Architecture Current Event: New Luxury Hotel Becomes Quatar's Tallest Building

 

The Lusail Towers, designed by Norman Foster, are nearing completion in Quatar after breaking ground in 2020. Foster, one of the most successful architects of today, has dedicated most of his career to making tall buildings. 

The new buildings will reach heights of 988 feet, surpassing the current record holder, The Torch Doha. The design is part of a 1.1 million-square-meter project conceived by Foster + Partners, and the towers’ construction is a pivotal component of the larger masterplan for the city of Lusail. 


Foster comments that he finds himself "engaging with cities in their infancy." The Lusail Towers have "made a mark for what is essentially a new district, laying down infrastructure for future generations.”

Because of Quatar's hot climate, the building had to incorporate advanced shading and ventilation, and “marine-grade” aluminum coats the outside of it. This protects the glass from the sun, while maintaining natural views and light. One of the main innovations of the towers are the special shading fins that both optimize views and natural lighting and reduce solar radiation by 70% when compared to traditional all-glass towers. 

All of these design choices are part of what Foster called a decades-long quest to “reinvent the tall building.”

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