A 600-bed complex for female students attending classes at University City in Qatar is half of a 75 million project being designed by Lawrence-based Treanor Architects, in conjunction with Burns & McDonnell, a design and engineering firm from Kansas City, Mo.

Tall wind turbines line the way toward the complex's commons area, which will be topped with a titanium spire.

The commons area includes a lobby, dining hall and a dedicated prayer room.

Smart-room technology to ensure comfort.

Wind turbines to produce power.

And a wall that directs residents toward Mecca, connecting spirituality with a new state-of-the-art living center focused on learning and environmental sustainability.

Such are some of the elements, challenges and opportunities for a team of professionals at Treanor Architects, a Lawrence-based firm that is working with Burns & McDonnell in Kansas City, Mo., on design and construction of a $175 million student-living complex in Qatar, an oil- and natural gas-rich nation in the Middle East.

“It’s all very inspiring, being in a different culture and in a different place than we typically would work,” said Nadia Zhiri, principal in charge of the project. “It’s a little bit intimidating : and invigorating, and quite an opportunity.

“It’s awe-inspiring, more than anything.”

The project is slated for Education City, a 2,500-acre complex at the edge of Doha that already includes campuses for some of the world’s leading universities:

¢ Cornell University, which offers pre-med, humanities and a four-year medical program through its Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar

¢ Carnegie Mellon University, which offers undergraduate degrees in business and computer science

¢ Georgetown University, offering a four-year program leading to a bachelor’s degree in foreign service

¢ Texas A&M University, which offers undergraduate degrees in chemical, electrical, mechanical and petroleum engineering

¢ Virginia Commonwealth University, which offers bachelor’s degrees in fine arts focusing in design, fashion design and interior design

Students – an international enrollment, with most students coming from Islamic backgrounds – on these and future campuses at Education City need places to live and learn, and Treanor Architects put together a plan that is based on a traditional Islamic village. It includes both traditional patterns and forward-looking technologies to fit into a desert environment.

The housing complex actually will be two separate living centers: one for men, and another for women. Each will be dominated by stone and highlighted with carved plaster, patterned pavers and, at a central student services center, a titanium screen and rooftop spire curving into the sky.

Wind turbines that might be mistaken for metal sculptures elsewhere will help supply power to the complex, as will solar panels installed on rooftops. A “biomass” wall will be used to filter wastewater, to be reused aesthetically – as fountains – and functionally, through irrigation.

Such components have officials in Education City optimistic about the project securing certification as a platinum-level “green” residential complex.

“From an educator’s perspective, it is exciting to have a building that will teach students about sustainability best practice in their living environment,” said Kevin Konecny, director of campus and residence life for the Qatar Foundation, which oversees Education City.

In the women’s complex, a separate floor will be reserved for maintenance operations, limiting contact between male workers and the women living there.

“It’s a unique feature,” said Joe Stramberg, Treanor principal and project architect.

Design work will continue through May, with construction to be completed by July 2009.

The project is the largest commission yet for Treanor’s student life division, whose previous design work spans 110 projects on 52 campuses, including a $10 million overhaul of Hashinger Hall at Kansas University.

Being asked to partner with Burns & McDonnell is only the first in a series of humbling accomplishments connected with the project, said Mike Treanor, president and principal of Treanor Architects. Now that the team has won the commission from the Qatar Foundation, Treanor Architects gets a chance to work in a fast-growing region where design excellence not only is the standard, but exposure to other international clients is ensured.

“It’s been fantastic,” Treanor said. “We’re looking at this as another market opportunity.”

Zhiri looks forward to doing even more work in the region, reconnecting with some family roots. Her father, from Morocco, met her mother when the two were students at Emporia State University.

“Anything’s possible right now in the Middle East,” Zhiri said.