Innovative building demanded innovative construction methods

It looks like something out of "Star Wars", has prompted engineers to scratch their heads over its construction, and cost more than Dh73 million to build. Designed by award-winning architect Hazel Wong, the new Dubai Federal Aviation Headquarters was also built in the record time of less than 12 months.

Wong, the designer behind Emirates Towers and the National Bank of Dubai building, said the silver moon-shaped construction was living up to expectations. "It's not a big building, but it is very eye-catching, and I am pleased with how things have progressed," she said.

Wong, whose design won a competition to be awarded the building's contract, explained the concept behind the design.

"Both the crescent and the sand dune are prominent features of Arabic culture, so I wanted to incorporate these ideas along with a contemporary edge. My designs are modern because I like to work with geometric forms, and I designed the building with the aviation theme as well as tradition in mind, by using modern materials in the construction."

Conceiving her design wasn't been easy.

"When you enter a design competition, there isn't much time to work on your ideas. Normally when you have a project, you take two months to conceive the design and a year to refine it, but with a competition, you have two months in total.

"However, I do tend to work better under pressure, and have even been known to work on two competitions at the same time. For this design, like all my projects, I started by learning all the details and the site plans. That way, I always had things at the back of my mind and it didn't matter if I was sitting at a desk or doodling, the idea was still being created."

"Two of the things that were requested were separate wings, and a large auditorium, which fitted perfectly into the end-design."

Patrick McKinney, Project Manager for contractor Higgs and Hill, said the building was unique: "This is the most unusual project I've ever worked on and the basic construction has been a tremendous challenge because of the building's unusual shape.

"Not only is it crescent-shaped, but it also slopes like a sand dune, which means we had to devise a way of pouring concrete at a 45 degree angle to create the sloping walls.

"To achieve this, we built a structure which would hold the whole thing in position, and we moved up the wall in slow stages, pouring the concrete as we went. When we finished, the building was encased in a wooden skin which was removed gradually as the concrete set."

McKinney said the building's futuristic facade had also been difficult. "The whole building is encased in several hundred aluminum panels, but because of its shape, each one is unique. This meant putting them together was rather like building an enormous jigsaw puzzle."

Wong said she felt a great satisfaction in watching her designs become a reality, but didn't have a favourite.

"People used to tease me about the Emirates Towers and call them my twins because designing a building is rather like parenthood in that you conceive an idea, and then watch it take shape and grow. Each one is like my baby because it's a unique project, so I love them all equally.

"Dubai is an excellent place - almost an architect's dream - because of its readiness to accept new ideas and the amount of space and funding available. Buildings here also become landmarks as people tend to find their way around town through the city's constructions rather than street names, so it's important to make them stand out."