[Krazy]

TOWERS: Bahrain Sheraton City Gardens
LOCATION: Bahrain
CLIENT: Confidential
FEATURES: 240m height twin office towers
New shopping mall, anchor tenant, garden court, food outlets
STATUS: Preliminary Design

After successful completion of the final masterplan for the redevelopment of the Bahrain City Gardens site, Atkins has now been appointed to further develop the masterplan and provide complete design consultancy services for this prestigious project.

New Shopping Mall:
This is designed as a single storey extension to the existing shopping mall, keeping in mind the objective of creating additional boutiques, incorporating the same building heights, spatial parameters, mall widths and shop sizes.


Anchor Tenant:
An exclusive showroom for an anchor tenant occupies the entire area between the two pedestrian spines to the front of the mall. A private VIP lift lobby with dedicated VIP parking bays is provided in the basement for exclusive use of select customers to the anchor shop.

Garden Court:
A spectacular sky-lit, circular, indoor courtyard garden forms the centerpiece of both malls, also serving as an air-conditioned transition space between the Malls and the Sheraton Hotel.

Office Towers:
Twin office towers are designed flanking the main entrance facing King Faisal Highway. These landmark towers are 240m in height and each comprise 45 usable office floors. An exclusive, executive health club, a business centre and cafeteria are located at the podium level, within the footprint of these towers. Entrance drop-offs are provided both at ground floor and at podium level (dedicated for towers).

A study is also underway on the feasibility of providing three 30m-diameter wind turbines suspended between the towers which will produce an environmentally friendly energy resource for the building.

Car Parking:
The car parking requirement for the new mall and office towers is calculated at 1,335 bays. Approximately 305 bays presently serving the existing mall and offices. The new design can accommodate up to 1,670 cars inclusive of 1,175 covered spaces and 473 open parking. A dedicated 3-storey parking structure is planned to the southwest of the development. The basement and upper most level (level + 7.0) of this garage will extend over the entire footprint of the new development.

 

[Krazy]

Construction of World Trade Centre begins

Manama: Work has started on the $150 million (Dh550.97 million) Bahrain World Trade Centre in Manama’s commercial district.

Funded through private investment, the 240-metre twin towers will be completed in June 2006, Claire Hughes of DTZ Bahrain, the property management company, told Gulf News. “They will be the tallest buildings in central Manama,” she said.

The Bahrain World Trade Centre (BWTC) is a member of the World Trade Centre Group. It intends to support Bahrain’s trade by providing information to businesses.

“It will be a business shopping centre that will complement and support the existing services of private and government agencies. It is more than just an organisation, it will be a shining example of the region’s economy and Bahrain’s achievements,” said Robin Williamson, general manager of DTZ.

He said the BWTC would bring together businesses and agencies involved in trade and provide essential services for all.

“The prestigious landmark of pointed glass and steel will offer 43 storeys and will house a retail centre, adding 148 more units to the existing City Gardens mall,” a DTZ spoke-sman said.

 

[Krazy]

Great pictures! The holes are of very unique shape indeed, should be very interesting this project at 240m !

 

[Krazy]

Wow they are growing fast! Great update B-S! Thanks!

 

[Krazy]

Tabreed Bahrain to cool BWTC

April 04, 2005

DTZ Bahrain, owners representative for the Bahrain World Trade Centre (BWTC), and Tabreed Bahrain, recently signed a contract under which Tabreed will supply a district cooling solution for the BWTC in the first new major district cooling operation to be set up in over 50 years.

Tabreed will provide chilled water to the BWTC from its District Cooling Plant, The plant is to be specially constructed in the Diplomatic Area in order to offer a cooling solution for the building.

The benefits to the user of a district cooling system are considerable - including lower capital expenditure, cheaper operating costs and considerably better rates of efficiency.

The district cooling systems offers a far more environmentally friendly method of cooling with lower power requirement as well as much lower CO2 emissions.

Dany Safi, managing director of Tabreed Bahrain, on signing the contract said: "This method of cooling buildings is expected to become more popular throughout the Kingdom and Tabreed has already secured forward commitments from 6 major companies. Further sites for Cooling Plants have also been identified in Juffair, Busiteen and Al Seef where demand is high to operate this system."

Tabreed currently operates in the UAE where it supplies over 200,000 tons of chilled water per annum to various businesses in the Emirates.

The agreement was signed in the Bahrain Commercial Complex.

 

[Krazy]

Bahrain World Trade Center multi storey car park opens for commercial complex

The Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC) today announced the opening of a new multi-storey car park, which will facilitate public access to the Bahrain Commercial Complex.

The new planned four-storey parking structure.

The new planned four-storey parking structure is for the exclusive use of visitors and shoppers and will initially provide some 420 parking spaces located on the ground, first and second floors of the facility.

An additional 180 parking spaces, to be located on the fourth storey, are under construction and set for completion by May 2006. Visitors to the Bahrain Commercial Complex can access the parking structure through its temporary entrance now located on Isa Al Kabeer Avenue, adjacent to the Government House.

Commenting on the opening of the new parking facility, Mr. Duaij Al Rumaihi, Associate Director of DTZ Bahrain said,

'We are pleased to announce the launch of the BWTC multi-storey car park. We are confident that the new facility provides a greater degree of convenience and enhanced access for visitors as work continues on the ground breaking Bahrain World Trade Center towers and the adjoining shopping complex. Once complete, the two 50-strorey towers and the expanded shopping mall are set to become Bahrain's most vibrant mixed-use commercial development and we are ready to provide convenient and accessible parking facilities to all tenants and visitors as we go forward.'

Once the project is complete a total of 1,700 parking spaces will be made available to tenants and visitors of the landmark twin towers currently under development and the Bahrain Commercial Complex, which is being extended. The existing shopping mall, once enlarged, is set to house over 150 high-end retail outlets and exclusive boutiques. The Complex is already Bahrain's premium shopping destination boasting brands such as Tiffany's, Cartier, Max Mara and Escada, to name a few. The new parking facility will enhance access to these and other well known retailers located within the existing mall.

Signage and maps have been placed around the development to ease the way for all visitors and ensure ease of use and convenience.

The Bahrain Commercial Complex is an integral part of the rapidly advancing BWTC project, which is planned for completion in Summer 2006. The project is a true landmark both in Bahrain and on an international scale. The towers are the first of their kind in the world, which will use wind energy to provide 11 - 15% of the electricity needs of the buildings.

At the same time, the BWTC will also set a new precedent in terms of design and technological advancement, offering tenants the latest and most sophisticated technologies and systems in addition to a host of business support services and other amenities including five-star restaurants, casual dining locales and cafes, heath care facilities and sporting clubs.