TOWER SECRETS: Architects have revealed how the world's tallest tower will cope with high winds. (Supplied)Architects behind the design of the Nakheel's one kilometre high Dubai tower have revealed the secrets of how it will cope with high winds.
Mark Mitcheson-Low, director in charge of the project and Woods Bagot Middle East managing director, said the cylindrical tower, which will be 95 metres in diameter, is in fact four towers encircling an internal void, linked at intervals by sky bridges.
This design, he said, would mitigate the effects of the wind load, allowing the air to pass freely through the building.
The individual quadrants of the building allow for structural rigidity against the strong winds usually experienced at the higher building levels.
Often limiting engineering possibilities beyond 500 metres, the wind will pass through vertical gills, which have been proven in wind tunnel testing to reduce the windload by three-fold.
At about every 25 levels, sky bridges will bind the building together to provide a structural integrity which, unlike any building before it, affords the tower greatly increased stability and the opportunity to build higher.
They will also house mechanical, electrical and plumbing services and would provide safe crossing points if one of the towers were disabled due to an emergency, Mitcheson-Low added.
He said: "The design is an example of the human ability to overcome the forces of nature and harness them to create a monument dedicated to past, present and future generations of the Gulf.
"Nakheel and Woods Bagot have pushed the design envelope with a project that will be central to the development of one of the world's most exciting cities."
When Nakheel announced the project prior to the Cityscape show in Dubai in September, it was said to become the world's tallest tower when complete but shortly afterwards, Saudi-based Kingdom Holding Company said it was planning to build the Kingdom Tower which would be more than 1km high.
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