 and 1568 m2 needed for each of the four towers. Slab thicknesses varied. A 300 mm depth was adopted in three of the buildings, while the office block uses depths of between 130 mm and 200 mm. Beam depths are between 500 mm and 1.25 m deep depending on the location, and the floor-to-floor heights range from 5 m in the apartment block lower levels to 9 m in the office tower.

The d2 tower system was also used in other areas. It was adopted in combination with Dokaflex 20 for the forming of beams and slabs in the ballroom and many of the recreational areas, as well as for the podiums outside the towers’ footprints.

For the towers’ rafts, Doka supplied 1500 m2 of Top 50 large area formwork, which was sufficient to cover half of the hotel’s foundation. This was reused for the other towers, further aiding the efficiency of this massive and successful formwork operation.

[Qatar4Ever]

thanks for the info!!

[Krazy]

Doha's new 'West Bay' district turns on to the benefits of district cooling

With Doha experiencing tremendous growth the development of the West Bay district has made great headway recently.

Qatar Cool's West Bay Cooling scheme is part of that drive. With 5 new towers joining the scheme, and another 10 already on board, it's also confirmation that Doha's new district has recognized the benefits of this new and innovative method to "beat the heat".

"Qatar Cool is proud to play a role in the development of Doha's West Bay. Our portfolio of projects is gaining pace and with more commercial and residential projects being planned, we are in a strong position to capitalize on this growth,' said Colin Goulding, General Manager of Qatar Cool. 'We expect the West Bay cooling scheme to be sold out in 2 to 3 months", he added.

"Landlords are attracted to the maintenance-free, economic and environmentally friendly cooling benefits of the technology, while tenants enjoy reduced ambient noise and better temperature control in their homes, making it the perfect solution to all cooling requirements" concluded Goulding.

The five new prestigious projects that have signed up to Qatar Cool's district cooling scheme include two residential towers: Al Rabban and M Tower; two hotel towers: Marriott Courtyard and Marriott Renaissance; as well as one office building: Lotus Tower.

Owned by Mr. Khalid bin Mohamed Khalid Al Rabban, the Al Rabban Residential Tower will offer 152 fully furnished two and three bedroom flats and four duplex apartments as well as a total of 250 indoor and outdoor parking spots. A health club, gym, children's playground, mosque and 350 sqm swimming pool and terrace will also be available for use by all tenants. Scheduled for completion in August 2006 the tower combines modern and arabesque design elements.

"Joining the district cooling scheme simply made more economic sense" said Mr. Kamal Darghawth, Rabban Group General Manager "it's good for the owner and leaves the maintenance work to others".

The residential M Tower will offer 150 two bedroom and 50 three bedroom fully furnished luxury apartments as well as a gym, sauna and swimming pool, located on the ground floor. Owned by Sheikh Mohamed bin Suhaim Al Thani, the M Tower is scheduled for completion in May 2006.

"By not having chillers on the roof we've lightened the load on the building in addition to reducing vibration and noise" said Nidal Al-Samman, Project Manager Commodore Qatar Contracting Co. about the advantages of district cooling for his project.

Standing at 50 storeys the two Marriott Towers, Renaissance and Courtyard are being developed in line with efforts to establish Qatar as leading quality destination for tourism. The Four-Star Marriott Courtyard with 204 guestrooms and 127 executive apartments and the Five-Star Marriott Renaissance with 258 guestroms will be located at the City Centre Development near the new commercial and business centres of Doha. The two buildings are owned by the Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company, Chaired by Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim bin Faisal Al Thani.

With an all glass exterior, the 25 storey Lotus tower will offer tenants a panoramic view of the West Bay district and Doha Bay. Owned by H.E. Yousef Essa M. Al Jaber the tower is located across the street from City Centre Doha and is designed to resemble a lotus flower. Once completed, Lotus Tower will be able to accommodate up to 100 offices.

"By opting for the district cooling scheme instead of conventional air conditioners, we were able to save 8000 sqm of rentable space" said Nicolas Jarrouj, MZ&Partners Project Manager, "using chilled water also allows us to build higher towers as it's more efficient than conventional air conditioners for cooling higher floors".

Over 60,000 refrigerant tons of cooling will be produced and distributed at Qatar Cool's West Bay cooling plant and plans are a foot to build additional cooling plants in other districts around Doha. Work on the West Bay plant is currently underway and a 42km network of pre-insulated pipes is being layed in the area.

[Dubai-Lover]

Drake and Scull International completes USD 40 million contract at Doha's newly-opened West Bay Complex

Drake and Scull International, the leading Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Contractors, has completed Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) works worth US$ 40 million at the newly-opened West Bay Complex on the outskirts of Doha, Qatar.

http://www.ameinfo.com/images/news/8/14208-drake.jpg
West Bay Complex in Qatar.
The project, billed as Qatar's most ambitious initiative, is Drake and Scull's first contract in the country.

Developed by the Advance Tourism Investment Company Limited (ATICo), the landmark complex comprises an office tower, two private residential towers, a hotel tower managed by the Four Seasons chain, 20 townhouse villas and a 110-berth marina.

Drake and Scull International has underlined its presence in the region since its inception in 1964. The contracting major, famed for it quality work and delivery schedules, has been involved in some of the region's largest and ambitious projects which include the Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Festival City, Zayed University in Dubai, Rashid Hospital in Dubai & Dubai Internet City.

Speaking on the West Bay Complex project in Qatar, Luay Khdair, Business Development Engineer, Drake & Scull International, said: 'The project, which came within the context of our regional growth strategy in the mechanical and electrical contracting sector, was very prestigious and important for us. Our involvement in the initiative is a reflection of Drake & Scull International's prominent presence in the region and the expertise earned by being associated with some of the most prestigious projects.'

On Drake and Scull's future plans in Qatar, he added: 'The country is definitely a growing market for Drake & Scull. Qatar is fast emerging as an important centre of business activity in the region and we have a lot of plans in place aimed at our involvement with other upcoming projects in Qatar.'

The architectural design was commissioned to the US-based architectural firm Smallwood Reynolds, Stewart & Stewart. Halcrow were the assigned project managers, while Davis Langdon Seah were the quantity surveyors for the project.

[Qatar4Ever]

Finally the Four Seasons Doha is in operation, even though it will not offically open until sept.

[Bahraini Spirit]

Drake & Scull International, the leading mechanical and electrical engineering contractors, has completed Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) works worth $40 million at the newly-opened West Bay Complex on the outskirts of Doha, Qatar.

The project, billed as Qatar's most ambitious initiative, is Drake and Scull's first contract in the country.

The landmark complex is being developed by the Advance Tourism Investment Company(ATICo). It comprises an office tower, two private residential towers, a hotel tower managed by the Four Seasons chain, 20 townhouse villas and a 110-berth marina.

Drake and Scull International has underlined its presence in the region since its inception in 1964.

The contracting major, famed for it quality work and delivery schedules, has been involved in some of the region's largest and ambitious projects which include the Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Festival City, Zayed University in Dubai, Rashid Hospital in Dubai and Dubai Internet City.

'Our involvement in the initiative is a reflection of Drake & Scull International's prominent presence in the region and the expertise earned by being associated with some of the most prestigious projects,' said Luay Khdair, Business Development Engineer, Drake & Scull International.

Speaking on the West Bay Complex project in Qatar, Luay Khdair said:

'The project, which came within the context of our regional growth strategy in the mechanical and electrical contracting sector, was very prestigious and important for us.'

On Drake and Scull's future plans in Qatar, he added:

'The country is definitely a growing market for Drake & Scull. Qatar is fast emerging as an important centre of business activity in the region and we have a lot of plans in place aimed at our involvement with other upcoming projects in Qatar.'

The architectural design was commissioned to the US-based architectural firm Smallwood Reynolds, Stewart & Stewart. Halcrow were the assigned project managers, while Davis Langdon Seah were the quantity surveyors for the project.

Drake & Scull International is part of London-based Emcor Drake & Scull, which for over 100 years has been recognised as a world leader in the provision of electrical and mechanical construction and facilities services.

In addition to our Dubai based operation, Drake & Scull International LLC has related offices in Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan & Egypt, and is further supported by the head office based in the UK.

Drake & Scull International has provided quality-engineering services to the Middle East market since its inception in 1964.

This extends to providing complete solutions through Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC), design & build, maintenance and operations of District Cooling Plants throughout the Middle East.

Current projects include the 60,000 tonne chilled water plant and distribution system for 54 Tower blocks at Jumeirah Beach Residence and the 50,000 tonne plant and distribution system for the multi-use Dubai Festival City project in Dubai.

Other major contracts awarded to Drake & Scull International in the Middle East include provision of mechanical and electrical engineering services to Dubai Internet City, Zayed University in Dubai, Rashid Hospital - Accident, Emergency & Trauma Centre in Dubai, the Grand Mosque in Oman, Smart Village in Egypt, the Intercontinental Hotel in Riyadh, New Paediatric Hospital and Emergency Department at King Hussein Medical Centre in Amman/Jordan, State Audit Bureau - New Headquarters & Car Park Building in Kuwait and the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha.-

[Moody]

Do Qataries accept the idea of living in these?

I mean is it acceptable in the comunity to live in an apartment, which is something new to Qatar, who prefer Private Villas? just a question in mind?

[Qatar4Ever]

No, not in the long term. Almost all qataris live either in houses or villas. Usually qataris living in apartments are there temperarly for maybe up to 5 years because of financial problems or because they are waiting till their house gets built. Even then rarelly would you see them live in these sort of apartments, usually there the 2-3 story apartments you find in residential neigbourhoods.

I think this is more directed to the professional expat community in qatar.

[Moody]

Oh, then you have huge expat community in Qatar

[Qatar4Ever]

yeah, very very huge. It used to be your usual suspects, indians/paki/pali/lebo/sudanese now were getting more and more americans, brits, south americans, south africans, euros.

[Massilia]

Sorry to bring up such an old topic, but I'm in love with this tower and with the following shots:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/7321/4870459518b6ace3533bkf3.jpg

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/4952/48868512462f43b7ba3bji9.jpg