ISLAMABAD | The Centaurus | Mixed Use | 41 + 32 + 32 + 32 Flrs| ~200m | ~650ft | T/O

[Sultan]

Woodhead’s $A600m win

News: 15-December-05 by Marsha Jacobs

The Perth office of Woodhead International has won an international paid design competition for a $A600 million mixed-use development in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Woodhead was the only Australian firm invited to take part in a field of five architectural practices.

The development is to be located on a high-profile site in the Pakistani capital and will include a five-star hotel, office tower, apartment tower, a retail centre and extensive formal landscaping.

Woodhead principal and manager of the Perth office, Mark Unger, told WA Business News the project, for a consortium of businessmen, was the biggest land deal in Pakistan’s history.

Having been invited to participate in the competition, invitees were given six weeks to work on their submissions.

Mr Unger said the project design would be run out of the Perth office in conjunction with Pakistan-based firm Arcob Associates, with a December 2008 target for com-pletion of the construction phase.

“The Perth office has never taken the lead on a project like this; it is one of the better design offices and is relatively proximate compared to our offices over east,” Mr Unger said.

The competition theme was based on the principle of ‘Chahar Bagh’, which translates to ‘four gardens’ in Persian, a planning principle brought to Pakistan by the Moguls thousands of years ago, according to Mr Unger.

“We divided the site into four parts consisting of apartments, the office and hotel tower, retail and the gardens,” he said.

“The scheme has proceeded into design development and consolidates Woodhead Inter-national’s presence in South-East Asia and the sub-continent.”

Woodhead has seven offices in Australia, two in China and one in Singapore.

The Woodhead announcement comes amid moves by several other Australian firms into Asia and the Middle East, attracted by projects collectively worth tens of billions of dollars.

Consulting engineering firm GHD has several projects in the region, including master planning in conjunction with Woods Bagot, for Dubai Maritime City, a new $US1 billion infrastructure project.

GHD has also been appointed as project manager for one of the world’s largest urban developments, known as The Palms, in Dubai.

Architecture firm The Cox Group also recently beat international competitors to win a major university project planned for the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, and architects Woods Bagot last year designed the $400 million College of Technology in Doha, Qatar.

Perth-based BG&E is providing structural engineering services for a 21-tower residential apartment project being constructed by Multiplex in Dubai, and is also working on three other high-rise developments, including a 70-storey tower.

http://www.wabusinessnews.com.au/sto...ead-s-600m-win


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http://condrill.com.pk/p_portfolio2.html

[Sultan]

PM to be briefed on shopping mall, 5-star hotel

Muhammad Anis

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will be given a presentation on the multi-billion rupee project of high-rise shopping mall and a five-star hotel here today (Tuesday).

The consultant of the project — ‘Atkins’ — would brief the prime minister on the detailed design of the project, consisting of a 30-storey five-star hotel, mega shopping mall and high-rise towers of service apartments. A team of Atkins officials is reaching here from the UK today to meet Shaukat Aziz.

Meanwhile, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, CEO, and Brigadier (r) M. Humayun Khan, project director of the Pak-Gulf Construction, the developers of this mega project, called on Prime Minister here Monday. Chaudary Shahbaz Hussain, minister for population welfare, was also present on the occasion.

The company officials told the prime minister that they would spend 250 million dollars on the construction, besides Rs6.08 billion as cost of the land. They said that they have planned to complete the project in three years. They said that the construction cost also includes 150 million dollars as foreign direct investment.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said that the start of this project reflects the government’s policies aimed at attracting local and foreign investment.

Atkin's Website - http://www.atkinsglobal.com/

[asfar001]

i dont get it...they plant to build thirty story towers ...and completion date is 2008......how will they build a thirty story tower in 2 years????

[huit]

thanks for sharing!

[Sultan]

Originally Posted by asfar001

i dont get it...they plant to build thirty story towers ...and completion date is 2008......how will they build a thirty story tower in 2 years????

Burj Dubai would be around 180 storey's (unofficial), and it should be done by 2008. So I fail to see why a 30 storey building could not be built in 2 years, it shouldn't be a problem.

[asfar001]

does anybody know the location where it would be built

[ABBASIA]

There were two plots sold for the purpose of building 5 star hotels, one to a group near Convention Centre and other on Blue Area Extension, in front of PIMS hospital and F-8 sector. This one has strong possibility of having presence in front of PIMS at Blue Area extension, as only such a high rise can be allowed at such place. This place has two other buildings coming up at Old Blue Area Corner in front of CITIBANK one is Islamabad Stock Exchange and other is TELECOM TOWER.

[Intoxication]

30 storey.. gr8 news 4 isb

[pakboy]

ofcourse it can be made in 2 years,

the shiek zayed center (55 storys) will be completed in 2 years, from construction date.

the new it technolgy park (25 storys) in lahore would be completed in 1 year/

so it can be done quite easily.

[Techno-Architect]

let c when the SZC project starts n when will it be completed. can b sure abt the other completing in one year either....

[NewYork-wala]

How many floors is the current tallest building in Islamabad?

[ABBASIA]

The building like Habib Bank Tower, OGDS,Shaheed-e-Millat,Saudi-Pak towers are almost of similar height and can be ranked as tallest till now and all are approx 18-20 storey. The Telecom Tower under construction is going to be 25 stories, whereas this new shopping mall will cross all that and even MCB Karachi tower(27 stories) by 3 stories.

[ABBASIA]

They have shown the picture of this shopping mall in The News today 16 Dec in Islamabad section, the main building is pyramid shaped, along with three other buildings and they claim that these wont obstruct the Margalla view.

[Sultan]

Originally Posted by ABBASIA

They have shown the picture of this shopping mall in The News today 16 Dec in Islamabad section, the main building is pyramid shaped, along with three other buildings and they claim that these wont obstruct the Margalla view.

Can you scan it ?

[asfar001]

abbasia u have to scan it and post it here man....U HAVE TOO!!!!...plz

[ABBASIA]

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY MR.SULTAN MY DEAR OLD FRIEND and for Mr. Afsar sorry for some ball point sketch some work of my colleague was expecting it to lean by such tilt in case of earthquake.

[ABBASIA]

I feel like this building almost in the name of Allah in Urdu.May be I am wrong, What do u people say.

[Sultan]

Thanks a lot Abbassia. The shopping mall looks amazing ! Did they mention anything about when construction begins ?

[Sultan]

There's a thread on this project in the World Forums. Do contribute your thoughts, comments, and suggestions to the world forum thread as well.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=295363

[swerveut]

Wow! cool project out of nowhere!

I maintain my stance though. Islamabad shouldnt be ruined with highrises.