Atkins - General - Dubia
Date: 04 Jul 2008
One tower - three architects - all working for Atkins - and all competing against each other for the job of designing one of the world's tallest structures. It's one of the most unusual contracts Atkins, the UK's biggest engineering and design consultancy, has ever been involved with.
The developer, Tameer Holdings, initially chose Atkins from a global field of competition, but then decided they wanted a second contest. Now Atkins is pitting its best architectural brains against each other - with the winner being judged by the client in a kind of design beauty contest.
The three Atkins teams vying for the project are drawn from all over the world. They are; Dubai's Shaun Killa, the innovator behind the Bahrain World Trade Center, the world's first wind-powered megastructure; the UK's Tom Wright, who created the world's only seven star hotel - the Burj Al-Arab; and Hong Kong's Ky Cheung who designed Teda Towers.
Based on current world rankings, the colossal mixed use project will be amongst the world's tallest structures and will comprise of residential, commercial and retail configurations in addition to a 200-plus key boutique hotel and branded, serviced apartments.
Preliminary designs have been submitted to the judging panel which is a mix of Tameer's Board of Directors and senior management with oversight by its industry partners. The winning design will be announced later in July.
Managing director of Atkins in the Middle East & India, Tim Askew, says the group's best architectural talent has been preparing for the design competition over a number of months, with three of its major global studios engaging in healthy competitive rivalry to design the mega-structure.
"We are delighted to have been selected as lead designer for the project after the initial selection process. Whilst this is the first time we have embarked upon such a major internal competition on such an international scale, we see it as instrumental in helping us to further drive creativity and ingenuity for projects such as this, in recognition of the status it deserves as Dubai's newest landmark" he said.
Apart from its aesthetic and functional design qualities currently under consideration, the colossal iconic skyscraper will span over 5 million square feet and will be designed in accordance with current sustainability best practice. Towering over the city skyline it will provide breathtaking views of Marsa Dubai as it lies in proximity to the most luxurious retail, dining and leisure precincts and sophisticated commercial and academic hubs.
Managing director of Tameer Dubai, Abdul Hamid Moukayed, says the project will not only offer a premium in creativity and design spurred by the global competition, but heralds a new era in sustainable development with unsurpassed eco-features which are intended to be implemented in the project.
"Apart from the prominent effort to compete on design, the project is expected to exhibit an exemplary standard of construction in accordance with unmatched sustainability-focused measures and we look forward to working with some of the world's best creative designers to help bring this architectural masterpiece to life," Mr. Moukayed said
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