'Starchitecture': Another iconic building is coming to DIFC
DIFC is getting another architectural stunner in its skyline.
ICD Brookfield Place will be a 53-storey office and retail tower in DIFC, and construction has just begun.
The great news? The project is helmed by architect firm Foster + Partners.
Lord Norman Foster and his team are responsible for the bold Gotham-City-like Index Tower in DIFC, the Masdar masterplan in Abu Dhabi and the stunning, under-construction Zayed National Museum on Saadiyat Island. The design of the museum is based on an abstraction of the UAE’s iconic sand dunes:
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Foster + Partners are also behind Chap Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong and The Gherkin in London.
The new DIFC project will feature a 150,000-square-foot retail centre (to put that into perspective, Mercato Mall has 247,000 square foot of retail). The centre will feature shopping, dining, fitness and private club facilities.
There will also be super-swanky ‘sky suites’ at the top of the office tower that boast terraces and open gardens with uninterrupted views of the Burj Khalifa (now that’s living like a boss).
Sitting 31 metres above ground will be an 18,000 square foot landscaped public area where they will host a bunch of arts and cultural events. This public garden will be linked to a “food emporium” – we’re not sure what that means exactly, but it sounds right up our alley.
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Foster + Partners goes on to explain their goals for the building as creating a combination of: “World class office space with a major civic plaza. Our aim is to enhance the urban character of the DIFC, putting public spaces at the very heart of the design. The new office tower – on target to achieve a LEED Gold rating – is shaped to reflect the sunlight, and is surrounded by a rich mix of easily accessible terraced spaces, that create a vibrant and lively extension to the DIFC.”
Here’s what it will look like from top to toe:
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Photos: Supplied.