Tall building news from Qatar and Israel

Qatar

South Korean Builder Snags Big Contract in Lusail

South Korean builder Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. (HECC) announced in January it had won an order worth US$530 million to build a 70-story office tower in the Lusail Financial District, Yonhap News Agency reported. The contract builds on HECC’s strong presence in Qatar, where it has won orders for 22 projects totaling more than US$9 billion since 1979. Its first project in the Persian Gulf state was a hotel. The most recent contract, awarded by Qatar’s Lusail Real Estate Development Co., is for an office structure with five underground levels. A rendering shows it could be joined by another, nearly identical tower. Completion is anticipated by October 2022.

Largest Hilton in Qatar Opens in Doha

The 38-story Hilton Doha The Pearl Residences, the largest Hilton in Qatar, has opened, Travel Daily reported in January. Fahad Khalid Al-Ghunaim, CEO of owner Kuwaiti-backed First Qatar Real Estate Development Co., said the development — the company’s first hospitality project — reflects its confidence in the Qatari market, while its sustainability “sends a clear signal of our commitment to the very highest quality build and outfitting.” Compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, its elevator system is outfitted with Braille buttons, audible alerts and lowered buttons. The property is in The Pearl Qatar’s Qanat Quartier and is 30 min from Hamad International Airport.

45 – Story Mixed-Use Tower Planned in Tel Aviv

The Lubinsky Group, owner of a factory building in Tel Aviv, Israel, is promoting a plan to demolish part of the structure and replace it with a 45-story mixed-use tower, Globes reported in December 2019. The factory at one time manufactured soda siphons, but has housed offices in recent years. The new tower would hold office and commercial space on the first 34 floors, and apartments on the top 11 floors. The source said a hotel might also be included within the structure. The design by architect Yigal Levy would preserve part of the factory building, which would be connected to the tower by a bridge. The site, near the Hashalom railway station, is surrounded by high rises and other towers either under construction or planned. The Lubinsky Group’s partners in the project are Aviram Dollinger, Baruch Ophir and Yehezkel Elani. No construction timeline was given.

Architect Chosen for Timber Hybrid Structure in Netherlands

PLP Architecture won a competition to build the 140-m-tall, 37-story mixed-use Tree House tower near the central rail station in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat reported, citing Architects’ Journal. Described as the tallest hybrid timber structure in the Netherlands, it is being developed by a team that includes Dutch developer Provast and will have 275 residences, a seventh-floor restaurant and 15,000 m2 of office space. Its core will support a timber frame, and it will feature recycled materials, rainwater collection and rooftop greenhouses and gardens. Construction is expected to start in 2021 and complete in 2024.