WITH the Princess Al Anoud mixed-use complex, one of the striking projects that took shape on the drawing boards of East Consulting Engineering Centre (ECEC), now set to rise on the horizon, the firm of multi-disciplinary engineering consultants is pressing on with creating functionally-efficient designs for some of health and government facilities planned by the kingdom.

These include Tower Two for the Riyadh Medical Complex, a 300-bed specialist hospital in Dammam, and Al Qassim Municipality building.
Tenders have been issued for the eight-storey Riyadh Medical Complex’s Tower Two development. The estimated SR199-million ($53 million) project for the Ministry of Health will provide a built-up area of 39,800 sq m over a total site area of 41,600 sq m.
The building will have a modern facade, comprising an ideal combination of curtain-walling and marble cladding. The imposing entrance is a glass-framed structure supported by structural steel on top. It leads to a recessed circular curtain-walled ‘tower’, which is surmounted by a helipad. On either side of this ‘tower’ are concrete buildings of the complex, which have two basement levels.
The building will sit on a concrete raft foundation, 2 m in thickness.
“The entire building is designed according to the Health Ministry’s requirements and facilities,” says Ahmed Al Abdulkareem of ECEC, which is providing comprehensive design engineering and project management services for the project.
Another Ministry of Health project that ECEC is working on is the 300-bed hospital in Dammam, which will specialise in obstetrics/gynaecology and pediatrics. ECEC is currently engaged in preparing the designs for the project, which is estimated to cost SR403 million ($107 million).
The six-storey-plus-basement building will have a total built-up area of 80,600 sq m and will take shape over an area of 90,000 sq m,
Commenting on the design of the hospital project, Abdulkareem says: “Adopted from the ‘form-follows-function’ design concept, the building resembles the letter ‘H’ in plan.”
The paediatrics section will be in one wing while obstetrics will be in the other, with a range of other services such as caesarian and delivery sections, paediatric surgery, recovery rooms, conference rooms and support facilities located in the centre.
The building’s façade will be dressed in a curtain-wall supported by structural frames to give an aesthetically-pleasing appearance and a pleasant ambiance for visitors and staff. The entire building, which will be built on a 1.2-m-thick raft foundation, has been designed to meet the ministry’s requirements and provide the facilities expected in a medical facility of its kind. ECEC’s scope of works entails providing comprehensive design engineering services on the project.

Offices
Tenders have also been issued for the construction of the offices for the Al Qassim Municipality for the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. The estimated SR165-million six-storey (plus basement) building is traditional in architectural concept and yet adopts modern materials such as an extensive use of structural glazing. The building, which will offer parking facilities within its basement level, will comprise a built-up area of 32,775 sq m over a 33,855 sq m site. It will have an auditorium in its right wing and a prayer hall on the opposite side.

Mixed-used complex
Following the completion of the basement levels of the Princess Al Anoud mixed-use complex, superstructure work on the project for the Princess Al Anoud Charity Organisation is expected to make headway this year. Being built at a cost of cost SR185 million over a 6,530 sq m site on Riyadh’s King Fahad Road, the building sits next to the adjacent Al Anoud tower and complements its design. The 21-storey building with a six-level basement will comprise a built-up area of 37,700 sq m. The whole structure is supported by a 2.40-m-thick raft foundation
ECEC has drawn inspiration from the head of the cuttlefish in designing the exterior of the Princess Al Anoud complex, according to Abdulkareem. Internally, the challenge was to maximise the area available, right from site development to main entrance lobby, for each of the functions of the building, which includes commercial floors, hotels and office levels.

Vet laboratory
Meanwhile, ECEC has recently seen the completion of construction on a SR68.5 million veterinary laboratory for the Al Qassim University, for which it provided comprehensive design engineering and project management services. The two-storey building has eight zones – administration, laboratories, autopsy, surgery and isolation departments, veterinary clinics, an animal holding department and offices.
The project covers a total area of 65,634 sq m and offers a built-up area of 13,700 sq m. The façade is clad in a curtain-wall with structural supports and a combination of marble and granite finish to give it a highly aesthetic appearance.
Apart from these developments, East Consulting Engineering Centre (ECEC) has carried out numerous projects for the healthcare, hospitality, commercial, industrial, infrastructural, housing and educational sectors since its inception in 1979.
The firm renders comprehensive consultancy services from initial fact-finding surveys, project inception, formulation and concept planning, to project management and supervision.
Services offered by ECEC include: project identification; techno-economic feasibility studies; field survey/investigation and analyses; economic and financial analyses; planning, concept design, detailed engineering design, technical specifications and tender documents; architectural and engineering studies; architectural engineering; project management services, monitoring and scheduling; construction supervision; quality control/assurance; quantity estimation; specification writing; bid coordination and analysis; and monitoring and impact evaluation.
During the past 30 years, the company has achieved excellent growth and operates from its head office in Riyadh and a branch in Taif.