Bahrain Trade Centre's wind turbines win award

The award, instituted by the Construction Innovation Forum, is a distinction that focuses on the innovations that have made major contributions to the international construction industry.

This year, 641 entries vied for recognition, after inspections by national engineering experts before being submitted to a panel of jurors. The award was presented at a formal function held in Orlando, Florida (USA) in November in conjunction with the National Conference of the Construction Users’ Round Table. Acknowledging the award, Atkins’ Design Director Shaun Killa thanked the jury for recognising the company’s engineering innovation.

Designed by Atkins, one of the world’s leading engineering and design consultancies, the two triangular-shaped towers of the Bahrain World Trade Centre each provides 34 floors of office space. The building’s three 29-metre-diameter wind turbines are the first in the world to be integrated into a large-scale commercial development, and are predicted to provide 11-15 per cent of the power needed to operate offices in the twin towers. The visually striking sail-shaped towers form a commanding silhouette on the skyline of Manama.