The Bahrain World Trade Center consists of two 50-floor, 240-metre towers completed in 2008, connected by three sky bridges at different heights. Each bridge supports a 29-metre wind turbine — three in total — which generate a meaningful portion of the towers' electricity, estimated at between 11 and 15 percent of their consumption. The design, by the architecture firm Atkins, was specifically oriented to capture Bahrain's prevailing shamal winds from the northwest; the towers' sail-like profile channels airflow into the turbines rather than deflecting it. This was the first time wind turbines had been incorporated into the structural design of a building rather than bolted onto a roof as a separate element.
The towers are visible from most of northern Manama and are useful as a landmark for orientation. The base of the complex contains retail and dining options, and the public areas are accessible. Whether the turbines actually deliver meaningful energy savings in a building of this scale remains debated among engineers, but the architectural intent was real and the execution was technically demanding. As a piece of urban architecture in a Gulf city where buildings often aim for spectacle without substance, the WTC at least asked an interesting structural question.