The Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC) has announced the official certification of the building’s wind turbines by Bahrain’s Electricity Distribution Directorate (EDD).

The three 29-metre diameter turbines at BWTC, which are the first in the world to be integrated into a large scale commercial development, have started supplying power to the office towers, said a company statement.

The turbines were inaugurated last April. Since then they have been undergoing daily safety and regulatory testing, and were commissioned to mark Bahrain’s National Day in December 2008.

The BWTC’s turbines have been set to auto-mode and are expected to provide 11 to 15 per cent of the power needed to operate the offices of the 50 storey twin towers.

Peter Longstaff, senior project manager at Atkins (Architectural Designers and Engineers of BWTC) commented: “The official certification from the EDD means that the turbines are now fully operational and are supplying power to the development set to auto-mode.'

'In order for the turbines to work there are certain criteria that need to be met. Namely, the correct balanced wind speed falling between 4 to 19 m/sec flowing from the Northeast or Northwest direction,' he noted.

“For the purpose of understanding power supply, the twin towers can be categorised into three horizontal levels with each floor level having a direct alignment to the corresponding turbine.'

He pointed out that the three turbines were running at variable speeds due to changable wind speeds at each location.

'Taking all of these technical elements into consideration and keeping in mind the building cleaning and maintenance requirements, we envisage that the turbines may run, on average, approximately 50 per cent of the time,' Longstaff explained.

Bob Addison, country manager of DTZ (BWTC’s managing and leasing agents) said by mid-2009, it expects that all tenants will be moved in and operating in the office towers.

MODA Mall a high-end boutique shopping mall, complements the development showcasing a tenant portfolio that is hand-picked to offer its clientele with a unique and exclusive shopping experience, is now also fully operational.

'BWTC is truly a landmark development in terms of sustainable architecture, and we should all be proud of Bahrain as the location for the world’s first wind turbines in a commercial development,' he added.

This milestone follows the BWTC’s most recent accolade, when it was named “Best Tall Building” in the Middle East and Africa region for 2008 by architecture’s leading body dedicated to the field of tall buildings, The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

Designed and engineered by Atkins, the award confirms the building’s elite position as one of the most iconic buildings in the world.

In November last year, BWTC also became a “Blue Monument”, as it lit up in blue in support of World Diabetes Day, joining over 800 other global landmarks from 160 countries.

Visitors to the BWTC now have access to a plethora of brands which have never been seen before in Bahrain through the project’s exclusive MODA Mall, with the likes of Fendi, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Christian Lacroix and many more now open for business, the statement added.-TradeArabia News Service