Doha - Qatar, 12th of July 2009: A first for Qatar. Awarded the 2009 prodigious accolade for Best Tall Building in the Middle East and Africa.

Bestowed  on it by the Awards Committee of the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the world's leading authority on the design, construction and development of tall buildings, it is one of four tall buildings in the world to receive this recognition.  The other areas being The Americas - Manitoba Hydro Place in the city of Winnipeg,  Canada;  Europe - The Broadgate Tower in the city of London, UK;  Asia & Australasia - Linked Hybrid Building, Beijing, China.

This high-level award is a global testimony   to the distinguished Architecture and urban development Qatar is witnessing today

The principle criteria used by CBTUH to form their judgement for these awards, is based on the projects displaying extraordinary contribution to the advancement of tall buildings, bringing fresh ideas and innovative processes which would not only help advance the profession of Design but also, improve the ambiance and the well-being of the inhabitants of the cities where they have been constructed.

The awards ceremony will be held on 22nd October, in Chicago, in the state of Illinois, USA - the city accredited with the title 'cradle of sky-rise buildings'.  During the dinner, the Awards Committee will announce the 'Overall Winner for the Best Tall Building in the world' from the four Regional Awards.  It is worth noting that these awards are not necessarily conferred on an annual basis should the criteria not be met by the entrants.

Also during the evening the CTBUH, chaired by Gordon Gill will announce the recipients of the two Lifetime Achievement Awards for architect and designer:  The Lynn S. Beedle Award to John C. Portman Jnr. and The Fazlur Rhaman Khan Medal to Dr. Prabodh V. Banavalkar.

-Ends- 

About the Tornado Tower
Qatar Investment Projects and Development Holding Company (QIPCO Holding) is one of the leading shareholding companies in Qatar. Their growing portfolio includes investment in construction, real estate, oil and gas, trading, financial services, healthy care and joint ventures with major international companies such as Siemens.

QIPCO Holding is presently engaged in the development of high rise real estate project, the Tornado Tower. Tornado Tower is a unique 52-storey commercial office tower in West Bay, Doha. Scheduled for completion in November 2008, the tower will stand 200 meters high and have a total leasable area of 58,029 sq m.

One of the highlights of the tower will be its spectacular external lighting system created by renowned light artist Thomas Emde. The system is capable of displaying 35,000 different combinations that will further enhance the hyperboloid structure of the tower, based on dessert storm concept design.

Features and facilities of the Tornado Tower include approximately 1,700 parking spaces at a generous ratio of one per 35 sq m of leasable space, 16 smart high speed passenger lifts, including a VIP lift. In addition there is a dedicated service lift, 24/7 secure access with CCTV monitoring and smartcards, a restaurant, coffee shop, gym, premium retail space, a media belt in the lobby, modern building management systems, a concierge service and an emergency helipad.

For further information please refer to the following websites: www.qipcoqatar.com / www.ctbuh.org

For Further information please contact:
Mr. Krikor Khatchikian
Senior Account Manager
Cohn & Wolfe Public Relations
Telephone: +974 428 31277
Mobile : +974 576 3965
krikor.khatchikian@cohnwolfeqatar.com

© Press Release 2009