The Dhaka Tower, a 150-meter-tall, 180,000-square-meter office skyscraper that will become one of the tallest buildings in Bangladesh, has begun construction. The project has been led by OMA partner Iyad Alsaka and developed by property developer Shanta Holdings, based in the country's capital, Dhaka.

Bangladesh's economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. Fifty years after independence, Bangladesh is the second-largest economy in South Asia. In the wake of this rapid economic growth, the capital of Bangladesh is changing at the same speed.

Dhaka Tower is the first singular building of this scale in a new business district located on the outskirts of Tejgaon, formerly a hub of industrial activity in the city that now houses some of the major headquarters of local and multinational corporations.
Dhaka Tower, a 150-meter-tall (local scale), 180,000-square-meter office high-rise set to become one of the country’s tallest buildings, has broken ground. The design has been led by OMA partner Iyad Alsaka and developed by Dhaka-based real estate developer Shanta Holdings.

Bangladesh’s economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. Fifty years after independence, Bangladesh is the second-largest economy in South Asia. In the wake of this rapid economic growth, Bangladesh’s capital is changing equally quickly. Dhaka Tower is the first landmark building of this scale in a new commercial district located at the edge of Tejgaon. Once a center of industrial activity in the city, Tejgaon is now home to some of the leading local and multinational corporations.

The design by OMA, led by Iyad Alsaka, is standing on the shore of Hatirjheel Lake, Dhaka Tower is shaped by simple extruded, abstract volumes. Its shape has two triangular floor plates connected by a rectangular core with panoramic lifts overlooking the lake. The configuration allows for extensive views and natural daylight, controlled through the building orientation and fritted glass.

Rather than conforming to a standard zoning envelope of a tower on a podium, the base is pyramidal, providing soaring atriums with direct connection to landscaped exterior spaces. Retail and dining spaces flank the triple-height lobbies, which double as venues for banquet dinners and presentations. A bespoke pattern inspired by Dhaka’s waterscape forms the backdrop for both atriums. The base includes an exhibition space extending to a maximum height of 40 meters. On the building's upper level, a restaurant adjacent to a publicly accessible two-level observation deck offers expansive views of the metropolis.

"Our design for Dhaka Tower is inspired by the spirit of Bangladesh's thriving economy. Its shape expresses the aspirations of a dynamic nation, making a bold statement on the city's skyline." 
Iyad Alsaka, OMA Partner.

A complete presentation of the project will take place in Dhaka in early 2024.

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Architects
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OMA. Partner-in-Charge.- Iyad Alsaka.
Project Director.- Carol Patterson. Project Architect.- Jonathan Telkamp.
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Project team
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Shatha Altoyan, Margarida Amial, Anita Ernodi, Marco Gambare, Lucien Glass, Alicja Krzywinska, Titouan Pierre Loup Chapouly, Adrianne Fisher, Lucien Emile Glass, Davide Masserini, Roza Matveeva, Bart Nicolaas, Jozef Olsavsky, Daan Ooievaar, Michael den Otter, Ana Otelea, Margarida Preza Amial, Saskia Simon, Iason Stathatos, Anahita Tabrizi, Timothy Jerrie Tse, Karolina Szczygiel, Camilla Busk Wisborg, Michele Zambetti, Yushang Zhang.
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Collaborators
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Local Architect.- DWm4 Architects.
Structure.- Meinhardt Group.
MEP.- Meinhardt Group.
Façade Engineer.- Meinhardt Façade Technology.
Landscape.- One Landscape.
Lighting.- Lightbox.
Fire.- IGnesis Consultants.
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Client
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Shanta Holdings.
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Area / Dimensions
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150-meter-tall, 180,000-square-meter.
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Dates
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Breaks Ground.- 2023.
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Location
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Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) is an international practice operating within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism. AMO, a research and design studio, applies architectural thinking to domains beyond. OMA is led by eight partners – Rem Koolhaas, Reinier de Graaf, Ellen van Loon, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, Chris van Duijn, Jason Long, and Managing Partner-Architect David Gianotten – and maintains offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Doha, and Australia. OMA-designed buildings currently under construction are the renovation of Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) in Berlin, The Factory in Manchester, Hangzhou Prism, the CMG Times Center in Shenzhen and the Simone Veil Bridge in Bordeaux.

OMA’s completed projects include Taipei Performing Arts Centre (2022), Audrey Irmas Pavilion in Los Angeles (2020), Norra Tornen in Stockholm (2020), Axel Springer Campus in Berlin (2020), MEETT Toulouse Exhibition and Convention Centre (2020), Galleria in Gwanggyo (2020), WA Museum Boola Bardip (2020), nhow RAI Hotel in Amsterdam (2020), a new building for Brighton College (2020), and Potato Head Studios in Bali (2020). Earlier buildings include Fondazione Prada in Milan (2018), Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow (2015), De Rotterdam (2013), CCTV Headquarters in Beijing (2012), Casa da Música in Porto (2005), and the Seattle Central Library (2004).

AMO often works in parallel with OMA's clients to fertilize architecture with intelligence from this array of disciplines. This is the case with Prada: AMO's research into identity, in-store technology, and new possibilities of content-production in fashion helped generate OMA's architectural designs for new Prada epicenter stores in New York and Los Angeles. In 2004, AMO was commissioned by the European Union to study its visual communication, and designed a colored "barcode" flag, combining the flags of all member states, which was used during the Austrian presidency of the EU. AMO has worked with Universal Studios, Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, Heineken, Ikea, Condé Nast, Harvard University and the Hermitage. It has produced Countryside: The Future, a research exhibited at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York; exhibitions at the Venice Architecture Biennale, including Public Works (2012), Cronocaos (2010), and The Gulf (2006); and for Fondazione Prada, including When Attitudes Become Form (2012) and Serial and Portable Classics (2015). AMO, with Harvard University, was responsible for the research and curation of the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale and its publication Elements. Other notable projects are Roadmap 2050, a plan for a Europe-wide renewable energy grid; Project Japan, a 720-page book on the Metabolism architecture movement (Taschen, 2010); and the educational program of Strelka Institute in Moscow.

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Iyad Alsaka joined OMA as a director in 2007 and became partner in 2011. Responsible for OMA’s work in the Middle East and Africa, Iyad has led projects including the acclaimed masterplan for Waterfront City in Dubai, the HIA Airport City masterplan in Doha, Concrete at Alserkal Avenue, a new public venue for Dubai’s cultural district, and the Qatar National Library in Doha. Iyad's current projects include The Prestige Mumbai, the Wafra Tower in Kuwait City, the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, and the Qatar Cultural and Sports Hub in Doha. Born in 1969 in Syria, Iyad holds a degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Aleppo.
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Published on: September 30, 2023
Cite: "Dhaka Tower, OMA’s First Project in Bangladesh, Breaks Ground" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/dhaka-tower-omas-first-project-bangladesh-breaks-ground> ISSN 1139-6415
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