A deep understanding of wind behavior gained from 25 years of sailing prepared architect Shaun Killa to successfully promote the largest-ever integration of electricity generating turbines into a building, the Bahrain Word Trade Centre.
The three 275-kW turbines were commissioned last April, and are due to start meeting 15% to 25% of the tenants energy demand as they move in over the next months. The undisclosed developer grabbed the chance of owning the uniquely energized, 240-meter-tall twin towers offered by its architect, says South Africa-born Killa. He heads the 150-person architecture unit of Atkins Middle East Ltd., Dubai, which handled the project’s total design.