Majid Al Futtaim
ACME
Muamir Design & Engineering Consultancy
CCC
Public Art
Mashrabiya Façade
Aluminum
Dubai, UAE
Marsa Plaza
Project Summary
As a steelwork and facade contractor, Grankraft has executed 5,500m² of the mashrabiya inspired façade and canopies which protect the plaza and the glazed facades from the intense sunlight whilst maintaining open views out to sea.
Grankraft started to be involved with the project during the design stage. The original design was with a tubular steel structure, a GRC rhomboid roof, and façade panels which were generated with parametric design to respond to the shading needs.
Together with the designer, alternative cladding ideas were explored and through extensive engineering efforts from Grankraft, as well as samples and mock-ups, an aluminium cladding, instead of the GRC, was made possible. The canopies and walls were eventually made out of factory-assembled aluminium panels that, rather than being welded together, have been fixed through the use of hidden tensioned steel cables, giving them a seamless appearance.
Grankraft optimised the steel structure to weigh 200MT, instead of the 1200MT of the original design, and re-engineered the wall and roof panels in structural aluminium maintaining the same aesthetic appearance as the GRC panels of the original design while weighing only 30kg/m2 (1/6 of GRC panels dead weight).
