Foster + Partners has revealed new details for its design of the landmark Lusail Towers in Qatar’s central business district. Totaling nearly 12 million square feet, the development will comprise four distinct high-rise buildings linked to a new transportation hub. The project is slated for completion ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
“Projects associated with major sporting events leave no room for delays,” says Jonathan Parr, senior partner with Foster + Partners. “We knew from the beginning that to meet the challenges and the complexities of the project, we needed to approach the project differently, using technology to maintain consistency in the information flows across different disciplines.”
Influenced by climate, the integrated design creates an intimate human-scale streetscape and responds to the urban scale of the surrounding city. Two 70-story towers and two 50-story towers will be oriented around a central plaza linked to a grand boulevard that will lead to the new sporting arenas. Clad with marine-grade aluminum, the towers will be equipped to minimize heat gain and provide comfortable shading for occupants.
Sophisticated energy management systems will reduce the site’s overall energy demand by 35 percent, compared to a baseline building. Gray water, rainwater, and condensate will be recycled and reused for onsite irrigation and toilet flushing.
Several podiums crafted with molded concrete panels will be constructed at the base of the towers to house dining and retail. Small punctures to windows and breezeblocks will further reduce solar gain, while lush and drought-tolerant landscaping will cover 20 percent of the footprint with native plant species.
