The ambitious Doha Oasis project aims to create a landmark high-end mixed-use development in the heart of the Musheireb district of Doha, showcasing Qatar's commitment to its National 2030 Vision. This project, which began in December 2015 and was expected to be completed by the end of 2018, has earned a seven million safety man-hours award for its high safety standards.
The development spans 5 million square feet (460,000m²) of built-up area on a 785,000 square feet (73,000m²) site. The building's distinctive elliptical shape houses exclusive high-end residences in seven blocks over nine floors, including luxurious Duplex Penthouses and 245 high-end apartment units. The retail component, the Doha Oasis Boutique, comprises three levels of the podium with two floors offering uninterrupted views of the Themed Experience Centre. The boutique also hosts an exclusive complex of cutting-edge and VIP cinemas. A 29-floor tower houses the ultra-luxury 7-star hotel, LA CIGALE MUSHEIREB, with seven restaurants and a business center.
The “Jewel in the Crown” is the development of the 300,000 square feet (27,500m²) Themed Experience Center (TEC) in the heart of the development. Unique to the development are the two glass towers rising from the landscaped courtyard that houses two of the major rides. The Theme Park occupies the Central Area of the Podium at the ground level and is covered by a steel dome ensuring a clear height of 18 meters, supporting the landscape garden, and is penetrated by skylights. The Theme Park expands into the peripheral areas of the Ground Floor level to accommodate a total of 26 or more different rides and attractions.
THE CHALLENGE
Conspel, the project's mechanical contractor, was tasked with installing 8 backup power generators at the ground level. The engineers had designed an exhaust system that ran up through the building and terminated at the roof level. There was big concerns that noise from the generators would reverberate up through the building and create a nuisance for the condo owners. At the same time, as the generator stack would be exposed to visitors, the installation could not be an eyesore.
THE SOLUTION
ENERVEX and Conspel have cooperated on several projects in the Middle East, and Conspel reached out to ENERVEX to assist with the design of the job.
ENERVEX designed an innovative solution that eliminated the vertical stack by running it 'underground' through the Experience Center, reducing the total stack length to around 3,000 feet and terminating it outside at ground level. This reduced the total stack length by more than 2,000 feet. The original design called for a welded steel chimney with 2 inches (50mm) of insulation and cladded with steel plates.
Calculations showed that despite the low cost of labor, it was less expensive and quite a bit easier and faster to install a prefabricated 2-inch insulated Powerstack exhaust systems to serve the generators. It also eliminated the need for an expensive and time-consuming pressure testing. The Powerstack's UL generator listing of up to 1400°F (760°C) operating temperature and 60 inch W.C. (14k Pa) positive pressure capability exceeded the specifications and the need for onsite testing.
The polished stainless steel outer wall of the Powerstack added an attractive look and feature to the Experience Center, where it was surrounded by a roller coaster. The eight stacks were terminated outside the building in architectural enclosures to complete the highly innovative design by ENERVEX.
