PAKISTAN Vital lifelines
According to Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Mr Shaukat Aziz nearly PAK Rs45 billion (US$744 million) has been disbursed among those effected by Pakistan’s most devastating earthquake in 2005. Most of the funds were allocated to reconstruction of homes as well as compensation for dead the injured. Additionally, livelihood programme for widows and children has been launched under which over 150,000 eligible families had been given about PAK Rs1 billion (US$16.5 million) during the last six months as monthly compensation.
He also confirmed that all effected road were now operational again and the reconstruction of health and educational facilities was being undertaken on a priority; a total of 6,298 educational institutions and 342 health centres will be rebuilt. Stressing the need to expedite the reconstruction work, the Prime Minister projected that rebuilding could still take up to another five years.
UAE Cheated!
Over 200 people whose titles to ARY Luxury Apartments in Dubai have been arbitrary cancelled by the builders have threatened legal action.
Some of the affected confirmed in a press conference held in Islamabad, that they had already approached National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe what they called the illegal, fraudulent and arbitrary cancellation of their titles.
They demanded the Dubai-based ARY firm respect their contract and commitments, withdraw the allotment cancellation letters, hand over possession of the apartments to buyers already issued allotment letters and to honour ARY’s undertaking to finance 70 per cent of the cost of the apartments.
ARY had launched the ARY International City Dubai Residencia project in June 2004. The apartments offered for sale were studio, one bedroom, and 2 bedrooms category.
According to the terms of contract, the buyers were to pay 30 per cent of the cost in 12 monthly instalments while the remaining 70 per cent was offered as loan under Islamic banking spread over 15 years. The loan, clients were assured, would be unconditional and guaranteed. However, the allottees were subsequently asked to provide documents for arranging financing of remaining 70 per cent of the financing. Later they were informed that no bank was willing to provide loans to Pakistanis, contrary to the original undertaking by ARY.
They affected have alleged ARY’s actions as “deliberate act of cheating by ARY” because the prices of the apartments had increased in the real estate market and the management felt that it could make more profit by selling them out directly after cancelling the allotment of the original allottees.
Meanwhile, ARY group in a press statement said that the allegations regarding the ARY International City Dubai Residencia project were baseless and aimed at hurting the business interests and reputation of the group.
SOUTH AFRICA Getting ready for 2010
Gerkan Marg and Partners (GMP) of Germany will be designing three of the South Africa’s new stadiums in their build up to the World Cup in 2010. The stadiums will be built in three of South Africa’s most prominent cities including Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
The Kingspark Stadium (King Senzangakhona) in Durban is the largest of the planned stadia and will seat up to 85,000 spectators. The arch spanning length of the stadium serves as an icon; a double arch that fuses into a single arch at one end will create and unmistakable silhouette, inserting and imposing and monumental form into Durban’s skyline. GMP plan to work with local architects for the design and construction of the South Africa’s latest landmarks. Images: GMP
INDIA New Iranian Gardens
With the renovation of the Iranian gardens at the Qutub Shahi Tomb, the Education Ministry confirmed plans to establish new Iranian gardens at the site.
The Qutub Shahi tomb of remarkable design was originally conceived as family burial ground where relatives of the deceased could pay their respects, listen to recitation of the Qur’an and distribute food and alms to the poor in the memory of their loved ones.
The new Iranian gardens are scheduled to open on March 1st 2007 the fisrt day of the Iranian New Year.
UAE Dubai Metro Line No. 4
A fourth line is being planned for the ambitious Dubai Metro project. The new 90-kilometre ‘Purple’ line will be constructed at an extra cost of AED8.11 billion (US$2.2 billion), pushing the total cost of the project up to a whopping AED33.4 billion (US$9.1 billion).
The current design for the Dubai metro has significantly increased from the original design. The network of three lines currently cover an area 318 kilometres; the original design was for only two lines, ‘Red’ and ‘Green’, running a distance of 70 kilometres. Both lines have been significantly extended while the recently introduced third ‘Blue’ line will provide a direct express connection between Dubai’s current airport in the heart of the city and the new Jebel Ali international Airport at the opposite end of the Dubai. Journey time between the two airposrts will be 15 minutes only.
Once complete, the Dubai Metro is expected to carry 200,000 passengers during the morning peak hour and over three million passengers daily.
While the original ‘Red’ and ‘Green’ lines will complete in 2009, the ‘Blue’ line in 2011, the new ‘Purple’ line will complete in 2012.
INDONESIA Iconic sails
The centre piece of the new Regatta project in Jakarta, a mixed used development designed by Atkins is an arch-shaped five star, 320-room luxury hotel. The monumental structure is surrounded by 10 residential towers offering a total of 920 apartments on 99,363-sq. metre site.
According to the Design Director Tom Wright who conceived the concept, “The development follows a nautical theme, with the hotel being representative of a lighthouse – or ‘beacon’ – and the apartment towers as tall ships sailing around it, hence the name ‘Regatta’. All of the buildings are orientated on the cardinal points of a compass, creating the best possible views of the waterfront for each phase of the development.”
Regatta’s the hotel will feature a ballroom for 1,000 guests, a state of the art health spa and well being centre and four restaurants including a 2,000-sq. metre sky lobby and dining experience located 148 metres above ground level.
The development will also feature an extensively landscaped 25,600-sq. metre water park. Image: Atkins. Edited: Architecture+
UAE New HQ for DCCI
London-based Gensler’s 1.5 million-sq. ft. (139,400 sq. metres) design for the extension of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (DCCI) headquarters has been selected to be built within the existing campus facing the Creek in Dubai, Unite Arab Emirates.
Consisting primarily of two towers of 27 and 21 storeys each, as well as a multi purpose hall, car parking and a bridge link to the main chamber, the scheme will act as a destination hub for DCCI’s 79,000 members, allowing new companies to take office space in the building and supporting the organisation with new business facilities.
In a bold move away from the traditional centre-core approach adopted in Dubai, the geometric arrangement of the towers creates an efficient and harmonious composition of old and new. Its clear and strong architectural identity fully integrates existing facilities whilst representing a striking new addition to the Dubai Creek skyline.
The new scheme aims to give the DCCI a strong marketable property which will help reinforce their brand in an increasingly competitive market. To maximise letting potential, services and support function are located outside the prime floor-plate allowing easy subdivision into smallest 1,000 sq ft tenancies or highly desirable lettings of 20,000 sq ft.
To be constructed with indigenous materials and readily available technology, the building responds intelligently to climate and site orientation minimizing life-cycle and maintenance costs. Work on site is expected to start in the first quarter of 2007. Images: Gensler. Edited: Architecture+
UK Sliding Boxes
Denton Corker Marshall has won planning permission for a new office building in Manchester for Bruntwood Limited. Located at the strategic Mosley Street / York Street junction, the project comprises 10,000 sq. metres of office space over 12 upper floor levels with an active ground floor retail space.
The design sets out to create a dynamic impact at cityscape level. Its architectural form consists of two-storey glass and metal elements which give the illusion of ‘sliding’ in and out of the main building envelope. These ‘sliding boxes’ build up the massing of the building and give a physical impression of ‘turning the corner’ thus creating a greater perceived link between the streets.
The two-storey over-scaling of horizontal elements emphasises the simplicity of the building block aesthetic. It also provides a powerful focus when looking from Piccadilly Gardens down Mosley Street and creates a new anchor to the street. Image: Denton Corker Marshall.
UAE A chance to relax. Finally.
With increasing scrutiny of UAE’s workers rights and conditions, Dubai Investments Park (DIP), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dubai Investments will soon complete a fully-equipped 38,000-sq. metre cricket and football pitch within the Park. Built in cooperation with Seven Seas Shipchandlers LLC, the facilities are aimed at tenants of the Park and for labourers staying in the labour accommodation in DIP.
“Providing recreational and sporting facilities to the labourers residing in the Park will contribute to their overall well-being and give them a chance to relax after a long day at work. Cricket and football are certainly the most popular games in the UAE, and we hope that this sports facility is fully utilised by tenants and labourers of DIP. Building a facility like this complements our larger goal of promoting inter-company sports activities which kicked off with the recently-held Dubai Investments Park Inter-Company Olympiad 2006”, said Omar Al Mesmar, General Manager, Dubai Investments Park.
As part of their agreement with DIP, Seven Seas Shipchandlers will donate facilities including flood lights for the cricket field, which will be called DIP Cricket Club. It will also be solely responsible for the maintenance of the entire facility.
UAE More parks
Dubai Municipality (DM) plans to begin work in October 2006 on five neighbourhood parks, 35 community facilities and four jogging tracks at an estimated cost of nearly AED90 million (US$24.5 million). Of these, projects worth AED48 million (US$13 million) have recently been approved Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality. The remaining projects are expected to be approved by the civic body's chairman shortly.
The parks are part of the DM’s plans to green 80 percent of the City’s urban areas.
UAE Centre of knowledge
In association with Obermeyer Planen+Beraten GmbH and Abu Dhabi based ACG
Architecture Consulting Group, 'asp' Architekten has been awarded 1st prize in the international design competition for the Dubai Central Library in the United Arab Emirates.
The new central library will be of international format and significance that reaches beyond the borders of the Emirate of Dubai. The new library’s holdings will include nearly 1,700,000 volumes. 300,000 to 400,000 volumes will be available in the library's open-access section. Book handling and information systems will reflect the latest technological developments.
The base of the building contains public areas such as a conference centre, exhibition spaces, the audio-visual library, a bookstore, a children’s library and administrative offices. Above it the grand space of the central library area rises in a sweeping gesture. A landscaped library garden offers a place of quiet contemplation to the visitor.
The sculptural form of the building was inspired by the traditional Islamic ‘rahle’ lectern. Through transformation and abstraction of this traditional image a connection to the regional cultural identity is established without having to resort to the often encountered decorative application of ornamental clichés. The project is currently in the Planning and Design stage. Images: ASP
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