KEO INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT, Lusail, Qatar 2009-2012, Senior Design Architect (Architecture, Urban Design)
The 70,000 square meter site for this project is located in the southeastern corner of the Lusail Development’s Marina District, roughly 20 kilometers north of the new Doha International Airport. The design solution for the project is inspired by the strong tradition of courtyards, elevated gardens, and mashrabiya screen patterns. Three office towers are situated along the northern portion of the site with their address along the Main Street and excellent views of the surroundings. The towers step from 25 storeys at the northeastern portion of the site to 29 storeys at the northwestern corner of the site. Elevated sky gardens are located in stra¬tegic locations of each tower to offer tenants a connection to nature and break up the mass of the building. A linear souq-like retail mall along the northern portion of the site meanders from the west to the east intricately connecting the office tower lobbies with several ceremonial drop-off courts to the office buildings and retail mall. The residential buildings for the project are situated along the eastern and south¬ern portion of the site to provide residential units with excellent views of the water. These buildings are a maximum of 13 storeys in height and each has a ceremonial drop-off court to their reception lobbies. The facades for the different components of the project are inspired by traditional mashrabiya designs and deal with transformation of patterns, protection from the sun’s rays, and privacy. The office building creates beautifully patterned facades using various sizes of solid panels and glass. The retail mall has skylights and entrance volumes wrapped in a random lace-like pattern to create shadows that mimic the quality of light found in traditional souqs. The residential buildings play with an array of stone, metal, and glass to provide maximum views of the water from the units within. The resulting com¬position of the building masses which are unified with gardens will create a landmark development for this site. Project Areas: Office: 130,220m2 Residential: 87,055m2 Retail: 29,769m2