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11 BMT Building Complex

Client: BMT

Location: Basra, Iraq

Program: Mixed-use (Industrial & Commercial)

Area: 3.000 m²

Scope: Concept Design, Schematic Design, Design Development

Status: Tender (Est. Construction Date 2023)

Team: Kerim Miskavi, Betül Ay, Türker Özdede, Eda Gürhan, Sena Basgül, Duygu Kısacık, Melis Muratoğlu, Anıl Ahmet Asal, Yasemin Kübüç, Kerem Yücel

Consultants:
Structural Engineering: Meinhardt Group Turkey
Mechanical Engineering: GMD Moskay Engineering
Electrical Engineering: HB Teknik

The project site is located in the newly constructed Basra Multipurpose Terminal (BMT) within the Umm Qasr Port in Basra, Iraq. Umm Qasr Port is Iraq’s only deep-water port, part of the city of Umm Qasr. Iraq’s second port in scale of size and goods shipped to the port of Basra, it is strategically important, located on the western edge of the al-Faw peninsula, where the mouth of the Shatt al Arab waterway enters the Persian Gulf. The project site is surrounded by large open areas used for Terminal operations and parking. Buildings around the site make a up a low density environment that is horizontal in nature due to 2 to 3 story structures.


The project is for a Workshop and Administration Building Complex for BMT that shall both serve the respective program while maintaining a strong connection between the two structures in order for them to work in unison. The site is located at the Northeast corner of the new Container Terminal in a fenced plot with an existing entrance at the West corner. The two buildings are in parallel configuration, with their longitudinal axes in the Northeast-Northwest direction. The Administation Building is located at the Northern border. The Workshop Building faces the port in the Southern and Western directions.


The Workshop Building access is from the Northeast. There is potential vehicular access to the project site from the Southwest. The Southwestern exposure requires maximum control due to the potential heat gain and glare. The prevailing winds come from the Northwest direction. Potential views to the Port are to the Southeast and Southwest of the project site.


The Administration Building is positioned as a two-story linear volume set apart from the Workshop Building by a shaded courtyard space. On the two ends of the courtyard space, linear passages on

both levels provide direct connection between the two buildings. The courtyard space is shaded by the Workshop Building and creates a welcoming zone of entry and rest for visitors & staff, and allows the two buildings to operate both independently and as an integrated whole.


The Workshop Building houses a diverse set of program elements with varying volumetric requirements. The main workshop is a three storey high space with direct access to trucks at the Southeastern facade and adjacent to the supporting repair and maintenance hubs with their own vehicle entrances at the Western facade. A two storey storage with vehicle access on the ground floor is located next to the main workshop and adjacent to the service elevator. The first floor houses office and meeting spaces. The first floor circulation has a view to main workshop volume. The third floor is comprised of the cafeteria and its support spaces.


The courtyard space creates a welcoming zone of entry and rest for visitors & staff, and allows the two buildings to operate both independently and as an integrated whole. The courtyard utilizes the Workshop Building’s shade. The set back of the interior office facades via the corridor reduce heat gain.


The circulation axes connect the two buildings on the ground floor across the courtyard and on the first floor via bridges. The Workshop has views towards the Port. The courtyard in between the two

buildings provide secondary views for both buildings. The two buildings are linked yet seperated volumes. Office typology is based on a single loaded corridor next to an internal courtyard or views to the workshop volume.

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