May 21 2008
Under terms of the biggest contract in company history, Denver-based Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative will serve as the architect of record on the design of the Cairo Financial Center (CFC) with its 8.1 million square feet of office, conference, hotel, retail and parking space.
An artist's rendering of the Cairo Financial Center, designed by Denver-based Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative, shows the 'stepping' feature that blends the structures into the surrounding terrain and allows unobstructed views of the historic scenery
The project will equal the size of three Empire State Buildings, but spread out across 667,000 square feet (about 15 acres).
The first stage of the $730 million CFC is scheduled to open the end of 2010 and will include a 3,000-car underground parking structure, a 16-screen theater complex, 600,000 square feet of office space, and 950,000 square feet of retail shops. The second stage is due to open by 2013 and will include 3,000 additional underground parking spaces, 1.1 million square feet of office space, 800,000 additional square feet of retail space, a 100,000 square-foot exhibition and conference center, a health club and a five-star, 450-room hotel.
The project will surround 160,000 square feet of open plaza highlighted by water features, a Roman amphitheater for outdoor performances and shopping arcades.
"OLC is honored to have the opportunity to work on this kind of project, with such high international recognition," said Maged El-Sheikh, OLC senior principal and Middle East Managing Director. "We are eager to help create a thriving center that will become the region's commercial jewel."
Only a 15-minute drive from Cairo's city center, the CFC has been in the planning stages since 1995.
"We will create a unique complex that includes a hotel, offices, commercial and retail center for the residents, business people and tourists of the Cairo area, offering the most modern amenities," said Khalid Nassar, general manager and engineer of the CFC. "We believe OLC is the best choice to help bring this dream to reality."
To address UNESCO World Heritage Site design constraints stemming from the proximity of Historic Cairo, and to avoid competing with or imposing upon the nearby Citadel, OLC used the context of the well-known Mokattam Hill surrounding the location as inspiration for the facility's design. The project will blend into the hill with a "stepping" approach that also allows unobstructed views of the historic scenery.