Case Study: Park Towers

Park Towers.

RELATED ARTICLES: Joint UAE-Azerbaijan oil terminal to open in 2011 | P&T to design mental-health centre in Sharjah | Call for more buildings to 'talk' to each other

Architect: Gensler
Client: Damac
Location: Dubai

The project
Due for completion this year, the US$600m Park Towers project is a mixed-use development consisting of 530 apartments spread over 35 residential floors and seven storeys of office space.

Both of the 49-storey towers are fully glazed, and are reminiscent of London’s iconic Gherkin tower, except – in true Dubai style – here there are two of them side by side. The towers form part of the DIFC master plan.

The site
The towers are due to connect eventually with all the other buildings in the DIFC, enhancing the already green and landscaped surroundings of the entire project.

Story continues below

Advertisement

FEATURED COMMENT Please click here to comment on this article

The building is 95% complete according to developer Damac, and workers onsite are currently installing panoramic lifts while landscaping is underway on the podium level.

The concept
The concept takes into account both commercial and aesthetic requirements. The DIFC already boasts a number of unique buildings – Index, by Foster and Partners, and the Gate, by Gensler, among them – but while Park Towers had to look good, it also had to be desirable to tenants.

The curved facade and large floor plates allow each tenant 180 degree views across the DIFC. The lower levels of the towers are commercial space, while residential takes up the higher portion.

The Details
The cladding system was a particular challenge for Damac, as the slope of the facade required each panel to be a different shape and elevation. The curved facade was essential, however, in ensuring that each apartment has an uninterrupted view across the DIFC.

Damac Properties managing director Ziad El Chaar paid tribute to Arabian Aluminium, the contractor that worked on the facade . “They worked on the Burj Khalifa and have risen to this challenge as well,” he said. “Work is progressing extremely well.”

The interiors of the building were designed by Damac’s design team, explained El Chaar. “We have a range of high quality marbles and granite finishes in the four reception areas, each individually themed and designed to impress but with comfort and practicality in mind.”

In terms of construction, the geometry of the towers were a problem, but El Chaar said that contractor Sharpoorji Pallonji was quick to resolve any difficulties, slipping into achieving five day floor cycles once they got into their full stride.

“We have a piled raft foundation with a post tensioned solution for the floors, while the cladding is a bespoke system designed to meet the demands of the curve of the building in plan and the elevational taper to suit the towers’ shapes,” he added.