Leisure & Tourism MEED Project of the Year 2012

27 March 2012

The GCC is home to a number of high-calibre leisure and tourism projects

JOINT WINNER GCC LEISURE & TOURISM PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Oman

Royal Opera House

Entrant: Al-Futtaim Carillion

Project owner: Royal Court Affairs

Project contractor: Royal Court Affairs

Engineering consultant: Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo

Architect: Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo

Description: The Royal Opera House has helped enrich cultural exchanges within Oman and beyond and has made a valuable contribution to increasing the sultanate’s tourism revenue. All shows and performances for the inaugural season were sold out to international and local visitors. During the opera house’s construction, 3,000 people were employed and training in specialist fields was included as part of the scope of work. Many local subcontractors were engaged in the project and international companies collaborated with local firms to develop their skills. An environmental study was undertaken, which required specialist consultancy in the areas of stage engineering, acoustics and sound and communication engineering.

JOINT WINNER GCC LEISURE & TOURISM PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Qatar

Extension to Qatar National Convention Centre and Link Bridge

Entrant: Six Construct

Project owner: Qatar Foundation – Astad

Project contractor: Midmac Contracting/Six Construct

Engineering consultant: Burns & McDonnell

Architect: Burns & McDonnell

Description: Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) was built to be a hub for international collaboration among leading specialists and delegates and to make Qatar one of the most dynamic, knowledge-based economies in the world. Sustainability was a main focus and QNCC has solar panels installed on its 3,500-square-metre roof, which provide 12.5 per cent of the building’s total electricity consumption. In addition, QNCC is the first building of its kind to receive gold certification from the US’ Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (Leed). QNCC is a six-storey structure with a basement that is 250 metres long and 110m wide. It is designed to resemble two intertwined sidra trees, the emblem of the Qatar Foundation.

UAE

Matajer al-Quoz

Entrant: Sharjah Holding

Project owner: Sharjah Holding

Project contractor: Al-Habtoor Leighton

Engineering consultant: GHD Global

Architect: Archcorp

Description: Matajer al-Quoz is a new neighbourhood shopping centre in Sharjah and is anchored by a supermarket featuring a range of high-quality retail, food and beverage brands and services. The centre was developed to bring the design, quality and ambience of larger-format shopping malls to local communities. The first Matajer opened in the Al-Quoz district of Sharjah in October 2011 and three more centres are set to open in the second quarter of 2012. The design brief required a simple, efficient structure that embraced local architecture, while creating a unique brand identity for the shopping mall that can be carried across Sharjah Holding’s entire portfolio of retail projects. Matajer al-Quoz’s architecture references traditional Arabic design and incorporates modern features in tune with the style of the local community.

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