Leading Japanese architect Nikken Sekkei will showcase $12 billion worth of projects, to be developed in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Mongolia, at the upcoming Cityscape Global exhibition.

The event will run from September 21 to 23 at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE.

Nikken said it is living up to its global reputation for challenging the world of architectural design by creating innovative, authentic and inspirational buildings and providing the very latest technology in sustainable living.

“Our ability to incorporate distinguishing design features and unique cultural references in keeping with the local environment ensures our creativity stands out from anything the world has ever seen,” said its chairman Nakamura Mitsuo.

The project pipeline, which includes developments in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Mongolia, Russia, Japan and China, will further underscore the firm’s international standing with developers from around the world, he added.  

Nikken’s Dubai inventory includes Dubai Festival City which will encompass an integrated waterfront community and the second phase of the Dubai Cultural Village, another waterfront project in the Al Jadaf area of Dubai.

The Japanese firm will be showcasing five of its top Saudi developments including its jewel in the crown - a 338-m-tall mixed-use project called Riyadh Tower.

The 73-storeyed building will house a 201-key five-star hotel, private residences, penthouse units and at the very top a ‘Sky Palace’ apartment.

Leisure facilities, retail outlets and office space complete the make-up of the project, which will be the tallest building in Riyadh on completion, said Mitsuo.

The design has already been recognised by the International Property Awards in London, UK, winning the ‘Best Mixed-Use Architecture - Arabia’ category, he added.

Nikken is also designing Expressbank’s new headquarters in Baku, which will become one of the highest buildings in Azerbaijan.

"Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, will be transformed when designs created by Nikken are completed. The Mongol Tower and WOO City developments, both to be unveiled during the exhibition, will symbolise a modern-day Mongolia and reflect its burgeoning economic prosperity," said the top official.

Located in the downtown area of the city, the design of the tower has been created to give the impression of rising from the ground and melting into the sky because of the ratio of glass to concrete on the exterior; which increases gradually on higher floors.

WOO City will mark Mongolia’s first world-class resort benefiting the country’s tourism industry and overall economy, stated Mitsuo.

According to him, three projects are coming up in Russia including the 500,000-sq-m K City being built at a cost of $1 billion in northern Krasnoyarsk.

The development will accommodate 15,000 residents with a total of 6,000 units ranging from five to 25-storey buildings and utilise a range of technologies to promote sustainability, ultimately creating a ‘Smart City’ concept, he added.

Dr Fadi Jabri, Nikken Sekkei’s regional manager for Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Middle East and North Africa (Mena) and India, said Botanicheski Sad and Novyi Bereg developments, based in Moscow and Saint Petersburg respectively, complete the trio of Russian projects.

Completing Nikken’s line-up for Cityscape are the Menara Astra in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the Guangzhou Library, Guangzhou and South Bund Financial Center Shanghai, both in China, stated Dr Jabri.
 
“Our ability to create designs that encompass cultural sensibilities sympathetic to the local environment while utilising the latest energy saving technologies has ensured a range of projects wins that showcase our extraordinary capabilities and underscore our reputation in architecture design and creativity on the world stage,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service