The Lusail Katara Hotel, also known as Katara Towers, was opened ready for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and now ranks among the top award-winning buildings in the Gulf region. It not only marks Qatar's entry into a new era of luxury hotel construction, but has also been designed as a landmark for the emerging city centre of Lusail.
| Type of Building | Hotels and restaurants |
| Product areas | Facades |
| Schüco Systems | AF UDC 80 FWS 60 |
| Features | New build Design and Aesthetics |
| Location | Doha, Qatar |
| Completion | 2020 |
| Architects | Dar Al Handasah,HBK Contracting |
| Specialist company | Qatar Technical Aluminium |
| Picture credits | © George Missi |
Erected directly on the Lusail coastline, the ensemble rises up like a gateway to the sea. The building consists of two crescent-shaped towers, the silhouette of which is reminiscent of the traditional Qatari Scimitar, a curved blade depicted in the country's national emblem. With the use of this shape, their national identity is being translated into contemporary architecture. At the same time, the image of the two curves evokes associations with sailing or dhow boats, creating a link to the maritime culture of the country.
The two towers (approx. 36 to 40 storeys and 211 m high) are linked together on a podium and house two luxury hotels (Raffles & Fairmont), apartments, restaurants and leisure facilities. The complex curvature required innovative façade and load-bearing structure solutions with heavy-duty cores and sophisticated formwork systems. The Schüco FWS 60 façade system was used for this. It served as the base system for façade and skylight areas, featuring a high degree of flexibility and attractive design options.
