Construction World Forum

Construction World Forum is a specialized mall for construction and interior design materials.

Introduction

The proposed Construction World Forum will be located in the Eighth Gate development, approximately 15 kilometers west of Damascus, Syria. Construction World Forum presents the first specialized center showcasing construction, furniture and décor materials in Syria.
This project gains its importance from its unique functionality, distinguished design and eminent location, as a part of a major landmark in Syria, and in an area of great potential for the real estate and construction businesses in the region. In addition, the building will be notable for its sustainable energy measurements which will are incorporated in the building design from inside and outside.
The site of this project consists of two separate units at the southwest side of the Eighth gate development, separating the two units is a two way street that will be utilized to serve the design and functionality requirements. The overall design of this project is inspired by combining the existing elements of The Eighth Gate with the emerging architectural expressions in the region to develop a new architectural identity that relates to the surroundings and reflects the building purpose.
The project size is approximately 28,000 square meters. Pursuant to the Development Guidelines two levels of the facility are below ground and four levels are above. Two central atrium spaces extend through all levels from the ground level upwards as a means of bringing natural light into the interior.
Private and public parking will be on the basement levels, Drop-off and service entrances have been provided for visitors and tenants as well.

Architectural Design:

The design goals for Construction World forum are grounded in a design philosophy that values functional operations, respect for the existing context and the desire to promote an image befitting of an architectural landmark.
The functionality of CWF does not only come in the form of operational efficiency, but also in the form of unique design and environment-friendly measurements, providing an attractive and distinguished landmark in the world of construction materials and interior design.
The design concept is inspired by the nature of the main geometrical shapes and their relation to architecture and construction, combining the basic shapes and their basic elements in one group to articulate the integration of multiple architectural rudiments in one expression. The building design will incorporate sustainable energy measures that relate it to nature and maximize the use of natural resources. The concept statement is one that established a relation between geometrical shapes, architecture and nature.
The finishing of the building elevations will combine a variety of construction and finishing materials to reflect some of the products to be showcased by the tenants, materials include metal, Bricks, glass, GlassFibre Reinforced Concrete (GRC) and other materials that echo sophisticated yet clear statement that coalesce luxury elements with functionality.
Site Design & Planning
The World Construction Forum is one of many buildings planned for the Eighth Gate. Several are currently under construction and this building’s setting in an area zoned for mixed-use development serves as the programmatic driver for accessibility and use of outdoor spaces. Understanding that most visitors will arrive by automobile, the middle street will be a main drop-off zone with a valet style parking for both units. The building will also house sufficient parking spaces for tenants and visitors by utilizing two full basements, the parking entrances and exits are on the left and right sides of the building which insures proper internal circulation. There will be two vertical movement cores inside the parking allowing the visitor to have a general overview of all the offers while moving from one floor to another.
The building site will house considerable green spaces that are placed carefully to provide natural beauty and serve environmental purposes without compromising the building efficiency, small green spaces are spread throughout the building and specially on the roof.
Reflecting the purpose of the building, there will be two loading areas in the Forum, one in each unit. The loading areas are located on one horizontal axis at the northern façade; the loading areas are designed to be used by the Forum tenants to load and unload merchandise. According to the project specifications, loading areas will not be used as means for direct access or loading access by visitors.

Building Organization
The new four-story above ground facility faces the interior of the Eighth Gate development on three sides and overlooks a perimeter road and surrounding landscape on the fourth. The facades of the two buildings are treated to attract visitors to the middle entrance street and to reflect the fact that the two buildings meet to deliver one purpose by offering two complementary functionalities. By entering the building through the middle street the visitor will uncover the internal organization of the building, reflecting an independent interior that presents the core of the World Construction Forum with two atrium spaces that direct visitors to the inside, the right side atrium leads to the construction materials section of the construction world forum, the left side atrium leads to the furniture section. The centralized atrium space unifies all of these levels by providing access to natural light and by serving as a way finding element to the interior.
The two buildings are separated in design and in functionality on the ground and first floor, the building is connected on the second floor above the middle street, the second floor will serve as a bridge to connect the two units not only by serving design purposes but also by showcasing products that have mixed usage of construction materials and furniture. The third floor will accommodate showrooms, management offices, and independent office space for designers, architects and businesses. In addition, two restaurants with terraces will be located on the third floor and will overlook the mall and the surrounding area.
A glass and metal structure corner is introduced to the building to add new element to the façade and serve promotional purposes, as there will be no direct product showcasing to the exterior facades of the Forum, this corner will serve as glimpse to what is inside and will add to the attraction element. On the building facades, designated spaces are allocated to serve advertisement purposes for tenants, billboards and posters will be placed to promote certain products and brands.
The basements will accommodate visitor parking spaces on the first level and tenant’s parking spaces on the second level, the second basement will also accommodate storage areas designated for the forum tenants, this storage will be accessed from the loading areas throughout all the forum levels.
The building orientation will be incorporating NFPA 101 Life Safety Code and IBC International Building Code to insure high standards in accordance of the Eighth Gate project and the international building codes.