Kuwait's tallest commercial building - the Arraya Centre - now stands proud in the rapidly developing Al Sharq area of Kuwait City, poised to touch its final height of 155 m when five masts are erected on the imposing structure early next year.

Curtain-walling works are currently under way on the KD35 million ($117.4 million) multi-use complex, which will boast a shopping mall, hotel, convention centre, multi-storey car-park and offices over a 32,000 sq m site at the bustling Al Shuhadaa Street (exe Hilali Street).

Simultaneously, a myriad of other activities are under way on site including interior stone cladding, glazing and aluminium works, precast panel erection and installation of false ceilings.

Concreting works are in progress on the car-park, while at the convention centre, the huge steel trusses which enable the structure to offer wide column-free spaces are being protected with a fireproof coating.

Salhia Real Estate Company is the owning company of the project, Pan Arab Consulting Engineers (Pace) is the consultant and Ahmadiah Contracting and Trading Company is the main contractor, which is carrying out the project under a KD28 million contract (excluding design and supervision fees).

Work on the project is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2003. The soft opening of the shopping center, hotel and offices is planned in March 2003 while the convention centre will open towards the third quarter, according to Salhia.

"Arraya is a unique, integrated real estate solution, combining retail, offices, business hotel and convention centre facilities in one," says a spokesman for Salhia Real Estate. "It is located at a prime address in central Kuwait City.

"With the integration of multi-commercial uses, Arraya is targeted towards the high end of the market as well as harbouring interest for multi-sector groups of the global community."

Arraya Centre comprises four major components: The Arraya shopping centre which sits on a footprint area of 7,209 sq m; a conventions centre with multipurpose halls - 2,750 sq m, a multi-storey car-park with a footprint area of 8,000 sq m and an office tower which is under design - 1,000 sq m.

The main component the Arraya shopping centre, facing the Al Shuhadaa Street, rises 29 storeys high (plus two basements, ground and two mezzanine levels), and itself has three sections: the shopping centre podium, the hotel and the offices.

The mall spreads over the ground level and two mezzanine levels.

The hotel, to be managed by Marriott International namely Courtyard by Marriott, is housed in two towers - a low-rise tower (10 levels including the pool floor) extending from the shopping area and a high-rise tower which rises to 29 storeys.

The hotel will spread over levels 2 to 21 of the high-rise tower. Levels one and 22 are mechanical floors housing the boilers, pumps and water tanks, Offices are spread over seven levels from level 23. Arraya complex will enfold a total built-up area of 70,000 sq m.

The multi-storey car-park offers six levels of parking space, aggregating to a total built-up area of 51,000 sq m.

A common basement level extends under the car-park, the commercial complex and the convention centre. The basement area houses the strong room, loading dock, main chillers, utility rooms, main substation and the kitchen which serves the hotel and the convention centre.

The high-rise tower has an additional second basement level.

Two climate-controlled two-storey pedestrian bridges connect the car-park to mezzanine levels one and two of the commercial complex.

The pedestrian bridges span a distance of 36 m on the left and right hand sides of a centrally-placed plaza area between the commercial complex and the car-park.

The shaded plaza includes cafes and is beautifully landscaped with water fountains, natural and artificial lighting, exotic plants, audio-visual entertainment and cooling fog system.

Five decorative masts will surmount the tallest tower giving it an aesthetic feature and an additional height of 13 m above the concrete parapet topping out level of 142 m.

The external elevation is clad in a combination of giallo veneziano golden granite cladding, travertino parlatino limestone and frameless glazing.

Arraya will be the first project of its kind in Kuwait to incorporate the spider system of glazing and the building will be clad in double-glazed low U-value glass, which prevents the transfer of heat into the building.

The building will also incorporate advanced data and networking systems with a single point of connectivity for telecommunications, television and data networks. All services have been integrated into a unified IT backbone. Arraya is expected to be the first in the Gulf region to implement this system with the various components for the hotel, offices, and shopping centre integrated as one system.

Arraya Complex

Shopping mall: The mall will have 34 shops on the ground floor, 38 outlets on mezzanine level one and 38 shops on mezzanine level two. In addition, there is a 3,000 sq m third mezzanine level. The anchor store is located on mezzanine one and extends up to the third level. Arraya shopping centre promises to provide a concept-driven retail atmosphere, supported by the management's attention to strategic tenant mix and merchandising.

Hotel: The three-star Courtyard by Marriott hotel will offer 306 rooms in the two towers. This includes 12 suites and standard rooms. Targeted at the business traveller, the hotel will have a high standard of business fit-out and the rooms have been designed to be functional and comfortable. The hotel will have two restaurants - a specialty all-day dining facility and a café - and two business centres and four meeting rooms, each covering an area of 45 sq m.

The reception, lobby areas, business centre and restaurants are located on the second floor. The third floor accommodates the meeting rooms and storerooms. Above this are the guest rooms which spread over levels four to seven on the low-rise tower and three to 21 of the high-rise tower.

The hotel features an eight-storey atrium, which is one of the highlights of the project.

Offices: The office floors, which cover levels 23 to 29 of the high-rise tower, have an exclusive entrance on the ground floor. Each office floor offers a net leasable area of 840 sq m. The office floors cantilever out 5.5 m from the structure to provide stunning panoramic full-height views of Kuwait City and the sea.

"The current scarcity of modern commercial premises has directed Salhia to offer an environment designed for modern efficiency and needs," comments the spokesman for Salhia. "Viewed as one of the finest developments to date, Arraya's corporate premises offer a comprehensive and integrated solution that will meet the diverse needs of the corporate world."

Car-park

The multi-storey car-park can accommodate approximately 1,400 vehicles which have access to and from the facility via two ramps which each span 5.5 m. The access from the car-park to the shopping centre will be on the ground floor through the lavishly landscaped plaza area and from mezzanine 1 and 2 through the two air-conditioned pedestrian bridges linking the car-park directly with the shopping centre.

Office Tower

Phase two of Arraya project, the office tower - which is currently under design by a US firm and Pan Arab Consulting Engineers (Pace) - is expected to include 40 storeys making it the tallest structure in Kuwait when it is built. Work on the project is expected to start in mid-2003.

M&E services

The entire Arraya Centre development is served by 10 escalators and 27 elevators, including two panoramic elevators.

The shopping centre is served by 10 escalators and 17 elevators, the convention centre by four lifts and the multi-storey car-park facility by six elevators. The sophisticated state-of-the-art elevators from Schindler enable efficient group control of passengers because of their advanced technology.

The complex is equipped with four Carrier water-cooled centrifugal chillers with a capacity to deliver 830 tons of refrigeration.

The substation has eight transformers of 1,600 kVA each.

The building incorporates state-of-the-art technology, including satellite and internet links, IT backbone, comprehensive building services, climate control and full international management services. This includes a complete system of raceways and risers to accommodate network wiring for computers in offices and the hotel,

Arraya Centre incorporates a sophisticated security system with closed circuit television (CCTV), with sub-systems for shopping areas, hotel and the stairs.

The MEP services ensure the availability of freshwater systems for the supply of good quality potable water, instant supply of hot water at draw off, self cleansing drainage, stormwater drainage, optimum fire protection systems and energy-saving measures. The latter includes a foam system for the diesel generator room, optimum hot water utilisation and distribution temperature, and use of low energy consuming and high efficiency equipment.

Construction

Ground was broken in April 2000 to take excavation work down to a depth of -13.5 m to install the foundation for the lowest basement level.

The first concrete pour for the foundation took place on August 9 2000 and some 11,300 cu m of concrete was poured into the 2.5 m thick foundation by the time it was completed in January 2001.

Dewatering took three months and the system, comprising well-point and deep well point pumps, was kept in operation for a full year. Excavation work on the car-park commenced in July 2001 while work on the convention centre was started in August 2001.

Safety and security systems have been stepped up to ensure the latest and most effective smoke detection, fire detection and alarm systems, voice evacuation and pressurised staircases are installed on the project. The building has two main staircases at either end of the complex as well as seven other staircases throughout the complex to facilitate the evacuation of people in case of a fire.

The diesel generator room is equipped with foam fire-fighting system.

Commenting on the challenges of the project, an Ahmadiah official says: "The project presented a number of challenges which were met successfully. The time constraint was the major challenge. With a project duration of 36 months, we frequently have had to work round-the-clock. With the prevalent high summer temperatures, no concreting could be done during the day during the peak of summer - this work could only be carried out at night.

"Another major challenge was coordination of contractors on site. Such a sophisticated building requires intensive coordination between the architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical works. We are glad to report that the client is happy with the project and the fact that we have stayed within the targeted budget."

"Salhia Real Estate has a good relationship with the consultant and the main contractor on the project, having done many projects together. They have extended the experience and professionalism required for this prestigious enterprise ensuring international standards of service," comments the Salhia spokesman.

Salhia Real Estate Company is a pioneer in the high-rise building market. It built the Sahab Tower which was Kuwait's tallest tower in 1996. It is also planning to develop the next tallest building when its proposed office tower at the Arraya Centre touches the lofty heights of 42 storeys.

''Salhia Real Estate Company took a challenge when it launched construction work of this prestigious project in the Al Sharq area in 2000, when the area had only started developing. The client, however, has put the investment at the right time as Al Sharq is fast developing into a major commercial area," says the official.