Al Adan Hospital ... design aimed at reducing natural light transmission and glare.
Pace picks up
01 December 2013
KUWAIT'S construction sector looks set to see stability, but will need the support of the private sector to propel the industry forward, according to a senior official at Pace, a Kuwait-based leading architecture and engineering practice.
“Lately, we have been seeing work move forward on many projects, from design, the tendering process, and all the way to the construction phase. If this trend continues in the coming years, the country’s aims of diversifying its economy and becoming the preeminent centre for trade of the northern Gulf should be well within its reach,” Tarek Shuaib, managing partner of Pace, tells
Gulf Construction.
Shuaib, who has been leading Pace as a design principal since becoming a partner in 2005, continues to see the practice gain strength in the market with a rich portfolio of projects that range from mega infrastructure projects to hospitals and headquarters buildings.
Some of the most challenging projects on its drawing boards include Phase Four of The Avenues shopping mall, Jamal Abdul Nasser Street and Jahra Road project development, the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK), and Al Adan Hospital, where Pace has partnered with other global renowned practices to bring quality structures.
The Avenues
 |
|
The Avenues ... Kuwait’s largest |
The Avenues, Kuwait’s largest enclosed space and also the country’s premier retail and leisure destination, is poised for further expansion. Phase Three of the project, located in Al Rai, has already been completed, and Pace is now working alongside American practice Gensler’s London Office to develop proposals for the next phase of development.
“This newest extension to the mall will offer more space for shopping and leisure, as well as hotel and recreational facilities, extending the mall and providing new character retail areas. One of the most striking elements will be a new internal public plaza covered by an ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) roof, similar in size to a football pitch,” Shuaib says.
The developer of the project is Mabanee, a leading Kuwait-based real estate firm, which has already successfully developed more than 400,000 sq m of shopping and leisure facilities on the location.
Commenting on Pace’s involvement on the project, he says: “Pace has been able to act as project guardian, working successfully alongside other national and international designers over many phases of the current project to manage diverse teams and engage specialists as and where required.
“Our large team of designers, architects and engineers have been stationed both on site during the construction works and at our head office studio during design and coordination phases, enabling close working relationships to be developed with the client team and contractor – which has been important in transferring lessons learned on improved programme efficiencies, quality standards and design quality in one phase into the next.”
Jamal Abdul Nasser
 |
|
Jahra Highway ... work in progress. |
The estimated KD507-million ($1.8 billion) Jamal Abdul Nasser Street and Jahra Roads scheme is being carried out by Pace in joint venture with Louis Berger (LB). Believed to be the biggest bridge project currently under construction in the GCC, it is expected to be completed in June 2016. The scope of consultancy services included the study, design, upgrade and construction supervision of upgrading Jamal Abdul Nasser Street and Jahra Roads as well as all modifications, relocation and protection of existing services within the areas.
The overall development was spilt in two packages: Package One, (RA/166) Jahra Highway; and Package Two (RA/167) worth KD242.4-million ($854.82 million) for the Jamal Abdul Nasser Highway development (see separate article), with each package to be executed in five phases, due to traffic diversions, utility diversions, and the installation of bridge segments.
“The LB/Pace venture rose to the challenge and planned its design, guaranteeing minimum impact to traffic and came up with creative plans to diverge the current roads while avoiding severe traffic jams during the construction phase,” Shuaib says.
CBK headquarters
 |
|
CBK headquarters ... the north and the south-facing (right) facades. |
The new 42-storey headquarters of the Central Bank of Kuwait designed by HOK and Pace will be one of the city’s tallest buildings located on a prominent site adjacent to the Arabian Gulf Street. When complete in 2014, the 140,000-sq-m tower will contain banking halls, offices, conference facilities, dining and banquet rooms, an auditorium and a new museum. The masterplan includes an orchard, water channels, lawns and is enhanced by a reflecting pool.
When commissioning its new headquarters building, the client aimed for a world-class and iconic building on Kuwait City’s skyline.
“The south façades, clad in stone and punctuated with small openings, are a logical and environmentally thoughtful response to the blazing desert sun. The north face contrasts the closed massing of the south facades with extensive glazing that opens the building to the Arabian Gulf.
“This dichotomy suggests several interpretations. The fortress-like solidity of the south façade and the lightness of the glass on the north suggest a forward-looking banking institution open to innovation and wrapped in a permanent and protective wall. The landward facades are anchored in the closed forms of ancient desert architecture, while the north façade, with its diaphragm of glass tied to the exposed network of structural masts, suggests the design of sailing ships and Gulf-bound commerce. Pace is working alongside HOK to supervise the delivery of the project,” Shuaib says.
Al Adan Hospital
As part of the Kuwait National Healthcare Development Plan, Al Adan Hospital is being expanded to provide new maternity and pediatric healthcare facilities.
The project, being implemented by the Ministry of Health, is currently out to tender. It involves a total built-up area of some 220,000 sq m, to provide 632 beds over 14 floors. An additional 280,000 sq m of support facilities include surgical and central services, dietary, physical therapy and rehabilitation facilities, administration and multi-storey car-parks. The design of the upper levels that accommodate the wards are wrapped with horizontal light shelves aimed at reducing natural light transmission and glare for patients whilst also framing views to the exterior.
“The brief for this significant new facility was developed as part of the Ministry of Health’s new hospitals programme and, as such, required facilities to support clinical excellence and the best patient care available,” says Shuaib.
Designed by Pace to international standards of quality and space, the main hospital has a ‘hot’ clinical podium housing a large entrance atrium, clinics and acute services with three ‘ward’ towers providing identity and scale to the development.
Elaborating on the project, he says: “Despite its size, the building has a unique and playful quality generated through the interplay of soft undulating ribbons on the façades in the form of fixed sun screens. These screens wrap the podium exterior, appearing to fold in and out of the glass façade enhancing patient privacy and providing shade from the sun’s glare, where required. The podium includes a ‘winter garden’ designed as a recreational play zone and relaxation space. “
“This is one of a number of hospitals currently in progress for Pace, which has enabled the development of a specialist in-house team of architects and engineers dedicated to the design and delivery of healthcare projects,” Shuaib adds.
Pace
Since its inception, Pace has been a market leader in Kuwait and the rest of the GCC. “Throughout the past 45 years, Pace has been privileged to work with many governmental organisations and privately owned enterprises. It commitment and strength in the market lies in its values: quality, integrity, reliability, professionalism, adaptability, creative, and efficiency,” says Shuaib.
The practice’s portfolio includes many mega undertakings including the first major landmark projects to dot Kuwait’s skyline in the 1960s right through to the iconic buildings of today.
Pace offers a broad portfolio of services, addressing the market requirements and tailoring its services to meet the needs of the project.
“From its early days, Pace has identified the need to build an international in-house design expertise and Class-A construction supervision teams. This tradition is still upheld today and we aim to provide an international spectrum of design services to give the market confidence and self-sufficiency in its local resources,” says Shuaib.
Over the past few years, it has broadened its expertise and responded to the various needs of the market. In recent years, it has recognised a need for a project management/construction management role (PM/CM) and hence established a full-fledged PM/CM department to manage projects from start to end. It has also developed technical expertise for infrastructure projects to provide design and supervision services of international standard for motorways and road design.
Furthermore, it has also adopted the latest in building information modelling (BIM) design across all its disciplines. Pace also delivers professional environmental graphics through its dedicated graphics design department in order that the built environment blends with the lifestyle of the occupants.
Having identified the need to provide sustainability expertise to the market, it has equipped itself with in-house skills to provide the optimum level of service. The firm has also introduced real estate related-services and advice to its long-term clients to provide them with the whole spectrum services under one umbrella.
This apart, Pace has joined hands with some of the leaders in the industry to take on the challenge of some of the more complex projects on the market. “While having internationally standard in-house design capabilities, Pace has always aimed to learn and grow alongside other consultancy firms worldwide. For mega projects in Kuwait, it has always been a requirement to invite internationally acclaimed consultancy firms as a prerequisite to bid, win and successfully deliver such projects,” Shuaib points out.
He says Pace was the first in the market to successfully partner with many known leaders in the international consultancy arena such as SOM, Arup, Buro Happold, Gensler, HOK, Fentress, TROJB and architects like Zaha Hadid.
“Some of these long-term partnerships and joint ventures have spanned more than 25 years. Pace has always been able to identify these big players and associate with them. We have even introduced some of them to the Kuwait market in order to bring about the highest level of design professionalism and optimum client satisfaction, aiming for a future of continuous success and achievement in the region,” he adds.
Commenting on the local market, Shuaib says: “The Kuwaiti construction market has gone through rough days in the past, yet we see a trend in the recent months towards more stability. This was mainly due to sage advice and directives, given under the wise leadership of the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, aimed at channelling dedicated efforts to resume construction and propel the development of Kuwait.”
Furthermore, while the onus lies with the officials in charge of the Vision 2030 to push forward the construction industry at a faster pace, it is important to incorporate the private sector into the overall economy, both to help with financing and to facilitate knowledge transfer, he points out.
“Fortunately, Kuwait’s government has been able to successfully convince parliament that continued investment in infrastructure is a good use of the country’s resources towards achieving the 2030 development plan,” he concludes.
