Bahrain's commitment to urban development recognised with Saudi delegation visit to Bahrain World Trade Center

The delegation chose to visit the BWTC as an example of an urban planning project which incorporates sustainability into its design.

During their time in Bahrain, the Saudi Umran Society visited many of the new developments in Bahrain to study their urban planning frameworks in an effort to widen their knowledge of urban developments and trends in the region.

The BWTC project, designed to rejuvenate an existing hotel and a shopping mall, is the first in the world to integrate wind turbines into a commercial development to create an alternative source of energy.

On their site visit to the BWTC, members of the delegation learned how architects have created a development that invests in the future through sustainable building. The project therefore contributes to Bahrain's local infrastructure by reducing the overall impact on the environment.

Simha LytheRao of Atkins, the Designer and Project Manager, commented: "One of the overriding aims set out at the master planning stage of the BWTC project was to create a visibly sustainable urban development. We believe we have achieved this by pioneering the successful integration of wind turbine power generation technology into the development."

Dr. Khalid A. Al- Tayyash, General Secretary for the Saudi Umran Society, commented: "We consider the BWTC to be a particularly inspirational project as it has incorporated sustainability into urban planning creating a .development that will improve the long-term social and ecological health of Bahrain. We hope to be able to further analyze the development and the use of large scale integration of turbines in buildings in a bid to promote sustainable urban development within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"

The BWTC building comprises two 50-storey sail-shaped towers, which taper to a height of 240 metres and support three 29-metre diameter horizontal-axis wind turbines. They will provide a viable source of alternative energy supplying up to 11 - 15% of the energy needs of the Kingdom's leading mixed-use commercial development - equivalent to lighting 200 to 250 homes for a year.

The Saudi Umran Society was created in 2004 under the patronage of the University of King Saud to increase awareness and engage in scientific research on urban development. It has over nine branches in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; through them it is able to run a number of activities such as conferences, seminars, workshops and exhibitions all in relations to the development of new and innovative architectural developments. The society disseminates the results of its research as well as other information through two publications, The Urbanization Magazine as well as Al Dira Magazine.