Part of a larger 1.1 million-square-meter project, the Lusail Towers designed by Norman Foster are currently nearing completion and with a height of 988 feet are going to become Qatar’s tallest buildings, surpassing The Torch Doha.

The towers – comprising four distinctive volumes, two standing at 70 stories and two at 50 – are a pivotal element of the master plan for the city of Lusail, located 10 miles north of Doha, Qatar’s Capital, and each tower will serve as a hub for the country’s financial institutions. The towers are strategically placed to obtain maximum shading, and as they rise their plan rotates 90 degrees, giving a dynamic effect to the volumes.

The main design challenge has been the hot climate of Qatar, and the creation of skyscrapers from materials commonly used in colder latitudes to satisfy a common imagination. The exterior part of the towers has been clad in marine-grade aluminum that protects the glass from strong sunlight, keeping the view and letting in natural light.

A fundamental element of the project are the particular sunshades similar to gills, which reduce solar radiation by 70% compared to towers made entirely of glass. According to Luke Fox, project manager and senior executive partner of Foster + Partners, this shading system will also help reduce the energy requirement for cooling by 35% and consequently the overall energy consumption.

The towers should be finished by the end of the year.