Saudi Arabia-based Al Awami Planners and Consultants has started design work on two commercial buildings that will occupy prime positions in the business districts of Qatar.

The projects include an 11-storey commercial and residential apartment building, which will occupy a 2,000 sq m lot area. “The contemporary architectural and structural design of the building calls for an elliptical structure covered with structural glazing with steel and aluminium cladding on precast walls,” says Hussain Al Jumaa, vice president of the Qatif-headquartered design firm. “There will be six elegant and spacious apartments – with areas ranging from 120 to 150 sq m each – per floor from the first to the ninth levels while the 10th floor, the penthouse will have a restaurant, bar, kitchen and rest rooms. All the floors – from the ground to the roof deck – will be accessible via four elevators. The lower and upper basement floors will have large parking bays to accommodate the vehicles of its tenants and guests.
Meanwhile, Al Awami is close to completing the designs for the second project, which is another 11-storey commercial complex to be erected on a 2,400 sq m plot. The mixed-use development in the financial district has a modern architectural design and will use high-quality materials and the latest building technology in its construction. Nine floors of the building will feature 54 unfurnished apartment units, which will vary in size to a range of customer tastes and budgets. There will be two penthouses – one of which will have a private swimming pool – on the 11th floor.
The complex will also have five retail shops, a restaurant and cafeteria, and a reception lounge at the ground and mezzanine floors.
The building will have a two-level basement providing parking facilities for tenants based on the size of their apartments, shops or office suites. In addition, there will be parking bays around the building for visitors.
Al Awami Planners and Consultants started off as a small office with five employees in 1980 in Qatif, and has now grown into a multi-disciplinary practice with more than 60 employees, including architects, architectural and interior designers, civil, electrical and mechanical engineers, surveyors, CAD operators and draftsmen.
Offering architectural designs for all types of buildings in concrete, pre-engineered steel and precast construction, Al Awami also designs the foundations and infrastructure facilities, utilities and roads and prepares design studies for lighting distribution, power sources, public address and building operation systems, electrical circuits and CCTV.