What will be Bahrain's tallest tower at 172 m is set to take shape in Bahrain's prestigious Seef District on a 11,440 sq m plot of land opposite the Citibank headquarters.

The Almoayyed Towers as it will be known will offer office space and shopping facilities over a total built-up area of 48,419 sq m on its 49 levels (including basement, ground and mezzanine levels). A service block will also be built adjacent to it.

The project has been designed by Shadid Engineering Consultants of Dubai, UAE in asociation with Bahrain-based Mazen Al Umran Consulting Engineers.

The UAE-based Fujairah National Construction Company has been appointed main contractor for the construction of the BD20 million ($53 million) tower.

Work is currently under way on the foundations of the project.

The blue-glazed obelisk-shaped tower is a part of a mega development planned by the Y K Almoayyed Group over a number of phases, according to Mazen Ahmed Al Umran, the managing director of the consulting firm. The overall plan includes construction of a multi-storey car-park and another skyscraper.

The building's two basement levels will house the services, ground and mezzanine levels will accommodate the shopping mall, while offices will be spread over floors one to 19 and 21 to 40. Floors 41 and 42 will have a health club, a swimming pool and a restaurant. Floors 20 and 44 are assigned as technical floors. Floor 43 will accommodate services and the 45th floor with have a helipad. Besides space for 40 cars for VIP parking in the basement, there will be parking facilities for a further 304 cars around the building.

The shopping mall will have 15 outlets on the ground level and 16 on the mezzanine. It is served by two escalators traversing the two levels.

The tower tapers gently from the ground upwards to the eighth floor, providing each floor with terraces which will be extensively landscaped. The basement level has an area of 1,948 sq m, the ground floor 1,708 sq m while the typical floors between the eighth and 38th cover 923 sq m.

Detailing the features of the tower, senior architect Ranbir Mudaliar says: "The offices and shopping mall areas are kept totally separate to ensure a high level of security to all the offices.

"The building will be completely clad with double-glazed curtain-walling and will feature two imposing granite-clad entrances for the offices and shopping areas. Each typical floor is divided into four offices, each being an independent fire zone. Each office, which typically covers 188 sq m, has its own toilets and pantry. The offices on levels 1 to 8 are larger - those on the first floor being 352 sq m each.

"The building consists of composite steel columns and beams with central concrete core walls enclosing a concrete lift shaft to act as a wind shear wall. Typical floors are made up of steel metal deck with a concrete top. A group of concrete piles will support the columns and central concrete core walls."

''The composite columns and beams concept helps the structural system to behave as a good fire-resistant structure.

"The two basements and external walls comprise reinforced concrete up to the ground floor. The second basement provides water storage facilities and has fibreglass lining for the walls and floor.

"Piles for the foundation are being bored to a depth of 25 m and the foundations will use approximately 10,000 cu m of concrete. Central core walls will require approximately 5,000 cu m of concrete. Some 5,000 tonnes of structural steel will be used in this project.

"Construction work on the project is expected to proceed at a fast pace, with each floor expected to be completed within seven days for the structural systems and the structural works scheduled to be completed in under 18 months from award of contract.

"Some 2,100 tonnes of refrigeration (tr) provided by seven air-cooled, screw compressor chillers, each with a capacity of 300 tr will be used to keep the building cool. The tower is estimated to require 1,800 tr which means there is a standby capacity of 300 tr. The chillers will be located on the roof of the service block."

The complex will have four fresh air handling units with a total capacity of 265 tr and handling 44,995 cfm of air. All fresh air handling units will be double-skin, weatherproof and equipped with thermal wheel and heat pipe coil and working as heat recovery units. The HVAC system also includes 15 centrifugal chilled water pumps and three chilled water plate heat exchangers with a total heat transfer capacity of 2,700 kW located on the first technical floor.

The building will have a 185 cu m concrete water tank in the basement and 135 cu m GRP water tank on the roof.

The fire-fighting system is backed by a reserve of 100 cu m of water kept for sprinkler and the fire hose reel. The fire-fighting system comprises sprinklers, fire hose reel cabinet and wet risers provided at each floor. Heat and smoke sensors and sounders, a fire alarm system with fire alarm control panel and fire extinguishers are provided for each floor at different points, where required. All structural beams and columns in the basement are protected with fire-resistant materials with a four-hour rating. Smoke dampers are provided in the air-conditioning fresh air supply and return air duct. All SMDs will be automatically actuated by the fire alarm system and linked to the sophisticated building management system (BMS) provided to control the building. The two staircases in the building and lift shaft areas are air pressurised.

The tower is equipped with a 600 kVA standby diesel generator and ATS panel and it has lightning protection and aviation warning lights.

Other services including emergency lighting, telephone/intercom and TV antenna, public address and CCTV, security and access control, helicopter landing, facade cleaning and smoke extraction systems.

''The facade cleaning cradle will require special engineering to allow cleaning within the recesses in the elevations which extend up to the 38th level," he points out.

Mazen Al Umran is also working on a number of other projects in Bahrain including a four-star hotel resort at Umm Jalid island off Al Bander resort.

The BD2-3 million project for Gulf Tours includes a three-storey hotel necklaced with 42 chalets which are positioned on the water, and a series of jetties leading to old fishing dhows which will be transformed into restaurants. The facility will also have one of the largest pools in Bahrain.

"The resort is unique in that it offers seclusion and a pollution-free environment, despite being just 20 minutes away from the mainland. It enjoys the benefits of shallow waters all around the island - so shallow that one could almost walk to the mainland at low tide," says Mudaliar.

Designs have been completed for the project which is awaiting municipal clearance.

Another project that Mazen Al Umran is involved with is the 10-storey Dr Tariq Hospital in Mahooz. Tenders have been issued and a contractor is expected to be selected soon, he says.