WSP was commissioned by SOM Architects to provide full design engineering & construction supervision services for Mashreq Bank’s new Headquarters, located in the Dubai's Downtown Burj Khalifa district. The 72,000m2 built up area development site is located opposite Dubai Mall and forms part of the Dubai Properties Group Masterplan area adjacent to Financial Centre Road.
The development comprises of 39,700m2 GFA premier office space with a height of 151 metres, it will be an iconic landmark in a key development area within Dubai. Upon completion, the bank will relocate its headquarters from Al Ghurair Centre in Deira to this new office location. A unique feature of the building is a four-storey crown structure that forms top four floors of the building and extends up to 27 metres beyond the main building footprint.
The lateral structural system of the tower comprises of a reinforced concrete core placed at the corner of the tower along with two braced reinforced concrete frames at the end of the building’s L shape. The typical framing system consists of a 200-thick reinforced concrete flat slab with drop panels and thickened zone along slab edge.
The top three levels of the tower cantilever beyond the foot print of the L shape floor plan. The primary cantilever structure consists of a system of four structural steel built-up cantilever trusses located above the executive levels with only 8 struts penetrating the office space.
The glass facades enable daylight harvesting while the horizontal and vertical shading systems minimise glare. Combined with the L-shape of the building, it allows for occupants to have a clear view over the city. The building also includes a 350-seat auditorium, staff dining room and a landscape garden. Our structural design allowed for the building to maximise floorplan while providing flexibility.
WSP's services also included a traffic impact study for the development, as well as design of service accessibility, on-site car parking and drop off areas as well as general vehicular circulation. The site is located within a wider complex masterplan area, with a full junction assessment exercise undertaken to ensure acceptable level of service could be achieved at all accesses to the site. We provided extensive stakeholder engagement to co-ordinate accessibility to the site with other developments in the area undertaken by various consultants.
This tower due for completion in 2019 will become a new landmark in Dubai’s renowned skyline.
