Bahrain World Trade Centre Technical Report Essay

Bahrain World Trade Centre Technical Report - Essay Example What makes it unique is the fact that it was the first skyscraper in the world to have wind turbines into its design. The Bahrain World Trade Centre is constructed in close proximity of the King Faisal Highway, near population landmarks such as the Bahrain financial harbor, the National Bank of Bahrain and the scenic pearl roundabout. The building offers an un-obstructed view over the Arabian Gulf. It currently ranks as the second tallest building in Bahrain after the twin towers of the Bahrain Financial Harbour. Architecture and Physical Characteristics The Bahrain World Trade Centre is a revolutionary building as it is well equipped with inbuilt large scale wind turbines that supply 15% of the entire building’s electricity supply (Atkins 2012). The two 50 storey tapered, sail shaped architectural design of BWTC with a height of 240m is the only of its kind in the world to integrate wind turbines into its twin tower design. The Bahrain World Trade Centre master plan comprises of twin office towers, an associated single-storey huge shopping mall with a 30,000 square meters of exclusive boutiques and multi-brand retail outlets, departmental stores, food and beverage outlets, a car parking services, mother and baby rooms and a children’s entertainment and landscaped areas. ... Each tower provides 34 flexible floor plates ranging 120 to 820 sq.m area for offices and an exclusive 42nd floor viewing deck (Binder 2006). The BWTCs with a distinct nautical theme is a modern interpretation of traditional Arabian wind towers. Each of the towers is visibly anchored to the ground by a concertina of curved sail-like structure. The most distinct feature of the design is the integration of large- scale, commercially-available renewable wind energy turbines into a sustainable architecture design. The podium of the Bahrain World Business Centre accommodates a single-storey extension to the existing shopping mall and it does reflect the already established modular, axial and spatial parameters. Three levels of covered car parking space are available within the podium with further extensive parking and service areas provided in the basement. The Bahrain World Trade Centre Location of the wind parameters The Bahrain World Trade Centre was situated along the highway so as to fully harness the Persian Gulf winds since the wind in Bahrain is almost always consistent. The Bahrain World Trade Centre has three 29m horizontal axis turbines suspended between two-story 34 story towers of prime office space. Both of these towers have been designed to catch and accelerate the prevailing mild coastal winds of Bahrain. The design of this complex provides for three 29m diameter wind turbines that are supported horizontally between the two towers. The elliptical plan form and sail-like tapered design of both towers acts as aerofoil and it funnels and lifts the onshore breeze flowing from Persian Gulf. The wind funneling and lifting of air behind the towers due to tapered design creates a negative