LUSAIL'S LOFTY LANDMARK

A TOWERING landmark project comprising four distinctive high-rise buildings, which is envisioned as the catalyst for a new central business district in Lusail city, is now receiving its final touches.

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The Lusail Plaza Towers now boasts two of the tallest towers (Tower 3 and Tower 4) in Qatar standing at 301 m tall, claiming the title from the 300-m Aspire (Torch Tower) which was completed in 2007. With the exterior construction of the two of the taller buildings having been successfully completed, the focus has now shifted to finalising the interior, according to Hyundai E&C, the Korean contractor responsible for these two high-rises.

The other two towers that rise to a height of 219 m have been built by Midmac Contracting.

The 1.1-million-sq-m Foster + Partnersdesigned development is expected to host the headquarters of the Qatar National Bank, Qatar Central Bank and Qatar Investment Authority, alongside several other global organisations including Qatari Diar, while creating a new downtown district that is sensitive to the climate. The project is part of a larger masterplan also designed by the leading UK-based architectural practice.

Located at the end of the commercial boulevard that links the new Lusail football stadium to the corniche, the two taller towers stand at 70 storeys, while the other two are 50-storeys high, all arranged symmetrically around a central plaza that seeks to complement the existing public spaces in Lusail City, according to the designer.

At the base, a network of three-, fourand five-storey podium buildings surround each tower. Providing support facilities for the towers with shops, cafes, events and exhibition centre, gym facilities, training facilities, banks and restaurants, they animate the public realm, and are carefully placed to form human-scale streets and a shaded, pedestrian-friendly ground plane.

The plaza contains a new metro station with pedestrian links to the towers aboveand access to several event spaces that draw life to the waterfront, according to Foster & Partners.

DESIGN