Located in the center of Qatar’s Science and Technology Park, the 145,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art General Electric Advanced Technology and Research Center furthers the design, development and training for GE’s broad range of sophisticated international businesses.
For the facility design, the client wanted a building image that would merge two cultures-the Qatari culture and the GE scientific culture. “Qatar has a rich history of pearl diving and we chose to reflect that history in a very modest context,” says Joel Jacobsen, Associate AIA, principal at Burns & McDonnell Architecture, Kansas City, Mo. “The glowing glass and metal pearl is at the center of the design. It houses the auditorium, which is appropriate as the space accommodates major lectures, training events and gatherings of the Qatari people and GE staff.” The concept grew from the idea that just as a grain of sand becomes a pearl, a single idea sparks innovation.
From the pearl-shaped auditorium, other functional areas of the facility radiate from and wrap around it with direct connectivity and veiled deference. The undulating, perforated stainless-steel canopy manufactured by MERO Structures Inc., Atlanta, reflects the desert landscape’s gentle slopes, while shielding the approach and entry from the desert heat. Additionally, clean industrial materials of glass, 581,270 square feet of smooth metal wall panels from 3A Composites USA Inc., Mooresville, N.C., and stainless steel embody the facility’s high-tech nature.
“Metal allowed us to create very clean, exacting connections reflective of the modern design that the client desired,” Jacobsen says.
To react to the intense desert heat, the client also wanted an energy-efficient, affordable solution. “The exterior walls are a two-layer system designed to reduce the amount of direct sunlight hitting the building and then reflect the heat off the building,” Jacobsen continues. “The combination of the layered, perforated metal panels and the insulated smooth metal panels were a very cost effective way to achieve this.”
“The pattern of the perforations adds another layer of detail and visual interest to a strong design,” says judge Mark Dewalt.
“The perforated metal panels provided visual texture to the design that added a nice compliment to the smooth panels,” Jacobsen explains. “The layering of the perforated panels also served to dissipate the heat coming onto the building and the perforated metal canopy provided sun screening for pedestrians below.”
“I am intrigued by the double plane of the rolling canopy system and how that the light filtering through creates a subtle vibration or movement as one would walk underneath almost as if you where looking at the heat vibration off of the rolling desert sands,” says judge Andrew Cottrell. “The varying structural elements, from the palm tree-like supports for the main canopy to the vertical bow truss-like supports of the glass sphere, to the flat geo grid structure of the perforated panels, exemplify the type of technological work done there.”
General Electric Advanced Technology Center, Doha, Qatar
Completed: 2010
Total square footage: 145,000 square feet
Building owner: Qatar Foundation
Architect: Burns & McDonnell Architecture, Kansas City, Mo., www.architecture.burnsmcd.com
General contractor: Geosan/Construction Dynamics, Qatar
Smooth metal wall panels: 3A Composites USA Inc., Mooresville, N.C., www.alucobondusa.com
Perforated metal panels: MERO Structures Inc., Atlanta, www.mero-structures.com