NEW CITY DEVELOPMENT IN AL DHAKIRA BY RRC STUDIO

The new complex is located within the expansion of Al Dhakira, city placed on an inlet of the Persian Gulf, only 60 km away from the capital Doha, is set as the commercial-directional core of the new urban development.

The shape and placement of the buildings create a closed urban space, a sort of a big square built around the new sports center where the commercial buildings overlook with large windows and porticoed spaces.

The architectural design indeed presents two different formal results which characterize the interior, toward the square, transparent and porous, and the exterior, toward the residential areas, solid and essential, in order to invite the user to enjoy the interior spaces of the complex.

Each single building, composed of different levels, is set as a container of the commercial and leisure activities, accomodating, besides retail spaces, several activities such as the cinema, the library, exhibition spaces and an indoor square with restaurants and bars.

The building, on the facade and on the roof presents a modular skin made of a steel structure and circular ceramic tiles; this solution, through the use of integrated technological systems, allows the control of natural light into the building in order to reduce the need for electrical lighting.

The building, besides this light control device, presents several other advanced technological systems which facilitate in example natural ventilation or control the internal microclimatic comfort to make the complex an example of sustainable architecture.

Location: Al Dhakira, Qatar 
Architects: RRC Studio 
Built-up Area: 275.000 sqm – 3.0 million sqft 
Year: 2013/2014 
Client: Private

XIANG RIVER TOWER BY RRC STUDIO

Xiang River Tower is an office and residential project in Changsha, a city under heavy development in China. Located near the Xiang river, in a prime area of the city’s downtown, the tower dominates the whole horizon becoming a landmark and a strong, elegant presence on the skyline.

The tower comes from the idea of chinese boxes contained in a single bigger box: each of them, stacked on top of another, include several programs. Luxury residences occupy the upper half of the tower and a hotel is in the lower part, followed by a portion occupied by premium office spaces.

On the top levels, amenity floors joining the three programs will include recreation rooms and a Spa; additional amenities are on the landscaped roof of the tower and include a pool, a pavilion and a Belvedere.

At the base, different type of leisure spaces, create an extension of the square and of the public parks linking these different spaces in a unique one; furthermore the large entrance hall serves as a point of distribution of the entire tower and creates a meeting place for different types of users. 

The Xiang River Tower, due to its considerable height, has a natural temperature gradient and a higher wind speed that reduce the need for cooling, and thus can be considered an example of sustainable building.

This strategy recalls using wind towers to cool buildings, an ecological way to deal with future environmentals needs. Moreover, in addition to visible sustainable design strategies such as the double skin and the use of natural ventilation, the tower will integrate advanced building systems for energy efficiency.

Location: Changsha, China
Architect: RRC Studio

Area: 60.000 Sqm

Year: 2013

Client: Private