GENERAL ELECTRIC

Turbine Maintenance & Operations Center

General Electric and AMEC Inc. enlisted the services of Context Design Group to do the architectural design for the Turbine Maintenance and Operations Facility located in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The 227,000 SF building contains 176,000 SF of process area (including a 60’ clear height for a crane rail system) and 51,000 SF of office use. GE required multiple enclosed offices, cubicles, conference rooms, file rooms, copy/print areas, and pantries. Through the use of integrated movable dividers and individual access points, the largest of the conference rooms can be used as a whole or as six separate conference areas. Our design team’s experience was vital in determining an efficient arrangement of the various office configurations and functions.

The unique location required special design considerations. Local religion necessitated worship spaces which were realized through two sizeable Prayer Rooms that allow dozens of employees simultaneous congregation and worship. One of these rooms lies adjacent to a Cleansing Area which opens to the Locker Room. In a normal working day, up to 400 employees may work in the maintenance area, each of which has been provided a personal locker.

The building is clad in metal panels which convey an industrial aesthetic while the infusion of sandblasted concrete blends with the arid environment. Low-E glass performs in concert with buttress-formed louvers to minimize heat gain while allowing ambient natural light. Also, a public transportation access terminal is integrated to the site and building design. Given that this project required international coordination efforts, construction documents were  provided with dimensioning in both English and Metric units.