Gulf Construction Online - Projacs poised to manage major jobs

Kuwait

World class ... the proposed KNPC headquarters will have water features as its unifying theme.

Projacs poised to manage major jobs

01 December 2001

Leading project management firm Projacs has a string of successfully completed projects to its credit and is currently involved in some of the major high-profile projects in the educational, governmental, health, recreational and finance sectors of Kuwait.

These include a prestigious new headquarters for the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC), the Feheheel Waterfront development and the new head office for International Murabaha Company. Projacs is engaged as project manager in all three projects.

Tenders have been invited for both the KNPC headquarters and the Fahaheel waterfront project while a contract has just been awarded for the new Al Murabaha headquarters.

KNPC headquarters

The five-storey KNPC headquarters, which is estimated to cost $50 million, is expected to be completed in 2004. Gulf Consult/Cambridge Seven Associates are the consultants.

Elaborating on the salient features of the headquarters, Engineer Ashraf Al Garf, operations manager for Projacs says: "The office will be of world-class stature employing state-of-the-art technologies. It will be a pace-setting example for the office of the 21st century, as it will optimise the best combination of human interaction and technological innovation to enable KNPC to fulfil its mission of protecting the future of Kuwait's precious natural resource.

"The concept behind the design is create an 'oasis in the desert'.

Therefore, the building appears to be a floating mirage over a dramatic lagoon. The principle design elements that make up the project are: a reflective water surface, a serpentine glass enclosure, a flexible office layout, and an internal landscaped circulation spine. This circulation spine is contained by two parallel massive stone-clad walls that enclose lushly planted vertical gardens, covered by a roof with a continuous skylight, resembling 'an oasis within an oasis'. These 'hanging gardens' act as an internal circulation spine for KNPC employees and a place for rest and relaxation.''

Water, in many forms, binds these elements together both on the site and within the building, he points out.

He explains: "Water features are the overall unifying theme for the design of the head office and are used to create a pleasing working environment for KNPC employees and visitors. A giant reflecting pool or lagoon welcomes visitors as they arrive at the building. Two rows of undulating water jets in the lagoon, between the VIP driveway lanes, lead to the KNPC VIP entrance, and a U-shaped 'waterfall' surrounds the VIP lobby on the ground floor, emitting a calming sound of fast flowing water.

"On the building's uppermost level, delicate runnels of water lace throughout a glazed VIP garden in the heart of the top management/VIP suite. The roof of the VIP garden is shaped like thin gull wings and is clad with silver-coloured metal panels. The exterior of the building comprises glass, metal, and stone. The Main facade consists of a curvilinear glass wall of blue-green low E-coated glass, floating above silver-coloured, metal-clad columns.

The rear facade consists of two massive, parallel walls clad with a rough sand-coloured limestone and accented by glazed 'light scoops' which project from the wall's surface.

Feheheel Waterfront

The estimated $45 million Feheheel Waterfront development project, which is also expected to see completion in 2004, is being developed by Tamdeen

Real Estate Company. Projacs is again working with a team which includes Gulf Consult/Dar Al Omran/Cambridge Seven Associates as the consultants.

Outlining the significance of Kuwait's Waterfront to the country's citizens, Al Garf says: "The waterfront is one of Kuwait's most significant and historically important features.It is a natural asset that benefits the urban fabric of the adjacent community and the entire population that uses it. Much of Kuwait's history revolves around this seam of life and activity - and this is especially true for the waterfront area at Feheheel. The Feheheel waterfront project represents this spirit of the Kuwaiti people.''

The Feheheel waterfront project consists of the following major components:

The twin piers, which flank a lagoon. One of them is a market pier housing the fish, meat and vegetable markets and the other is a recreation pier containing a wide range of food outlets, entertainment, and cultural/education facilities;

Naqa'a, an expanded fishing harbour which contains protected moorings, slips and servicing for fishing boats and a new marina for pleasure boats; and

A beachfront/promenade, including recreation areas, which extends along the full 1.6 km sea frontage of the project.

"The overall plan is achieved by using a structured landscape treatment for organising activities, places and events along the beachfront,'' Al Garf explains. "Through the introduction of land piers, projecting outward into the Gulf, the northern two-thirds of the site is divided into two identifiable beach activity areas and recreational zones.

"The new harbour with its commercial development concentrated on the twin piers forms the heart of the new waterfront.

"The twin piers are basically two extended pier structures, each about 50 m wide and 200 m in length, which project out into the harbour. They have been positioned and designed on axis to act as an extension of Al-Dabbous street into the sea, like two arms embracing the Gulf and infusing it

with new life. These two piers mark the location where Feheheel's early trading families brought their dhows to shore. The design of the twin piers represents a marriage of history and tradition with future generations. Inside each pier are interior shopping streets and galleries, which are covered with skylights, allowing filtered light into the building. These areas have an easy overall orientation and facilitate pedestrian flow within the premises.

"The market pier houses two expanded facilities serving the Feheheel region. It includes generous stalls for all vendors, a fish auction area, refrigeration and support facilities, offices for agent and municipal officials, health clinic and mall shops for grocery vendors.

"The recreation pier contains a cinema complex, a family food court, restaurants, cafes and coffee shops, cultural galleries and shops which display Kuwaiti craftwork, and a discovery centre.''

"A large lagoon containing paddle boats resembling old Kuwaiti boats, and a smaller lagoon reflecting a fountain of water and the lighting occupy the space between the piers. They act as a water plaza of light and

reflections, drawing visitors to the water's edge and encouraging them to explore the activities of the two piers inside.

"Two similar landside piers frame the harbour development at the southern third of the site, adjacent to Feheheel's central commercial district.

"A paved, palm-tree-lined promenade begins at the new fishing harbour and proceeds north to the existing Feheheel Sea Club.

''It traverses four land piers which encourage pedestrians to walk out to promontories overlooking the beach, marina, harbour and sea. Musalas, support facilities, groves of palm trees and garden/activity terraces are positioned across the beachfronts at each land pier location.''

Al Murabaha HQ

Burhan Trading and Contracting Company has just been awarded the contract for the construction of the new Al Murabaha headquarters.

The $13 million project, which is expected to be completed in 2003, is being built for The International Murabaha Company. The consultant is the Kuwait Engineers Office (KEO).

"The 10-storey office building aims to reflect the image of International Murabaha Company as an aggressive investment organisation with a stable and confident backing, which is deep-rooted in the Kuwaiti traditions,'' says Al Garf. "The building will be a landmark on Kuwait's skyline and will tower above the neighbouring buildings.

"The concept of Murabaha is based on the known entrepreneurial traditions of Kuwaiti mercantile. While it has developed over the years to meet the challenges of today's modern market, it continues to rely on these traditions for its stability and growth.

"The stone base, the sail and windtower symbolise the Kuwaiti basic commerce principle of trust, risk-taking and skill in dealing with diversity. The slick curtain-wall with the four openings at the top symbolises the windows that Al Murabaha has opened to the entire modern world. The asymmetrical building massing symbolises the balanced policy of the company.

"The building soars above the neighbouring structures with an intelligent floor plates arrangement, creating an imposing presence on the Sharq area skyline. The rising windtower and the sensuously profiled finial further accentuate the height,'' he says.