NPP Control Tower, Doha
Client
Owner / Developer
Architect
Building Function
Status
Arab Engineering Bureau
Owner / Developer
Port Authority, State of Qatar
Architect
PLP Architecture
Building Function
Mixed-Use, Office, Port Navigation
Status
Completed 03/2017
Facade Scale
Height
Technical Features
approx. 26.000 m²
Height
approx. 110 m
Technical Features
- Twisted facade
- Unitized curtain walls, cold-bent glass
- Stick system, structural glazing, glass fins
- Sunshade elements
We provided
Consultancy
Sound facade decisions start with a clear understanding of the project’s starting point.
- Priedemann organises the available project information, design intent, use, and facade-related technical and external requirements.
- Together with the project participants, objectives, priorities, constraints and unresolved questions are made visible.
- This creates a reliable basis for the next design steps and for decisions before the facade concept is developed in greater detail.
- Priedemann identifies and structures the project information, requirements, objectives and constraints relevant to facade planning.
- These may include design intent, use, technical and energy-related requirements, local conditions, and quality, cost and programme objectives.
- Unresolved questions, dependencies and competing priorities are made explicit and translated into clear decision criteria.
- This creates a reliable basis for early facade design and subsequent planning.
- The subjects reviewed and documented depend on the project stage and agreed scope.
Decision criteria and priorities
- Not every facade requirement has the same priority within a project.
- Design intent, use, technical requirements, local conditions, quality, cost and programme objectives can influence one another.
- Establishing the project basis therefore also means structuring these requirements and making potential conflicts visible.
- The resulting criteria provide a shared basis against which later options and decisions can be assessed consistently.
Early facade design begins once the strategic objectives and principal requirements of a project are sufficiently understood for possible directions to be developed.
- Priedemann translates this basis into options for design, materials and construction, considered alongside technical requirements and project-specific constraints.
- The comparison makes differences and trade-offs visible, and a preferred direction is developed further.
- The purpose is not to complete the technical detailing, but to establish a traceable design basis for subsequent development.
- The criteria, sketches and documentation included depend on the project and agreed appointment.
- Early facade design develops possible design, material and construction directions from the project objectives and requirements.
- Priedemann considers relevant facade types, principle details, interfaces, and technical and operational requirements.
- Options are described clearly and compared against agreed criteria.
- This allows architectural intent, technical viability and project-specific implications to be assessed together.
- The outcome is a robust design direction that provides a basis for subsequent system development and technical design.
Facade design for statutory approval develops an existing facade concept for the project’s approval and coordination context.
- Priedemann brings together available design information, technical requirements, materials, facade types and interfaces.
- Depending on the project, fire, safety, building-physics and acoustic requirements are also considered.
- The result is a clear facade basis for coordination with the relevant disciplines and for subsequent design.
- Facade design for statutory approval develops the facade information needed to demonstrate relevant approval requirements.
- Depending on the appointment, Priedemann addresses technical facade subjects, interfaces, fire and safety requirements, and the necessary design information.
- Unresolved points are coordinated with the relevant disciplines and technical contributions are documented.
- The scope, submission process and responsibility for the complete statutory application are agreed for the project.
Technical facade design develops an agreed facade solution into coordinated technical information for implementation.
- Details, components, connections and interfaces are brought together with requirements for construction, materials, building physics, acoustics, fire and safety.
- The required level of development depends on the project, procurement model and appointment.
- This creates a consistent basis for subsequent shop, production and installation planning.
- Technical facade design develops an agreed facade solution in sufficient detail for subsequent implementation.
- Depending on the appointment, Priedemann develops principle details, connections, layers, components, materials and dimensions, and coordinates interfaces with adjacent construction.
- Structural, building-physics, acoustic, fire and safety requirements are considered to the agreed design depth.
- The result is coordinated design information that can provide a basis for shop, production and installation drawings.
- The precise scope is defined for each project.
Facade specifications and tender documentation translate developed facade design into clear technical requirements for tendering and bid comparison.
- Priedemann structures information on construction, materials, details, interfaces and quality criteria and brings the relevant design documents together.
- Depending on the project, this can include technical preliminaries, specifications, quantity information or trade boundaries.
- The scope and function of the documents depend on the procurement and responsibility model.
- Priedemann translates the agreed facade design into technical specifications and tender documentation.
- Requirements, quality criteria, materials, components, interfaces and required evidence are structured and described clearly.
- Depending on the appointment, quantities, component schedules and other technical appendices may be included.
- The documents provide a consistent technical basis for bids and the subsequent award process.
- The scope and responsibility for the complete tender package are agreed with the client.
A facade feasibility study assesses whether a facade concept, system approach or technical direction can reasonably be taken forward under the known project conditions.
- It is most useful while major decisions remain open and technical constraints, interfaces or conflicts between objectives still need to be clarified.
- Defined project objectives are considered against the available information and relevant constraints.
- This gives the project team a technically informed basis for taking an approach forward, refining it or comparing alternatives before committing to further development.
- A feasibility study examines a clearly defined facade concept, system or technical question under the known project conditions.
- Priedemann assesses relevant requirements, interfaces, constraints and identifiable risks, and may compare possible solution directions.
- The outcome documents assumptions, unresolved points and a technical assessment of whether and under which conditions further development is appropriate.
- A feasibility study does not replace complete design and does not guarantee subsequent implementation.
What a feasibility study examines
- A feasibility study can look beyond the technical idea itself.
- Depending on the question, relevant considerations may include implications for cost and programme, available resources and capacity, and whether a proposed system is suitable for the intended project objective.
- It can also identify contradictions between project objectives, existing information, technical constraints or applicable requirements.
- Making these issues visible early provides a stronger basis for deciding whether an approach should be developed further.
Engineering
With the award of the contract, we check the contractual framework conditions as the basis for the implementation. If necessary, we adapt the technical solutions to any requirements that have changed – always with the goals of our client in mind.
- Contract review, determination of the contracted services and if necessary, developing alternative solutions
- Operational management, cost and budget audits
- Assessment of technical amendment suggested by the contracting parties, assessment of proposed modifications
- Evaluation of implementation alternatives to the approved diagrams (IFC Issued for Construction Drawings)
- Definition of the main strategic objectives as the basis for a coordinated facade design
Facade system development translates an identifiable design direction and defined project requirements into a coherent technical facade approach.
- Priedemann develops system types, elements, principle details and interfaces and adapts existing systems to the project where required.
- Structural, fabrication and installation conditions are considered as part of that development.
- The result is a robust technical direction for subsequent technical design, shop drawings and production planning.
- Priedemann develops facade systems and technical concepts from an agreed design direction.
- The work considers system build-up, materials, principle details, interfaces, performance requirements, and conditions for production, transport and installation.
- Existing systems may be adapted or project-specific solutions developed and compared against clear criteria.
- The outcome defines the technical system approach and provides a robust basis for subsequent technical design, shop drawings and production planning.
Depending on requirements, Priedemann analyzes and calculates the static requirements of e.g. profiles, glazing and fixings in 2 or 3 dimensions or as finite elements. Evidence is provided on the basis of the applicable international or national standards.
- 2D construction analysis and detailed 3D analysis as needed
- Profile and glass structural specifications
- Calculation and analysis of finite elements
- Project structural analysis as documentation for the relevant auditors
- Structural evidence depending on the region based on EN standards or Eurocode, British Standards or American Standards.
Priedemann advises on the development of facade mock-ups, because the reality of a design under climate, wind and weather conditions is always more demanding than the theory.
- This spans advice on the architectural visual mock-up, the performance mock-up, and on-site testing of already-installed elements.
- Priedemann prepares technical drawings, researches products and materials, and advises on manufacturer selection.
- Priedemann develops the technical basis for visual mock-ups, performance mock-ups and agreed facade tests.
- Depending on the appointment, requirements, drawings, specifications, products and materials are prepared and coordinated with manufacturers or testing bodies.
- For performance mock-ups, the test arrangement and criteria are derived from the project requirements.
- Observations and results are documented and can inform subsequent design.
- Fabrication and execution of the tests remain with the appointed parties.
Different purposes of facade mock-ups
- Not every facade mock-up answers the same question.
- A visual mock-up can be used to consider materials, appearance and the construction of a representative facade section.
- A performance mock-up addresses defined technical requirements and test conditions using a sample construction.
- Agreed tests can also be carried out on facade elements already installed on site.
- The appropriate type of mock-up or test therefore depends on the specific project question and the requirements to be assessed.
Priedemann prepares shop drawings for the contractor of a facade project, based on the already-released design documents.
- Priedemann first checks these documents for completeness and buildability.
- In discussion with the client and design team, all design-relevant parameters are coordinated and, where necessary, adapted to the contractor’s equipment.
- The aim is fabrication-ready shop drawings.
- Priedemann prepares shop drawings and detailed information based on the released design.
- Available documents are checked for completeness and buildability, after which construction, connections, materials, finishes and installation references are developed for fabrication.
- The drawings can be updated during subsequent coordination and incorporated into agreed review processes.
- The service is primarily intended for facade contractors.
- Responsibility for fabrication and formal approval is defined for the project.
Facade material take-off and ordering documentation translate the coordinated facade design into specific information on materials, quantities, processing and allocation.
- Depending on the brief, Priedemann structures technical material data, quality criteria, cutting information, finishes, tolerances and delivery or production sequences.
- This creates a clear technical basis for procurement and production preparation.
- Content and accuracy depend on the design status, available information and agreed scope.
- Priedemann prepares material take-offs and technical ordering information from the coordinated facade design.
- Materials, qualities, dimensions, finishes and related technical data are structured and allocated to the relevant components or production lots.
- Depending on the appointment, quantities, cutting lists, optimisation information and ordering references may be included.
- The documents support procurement and production preparation.
- Ordering, supplier selection and commercial purchasing remain with the client or contractor.
Priedemann compiles production documentation for the designed facade, such as construction drawings, shop-drawing information, production and installation drawings, and structural and building-physics calculations through to material lists.
- Depending on the appointment, Priedemann also provides technical support for selected aspects of facade fabrication, supplies CAD and CAM data for computer-aided production, and accounts for the potential and capacity of the relevant production site.
- Priedemann compiles production documentation for the fabrication of facade components.
- This may include working and production drawings, material schedules, CAD or CAM data, and agreed structural and building-physics information.
- Components and data are allocated clearly to production lots and coordinated with the intended fabrication process.
- Depending on the appointment, Priedemann supports technical questions during production.
- Responsibility for fabrication and quality control of the manufactured components remains with the contractor.
Good installation planning connects the intended facade quality with a clear sequence on site.
- Priedemann considers installation and logistics sequences, assembly processes and interfaces with other trades in advance and prepares clear installation information.
- This allows elements, fixings, access and work sequences to be coordinated consistently with the planned execution.
- Priedemann prepares installation and logistics documentation for the planned facade works.
- This may include installation sequences, assembly and layout drawings, information on substructures and fixings, and drawings for integrated components.
- Elements, access, transport routes and interfaces are represented so that installation can be prepared consistently.
- The documents build on the coordinated production information.
- Site management, health and safety, and responsibility for execution remain with the responsible contractors.
With the final phase of the project, Priedemann coordinates the handover of the completed facade to the client. This includes a joint acceptance walk-through on site, a final report with observations and recommendations, and preparation of the as-built drawings documenting the facade actually built. The handover scope can also include an operating manual and a final meeting with the client.
- Priedemann prepares as-built drawings that document the facade as actually constructed.
- They are based on released design information, documented changes and verified information from the responsible contractors.
- Depending on the appointment, details, materials, connections and relevant operating information are incorporated into the as-built documentation.
- The documents support handover, operation, maintenance and future alterations.
- Their accuracy depends on the quality and reliability of the construction information provided.
Specials
Facades need to remain cleanable, maintainable and repairable throughout their service life.
- That is why maintenance logistics and safe access belong in the design from the start.
- Priedemann considers not only cleaning and maintenance equipment, but also the facade design itself, moving or electrical components and the future replacement of glazing.
- This helps prepare operation and maintenance in a practical way over the life of the facade.
- Priedemann considers maintenance, cleaning and facade access during design.
- Moving and electrical components, glazing, cleaning methods, access routes, fall protection, walkways and building maintenance units are coordinated with use, safety and construction interfaces.
- Depending on the appointment, the work produces maintenance and cleaning concepts, access strategies and technical requirements for subsequent design.
- The objective is a facade whose operation and care are practicable.
- Testing, certification and specific maintenance intervals are addressed only within the agreed scope.
Access and replacement as design considerations
- Facade access is not only about routine cleaning.
- Maintenance of moving or electrical components and the future replacement of damaged glazing also need to remain practicable.
- Design considerations can therefore include access routes, fall-protection systems, walkways and building maintenance units, together with their loads and interfaces with the facade and primary structure.
- Maintenance and cleaning concepts can also define how different facade areas are to be reached and cared for in practice.
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