Denver Firm Wins Contract to Design Massive Egyptian Project

OLC Architects Working on Cairo Financial Center, Due to Open 2010

DENVER, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Under terms of the biggest contract in
company history, Denver-based Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative will serve as the
architect of record on the design of the Cairo Financial Center (CFC) with its
8.1 million square feet of office, conference, hotel, retail and parking
space.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080520/LATU010)
The project will equal the size of three Empire State Buildings, but
spread out across 667,000 square feet (about 15 acres).
The first stage of the $730 million CFC is scheduled to open the end of
2010 and will include a 3,000-car underground parking structure, a 16-screen
theater complex, 600,000 square feet of office space, and 950,000 square feet
of retail shops. The second stage is due to open by 2013 and will include
3,000 additional underground parking spaces, 1.1 million square feet of office
space, 800,000 additional square feet of retail space, a 100,000 square-foot
exhibition and conference center, a health club and a five-star, 450-room
hotel.
The project will surround 160,000 square feet of open plaza highlighted by
water features, a Roman amphitheater for outdoor performances and shopping
arcades.
"OLC is honored to have the opportunity to work on this kind of project,
with such high international recognition," said Maged El-Sheikh, OLC senior
principal and Middle East Managing Director. "We are eager to help create a
thriving center that will become the region's commercial jewel."
Only a 15-minute drive from Cairo's city center, the CFC has been in the
planning stages since 1995.
"We will create a unique complex that includes a hotel, offices,
commercial and retail center for the residents, business people and tourists
of the Cairo area, offering the most modern amenities," said Khalid Nassar,
general manager and engineer of the CFC. "We believe OLC is the best choice to
help bring this dream to reality."
To address UNESCO World Heritage Site design constraints stemming from the
proximity of Historic Cairo, and to avoid competing with or imposing upon the
nearby Citadel, OLC used the context of the well-known Mokattam Hill
surrounding the location as inspiration for the facility's design. The project
will blend into the hill with a "stepping" approach that also allows
unobstructed views of the historic scenery.
About OLC
With U.S. offices in Denver and Orlando, Fla.; Tokyo, Japan; Cairo, Egypt;
and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative is a full-service
architectural firm that emphasizes client relationships and building
functionality. For more than 45 years the firm has set an industry standard
for responsiveness, with its emphasis on Client-Centered Creativity. OLC's
recent projects include the Viera HealthFirst Wellness Center in Melbourne,
Fla., Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo., and Summa Wellness Institute in
Hudson, Ohio. OLC has designed facilities in 47 states and nine countries, and
the firm recently won Innovation Awards for projects in Ann Arbor, Mich., and
Broomfield, Colo. For more information, visit http://www.olcdesigns.com or
call 303-294-9244.
SOURCE Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative

Steve Caulk of ProConnect Public Relations, +1-303-410-4971,
srcaulk@proconnectpr.com, for Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative