Saturday, October 11, 2008

DUBAI Supertall Projects & Construction

The definitions for the descriptions in the status:

Completed - Structure ready and no more work going on on the outside of the tower. This doesn't mean it's opened yet though, just structurally complete.
Topped Out - Full height reached including spire
Rising- Between being at ground level and full height
Ground Work - Anything happening before tower reaches ground level. This description is important because lots of towers stall for a while or take a really long time before rising.
Announced & Selling - We're pretty much sure the tower has the final design and construction should start within a year.
Announced - Design officially revealed but no selling of office space or apartments. The design shown most likely final design
Under Design - Tower is known about, including developer, and the design is in the final stages but not yet complete. Design may still change.
Concept- Towers which are probably real projects but not necessarily(I try to exclude insignificant ones or ones most likely to be fake). Design in early stages
On Hold - Tower started construction, then stopped.
Stale Proposal - A tower which didn't start construction and which there has been no news about it for a long time. Most likely a cancelled project.


The List..

Nakheel Harbour & Tower Key Facts

KEY FACTS

• The project will take in excess of 10 years to complete, but completion will be phased, with various stages coming on line much earlier
• The project location is at the intersection of Sheikh Zayed Road and the Arabian Canal, with Waterfront to the west and Deira to the east
• It will cover an area over 270 hectares
• It includes the world’s only inner city harbour
• It includes a tower that will be more than a kilometre high
• Apart from the Nakheel Tower there will also be another 40 towers ranging in height from 20 floors to 90 floors (250 meters to 350 meters)
• Nakheel Harbour & Tower will be home to more than 55,000 people and a work place for more than 45,000 people
• There will be more than 19,000 residential apartments. These will include a diverse mix of housing – from affordable family homes to exclusive villas and penthouses.
• There is more than 950,000 m2 of commercial and retail space
• There will be more than 3,500 hotel rooms. There will be a super luxury 100 room hotel at the top of Nakheel Tower
• There will be approximately 30,000 workers involved in the development of the Nakheel Harbour & Tower

Open space experiences:

• Nakheel Tower public space: to complement the dramatic height and volume of the tower, an expansive, breath-taking crescent-shaped open space “rings” the tower and extends out into the neighbouring districts
• The (Arabian) Canal Promenade: visitors and residents will have access to over 3.9 km around the tower precinct of meandering canal promenade environment and stretching to over 10 km along the entire embankment. As one of the unique features of this development, the canal promenade will connect Sheikh Zayed Road to Emirates Road through a myriad of urban experiences and spectacular views to the Tower
• Internal public space: while every block will be identifiable by a unique common internal open space, a series of distinctive neighbourhoods are planned. Weaving through the precinct blocks will be a chain of interlinked open and public spaces. Residents and visitors will be able to stroll through connected paths, plazas and courtyards stretching over 1800m, while experiencing the uniqueness of every community block
• An eight hectare canal district along the bank of the canal will incorporate a network of waterways. This district will also allow for the most desired vantage points towards the tower. Onlookers will be able to see the uniqueness of an over a kilometre high tower with a bustling marine harbour at its base
• To provide an active connection to the Ibn Battuta district, a ‘living’ bridge is planned over the canal allowing a seamless urban experience. This will be complemented by another iconic pedestrian bridge connections overlooking the Arabian Canal

Nakheel Tower

KEY FACTS

• The Nakheel Tower will be more than a kilometre high
• It will have over 200 floors
• There are approximately 150 lifts
• The design structure of four separate elements allows for structural rigidity while also allowing the wind to pass freely in the spaces between the skybridges reducing the overall wind load
• Total volume of concrete will be 500,000 m3
• All of the reinforcing bars laid end to end could stretch from Dubai to New York (1/4 of the way around the world)
• The tower has 20 kilometres of barrettes – (almost 400 barrettes). Barrettes are a form of pile used to make the foundation. A single foundation barrette has the capacity to support a 50 storey building.
• The building has enough cooling capacity to air-condition over 14,000 modern homes or to service 14 luxury resort Hotels each with 2,000 rooms and all the public areas and amenities
• The building is so tall that it experiences five different microclimatic conditions over its height, each with individual design features
• The temperature in the atmosphere at the top of the building can be as much as 10 degrees cooler than the bottom
• Due to the high speed shuttle lifts one may be able to see the sunset twice from the bottom and again from the top of the building
• The goal is to achieve the highest LEED certification we can for a building this size
• There will be approximately 10,000 car parking spaces in Nakheel Tower
• Nakheel Tower and podium combined will be in excess of 2million m2

Friday, October 10, 2008

ISLAMIC INGENUITY INSPIRES DUBAI’S CAPITAL NAKHEEL HARBOUR & TOWER

Includes tower more than a kilometre high and the world’s first inner city harbour

Dubai, UAE, 05 October 2008: Inspired by Islamic design and geometry, master developer Nakheel announced today that it is building Dubai’s capital, Nakheel Harbour & Tower. The new community was launched at a VIP event attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai.

At the core of the Nakheel Harbour & Tower development is a tower more than a kilometre high and the world’s only inner city harbour. The development will cover an area of more than 270 hectares and become home to more than 55,000 people, a workplace for 45,000 more and attract millions of visitors each year.

“There is nothing like it in Dubai”, His Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World, said at the launch. “Nakheel Harbour & Tower is located in the heart of ‘new Dubai’, where we have focused on creating a true community, a location for living, working, relaxing and entertaining, for art and culture. All of this is concentrated in one area.”

In line with Nakheel’s role in shaping Dubai’s future and creating some of the world’s most iconic developments, Nakheel Harbour & Tower incorporates elements from great Islamic cities of the past - the gardens of Alhambra in Spain, the harbour of Alexandria in Egypt, the promenade of Tangier in Morocco and the bridges of Isfahan in Iran.

“With Islamic influences governing its design, Nakheel Tower has been able to reach its height of more than a kilometre. This inspired approach has enabled us to achieve a number of amazing feats of engineering, for example the Tower will be the world’s tallest concrete structure,” said His Excellency.

Nakheel Tower will have four individual towers within a single structure – a groundbreaking engineering feat. A distinctive crescent-shaped podium encircles the base and complements its remarkable height.

“Nakheel has sought inspiration not just from Islamic design but also from the Islamic principles of inclusion, innovation, diversity, excellence, growth and progress. These are the same principles that have motivated and guided Islamic culture and helped create its great cities throughout history. Now they are shaping the cities of the future,” enthused His Excellency Sultan Bin Sulayem.

Not only has a development of this shape and scale not been attempted before, but it is also a further example of Nakheel’s innovative projects that have changed the way the world looks at Dubai.

The multibillion dollar Nakheel Harbour & Tower development will include 250,000m2 of hotels and hospitality space, 100,000 m2 of retail space and huge expanses of green spaces including canal walks, parks and landscaping. The new development is geographically central to the Emirate of Dubai, at the intersection of Sheikh Zayed Road and the Arabian Canal; and will also complement Nakheel’s surrounding developments including Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Islands, Discovery Gardens and Ibn Battuta shopping mall.

The Nakheel Harbour & Tower development minimises car use and maximises train, bus and water transportation. A complete transportation hub blends into the harbour area with metro transportation combined with a unique water transport interchange, with Abra & Dhow station links.

Sustainability and safety will be key to the planning and design of Nakheel Harbour & Tower, with the latest standards and technology incorporated in the development.

“The inspiration for the project came from Sheikh Mohammed’s vision for building for tomorrow,” said His Excellency. “He is famously quoted as saying that ‘before evaluating the future, we have to take a quick look at the past. For it is the foundation of tomorrow’.

“It sends another message to the world that Dubai has a vision like no other place on earth.”
-ends-

About Nakheel
Nakheel is one of the world's largest privately held real estate developers, and a key player in realising the vision of Dubai for the 21st century: creating a world class destination for living, business and tourism.

Nakheel is developing an iconic portfolio of innovative landmark projects in Dubai, and now in key markets around the globe, across a range of sectors - residential, commercial, hotels, retail, and leisure. Nakheel's projects are conservatively estimated to be worth US$80 billion. Upon completion Nakheel's waterfront projects will have added more than 1,000km of shoreline to Dubai's coastline.

Nakheel's Dubai portfolio currently includes Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, Palm Deira, The World, Waterfront, The Universe, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Heights, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Furjan, International City, and Dragon Mart.

Nakheel is a key entity within Dubai World. Dubai World is one of the world's largest holding companies and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Dubai government across five continents and more than 100 countries.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Some interesting facts about Al Burj Tall Tower

• The Nakheel Tower will be more than a kilometre high
• It will have over 200 floors
• It will have approximately 150 lifts
• The design structure of four separate elements allows for structural rigidity while also allowing the wind to pass freely in the spaces between the skybridges reducing the overall wind load
• Total volume of concrete will be 500,000 cu m
• All of the reinforcing bars laid end to end could stretch from Dubai to New York (1/4 of the way around the world)
• The tower will have 20 km of barrettes – (almost 400 barrettes). Barrettes are a form of pile used to make the foundation. A single foundation barrette has the capacity to support a 50 storey building.
• The building has enough cooling capacity to air-condition over 14,000 modern homes or to service 14 luxury resort hotels each with 2,000 rooms and all the public areas and amenities
• The building is so tall that it experiences five different microclimatic conditions over its height, each with individual design features
• The temperature in the atmosphere at the top of the building can be as much as 10 degrees cooler than the bottom
• Due to the high speed shuttle lifts one may be able to see the sunset twice from the bottom and again from the top of the building
• The goal is to achieve the highest LEED certification we can for a building this size
• There will be approximately 10,000 car parking spaces in Nakheel Tower
• Nakheel Tower and podium combined will be in excess of 2 million sq m – TradeArabia News Service

Nakheel to build 1km-high tower in Dubai

Dubai developer Nakheel yesterday announced plans to build a tower that could stand 1km in height, beating the city state's own world record.

The tower forms part of a 140bn dirham (£21.7bn) scheme to build a 270ha new town, called 'New Dubai', which will take a decade to build.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, president of Nakheel's holding company, Dubai World, said that the project would be "one of a kind".

The scheme, in the Jebel Ali area of Dubai, is designed by US architect Woods Bagot and the project team includes engineer WSP.

Nakheel said that instead of a single core, the skyscraper will have four cores, a design choice that is “inspired by Islamic patterns”.

Chris O'Donnell, chief executive of Nakheel, claimed yesterday that the global credit crisis would not affect plans for the tower. He said funds for the scheme would come from a combination of 'pre-sales of land in and around the tower, and then project funding'.

The announcement came a day before the start of the Cityscape 2008 event in Dubai, the Middle East equivalent of MIPIM.

The event expects to attract 60,000 visitors from 150 countries and will include 1,500 exhibitors.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Nakheel aims for the sky

If the sky’s the limit, Nakheel is coming pretty close. Yesterday it announced plans to build a skyscraper more than a kilometre high, hundreds of metres more than the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai, which is just 10 minutes down the road.

The structure, which has been on the drawing board for more than three years, is to be the centrepiece of the Nakheel Harbour and Tower development. It will be built near the Ibn Battuta Mall on Sheikh Zayed Road.

Industry insiders have said that the tower, nicknamed Tall Tower, could reach 1.4 kilometres. That would make it almost double the projected 800 metres of Burj Dubai, and five times higher than the Burj Al Arab, the emirate’s iconic sail-shaped, seven-star hotel.

Nakheel, the Dubai Government’s property developer, declined to say how much the tower would cost or the overall value of the development. Designed by the Australian architects Woods Bagot, it is to include 40 other towers, between 20 and 90 floors each, a canal system and harbour.

“It will truly be a magnificent engineering feat,” said Chris O’Donnell, the chief executive of Nakheel.

Work on the tower’s foundations is already under way and is expected to take three years.

Nakheel will finance the development by pre-selling apartments and the 270 hectares of land surrounding the project, as well as bank loans, it said.
Despite the global credit crunch and a slowdown in financing for construction projects, Mr O’Donnell said Tall Tower would proceed because it was being developed over a decade.

“What’s happening globally is just a normal economic cycle,” he said. “There might be a slowdown but there definitely won’t be a crash as the fundamentals of the Middle East market are just too strong. A building project of this type was always going to take 10 years, and we will monitor the economic climate over that period when determining funding for the project.”

Mr O’Donnell added that the global economic slowdown would result in a more sophisticated investor. “Dubai has matured rapidly and property buyers are becoming increasingly discerning,” he said. “They will choose to buy property that is by the water, close to transport hubs or within an iconic project. In these times there will also be a flight to quality.”

Dubai’s property sector already has a number of world records to its name. The Burj Dubai, which is just under a year away from completion, set the record as the world’s tallest free-standing structure on Sept 12 last year when it surpassed the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. Seven months later, it took over the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota to become the tallest man-made structure on earth, while only three weeks ago it was announced that the Burj’s height was more than 688 metres, making it the tallest man-made structure ever built. The Burj will also feature the world’s fastest lift, rising and descending at 18 metres a second. Some 56 lifts will carry roughly 40 people at a time.

Palm Deira, which is also being developed by Nakheel, is destined to be the largest man-made island in the world, five times bigger than The Palm Jebel Ali and more than seven times bigger than the almost-finished Palm Jumeirah. Nakheel has said it will be half the size of Paris when completed.

Standing at the foot of the Burj Dubai in the emirate’s new downtown district is the Dubai Mall, which will surpass all its rivals to become the largest mall – and set a number of other records – when it opens on Oct 30. Providing 1.12 million square metres of floor space, the building will feature 10 to 15 smaller malls with 1,200 shops. The mall will also have the world’s largest aquarium and largest gold souk, with more than 200 retailers, a 79,000sq/m fashion island with 70 outlets dedicated to high-end clothing, a Les Galeries Lafayette department store – the first outside Europe – and an Olympic-sized ice skating rink.

But Nakheel could be outshone this week at Cityscape if Meraas Investment Company, the private equity firm of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announces the Dubai City Tower. That structure is rumoured to be 2.41km high, to be built in an area called “Vertical City”.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, kilometre-high towers are planned in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait’s City of Silk development.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Dubai aims to top its own world's tallest tower

With record-breaking tower nearly complete, booming Dubai shoots even higher -- a lot higher

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- With its world's tallest building nearing completion, Dubai said Sunday it is embarking on an even more ambitious skyscraper: one that will soar the length of more than 10 American football fields.

That's about two-thirds of a mile or the height of more than three of New York's Chrysler Buildings stacked end-to-end.

Babel had nothing on this place.

"This is unbelievably groundbreaking design," Chief Executive Chris O'Donnell said during a briefing at the company's sales center, not far from the proposed site. "This still takes my breath away."

The tower, which will take more than a decade to complete, will be the centerpiece of a sprawling development state-owned builder Nakheel plans to create in the rapidly growing "New Dubai" section of the city. Foundation work has already begun, O'Donnell said.

The area is located between two of the city's artificial palm-shaped islands, which Nakheel also built. The project will include a manmade inland harbor and 40 additional towers up to 90 floors high.

About 150 elevators will carry residents and workers to the Nakheel Tower's more than 200 floors, the company said. The building will be composed of four separate towers joined at various levels and centered on an open atrium.

"It does show a lot of confidence in this environment" of worldwide credit problems and a souring global economy, said Marios Maratheftis, Standard Chartered Bank's Dubai-based regional head of research.

As part of government-run conglomerate Dubai World, Nakheel has played a major role in creating modern-day Dubai, a city that has blossomed from a tiny Persian Gulf fishing and pearling village into a major business and tourism hub in a matter of decades.

Besides the growing archipelago of man-made islands for which it is best known, Nakheel is responsible for a number of the city's malls, hotels and hundreds of apartment buildings.

The company said the new project is inspired by Islamic design and draws inspiration from sites such as the Alhambra in Spain and the harbor of Alexandria in Egypt.

"There is nothing like it in Dubai," said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Nakheel's chairman.

Perhaps not quite. But Dubai is already home to the world's tallest building, even if it remains unfinished.

That skyscraper, the Burj Dubai, or Dubai Tower in Arabic, is being built by Nakheel's chief competitor, Emaar Properties.

Emaar has kept the final height of the silvery steel-and-glass tower a closely guarded secret, saying only that it stood at a "new record height" of 2,257 feet at the start of last month. It's due to be finished next September.

The final height of Nakheel's proposed tower is likewise a secret, as is the price tag. The company would only say it will be more than a kilometer (3,281 feet) tall.

O'Donnell said he was confident that Nakheel could pay for the project despite the financial troubles roiling the world's economy.

He also brushed aside concerns by some analysts that Dubai's property market is becoming overheated and due for a potentially sharp correction.

"In Dubai, demand outstrips supply," he said. "There might be a slowdown, but there definitely won't be a crash."

Nakheel announces kilometre high skyscraper



The structure will be the centre-piece of an inner-city harbour set to become the emirate's new, unofficial capital


After more than three years on the drawing board, Nakheel has announced that it is to build a skyscraper that will be more than one kilometre high, the tallest in the world — but only minutes down the road from the current tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai.

The tower will be the centrepiece of the Nakheel Harbour and Tower development, which is planned close to Ibn Battuta shopping mall on the Sheikh Zayed Road.

Industry insiders have said that the tower could reach as high as 1.4 kilometres when finished, making it almost double the height of Emaar Properties’ Burj Dubai, which is expected to reach over 800 metres when completed towards the end of next year.

Nakheel declined to disclose the cost of the tower, which has been designed by Australian architects Woods Bagot, or the overall value of the development, which will include 40 other towers of between 20 and 90 floors, along with a canal system and harbour.

“It will truly be a magnificent engineering feat,” said Chris O’Donnell, the chief executive of Nakheel.

Foundation work on the tower is already under way and is expected to take three years to complete.

Nakheel will finance the development through a combination of pre-sales of apartments, the sale of 270 hectares of land surrounding the project and bank loans.

Despite the global credit crunch and a slowdown in financing for construction projects, Mr O’Donnell said he was confident that the project would be built successfully, owing to the fact it would be developed over 10 years. “What’s happening globally is just a normal economic cycle,” he said.

“There might be a slowdown but there definitely won’t be a crash as the fundamentals of the Middle East market are just too strong. A building project of this type was always going to take 10 years, and we will monitor the economic climate over that period when determining funding for the project.”

Mr O’Donnell added that the current global economic slowdown would result in a more discerning investor.

“Dubai has matured rapidly and property buyers are becoming increasingly discerning. They will choose to buy property that is by the water, close to transport hubs or within an iconic project,” he said

“In these times there will also be a flight to quality.”

But Nakheel could be outshone in the next few days at this week’s Cityscape if Meraas, the private equity firm of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announces its tall tower. An advertisement on the Cityscape website yesterday showed a teaser image of the Atrium City Tower, a design by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill that would rise higher than any tower ever built.

Other tall towers planned for the Middle East include a kilometre-high tower in Saudi Arabia, along with another kilometre-high tower in Kuwait’s City of Silk development.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Tall Order: Super Skyscraper Plan

It will be more than 1km high, have 150 lifts and will take over 10 years to construct, say the developers of what could become the world's tallest building.

The Islamic design-inspired Nakheel Tower will be the centre piece of a multi-billion pound inner-city harbour development in Dubai.

Its makers claim it will be so tall that the tower will experience five different microclimatic conditions above its height.

And high speed shuttle lifts will mean people will be able to see the sunset twice - from the bottom and again from the top of the building.

Nakheel - the company that created man-made islands in the shapes of a palm tree and the world - is behind the build.

Its chief executive officer, Christopher O'Donnell, cautiously told a news conference: "From our perspective, we are building a tower that's going to be over 1km in height.

"This is a complete iconic development. It may be the tallest. Someone may build something taller."

But "tallest building" claims are notoriously difficult to make. Debates about what counts as a candidate include whether buildings under construction should be considered and whether roof-top antennas count.

What is certain is that the tower will climb above the current holder of the "world's tallest building" position - the Emirate's own Burj Dubai.

Asked if the firm was worried about embarking on such a development during a global financial crisis, Mr O'Donnell said: "It was always going to be a project that would take 10 years-plus.

"When you go about trying to fund a project like this, you have to take account of the economic cycles."

The company would not comment on how much the tower will cost to build.

Also:

Nakheel is to trump rival Emaar Properties in the contest to build the world's tallest building, with the Dubai-owned developer on Sunday unveiling plans for a tower that will dwarf the Burj Dubai.

Nakheel is poised to build a tower that will be more than one kilometre high, as part of a 140 billion-dirham ($38.12 billion) project that will include the world’s first inner city harbour, company executives said.

Emaar's Burj Dubai, currently the tallest man made structure in the world at over 630 metres, is expected to be up to 900 metres tall upon completion in early 2009. The company has refused to reveal its final height.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Latest Al Burj Tall Tower render

Here is the latest render of what the Al Burj tower might look like. The tower is suppose to be 1400 meters, 1.4 km tall when completed. But if you put the renders in photoshop and count pixels it only comes out to about 1200 meters...

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Dubai Vertical City,2.4KM (1.5 Miles) Tall

Dubai - Stretching its six intertwining building components into a tower 2.4 kilometres high, Dubai City Tower is expected to be the latest architectural vision to capture the attention of citizens. The ‘Vertical City’, as it is described, is an architect’s proposal that began circulating in emails and at a skycraper forum last week, but its origins are yet to be determined The professional project pitch details 400 habitable stories, topped by a 400m energy-producing spire, making it 2.4km high. By comparison, Emaar’s Burj Dubai is largely predicted to be around 800m high and 160 floors. A “mile-high tower” in Jeddah has been planned by Kingdom Holdings, while Nakheel is building Al Burj, which, according to project sources, will have a final height of 1.28km, although the developer is keeping the details under wraps.


But neither an architect nor a developer detailed on the plans for the Dubai City Tower. Major developers Emaar, Nakheel, Dubai Properties and Damac categorically denied to Khaleej Times any involvement or awareness of the project. However, the proposal of such an engineering feat is indicative of the environment of possibilities Dubai has created for tall towers, according to Steven Oehme, Regional Director of Value Management and Sustainability at Hyder Consulting Middle East. “It is certainly possible,” Oehme said. “You can’t just use today’s technology, but it can be planned and the possibilities are there. Fifteen years ago, there was nothing even half the height of the Burj Dubai.” The time frame from drawing board to construction and completion for such developments, in this case termed a super-tall skyscraper, often banks on future technologies.


A “Mega-city Pyramid” proposed for Tokyo Bay in Japan needs a structure of incredibly strong, light materials still being developed. While Burj Dubai is expected to be completed in September 2009, five years after the construction started, the one-kilometre-high tower Mubarak Al Kabir in Kuwait is estimated to take 25 years to complete since its announcement was made last year. Oehme said the flurry of architect proposals, and buildings under construction, could speed up technology and encourage more investment in tall towers. “People didn’t really see the significance of building that tall,” he said. “There wasn’t an environment that supported a building that tall. The Petronas Towers in Malaysia changed all that.” They held the mantle for nearly a decade.”


Now, in the Gulf region, Burj Dubai is a year from completion. Khaleej Times has learnt Al Burj plans are being finalised and recently Timelinks announced plans for the Ziggurat, a 1.2-kilometre-high pyramid city to house one million people. Oehme said the feasibility of a project like Dubai City Tower was highly technical and wondered how many of the proposals would materialise. “It’s not just a matter of scaling things up. Every factor has to be considered. In ten years there could be two or three tall towers in the region or there could be 20 or 30. But now, our understanding of tall towers is enormous,” Oehme said.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Al Burj Photo update September 6th 2008

Here is two photos of the current cunstruction at the Al Burj aka Tall Tower site. You can now clearly see the future circle shaped floorplate, they put steelframes in the holes just like they did with the Chicago Spire.


Sunday, July 20, 2008

Contest for tallest tower in the Gulf heats up

Dubai: Competition to build the world's tallest tower is hotting up in the Gulf as developers continue to battle it out with their increasingly ambitious designs and dizzying heights.

A report by Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) last week had said Nakheel was planning to increase the height of its Al Burj project to 1.4 kilometres, making it almost double the height of Emaar's Burj Dubai, which is said to be around 750 to 815 metres long. However, Nakheel has denied the report. A spokesperson for Nakheel said yesterday that the design of the project was still being finalised, but height won't necessarily be the focus of the tower.

"Although the project will be a significant architectural structure, it's worth noting that an iconic building doesn't necessarily have to be the tallest. For example, Sydney Opera House is an iconic building admired around the world and its worldwide appeal is not based on height," the spokesperson said. The Al Burj project had originally been planned at Dubai waterfront with an initial height of 1,050 metres. The project will now come up near Ibn Battuta Mall, a source told Gulf News.

Mall development

According to the MEED report, Ibn Battuta is increasing its retail space to 250,000 square metres, with entertainment attractions, including a roller coaster on top of the mall itself. Nakheel said further details on the tower are expected to be released by the end of this year. Meanwhile, there are rumours that the proposed Saudi Arabian mile-high tower will fall short of the hyped mile.

According to sources, the tower could reach 5,250 feet, four times the size of the Empire State Building in New York, with a development value of £5 billion. Unless you suffer from vertigo and if you can take the heady heights, from the top of the tower you'll be rewarded with an unparalleled view of the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Ocean.

The project is being overseen by Saudi Prince Al Walid Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, under his company, Kingdom Holdings, in a joint venture with London firms Hyder Consulting and Arup. Graham Whitehead, head of corporate communications at Hyder Consulting headquarters in London, told Gulf News that a confidentiality agreement had been signed between the parties involved and hence no details could be released. Although the height and design specifications can't be released until Kingdom Holdings gives permission, a spokesperson for Hyder Consulting in Dubai said: "They are aiming for the tallest building in the world."

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Al Burj vs Burj Dubai vs Sears Tower vs Chicago spire

Here is some comparisons of Al Burj vs Burj Dubai vs Sears Tower vs Chicago spire.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Nakheel increases height of Tall Tower to 1.4 kilometres

Tallest skyscraper in the world will be the centrepiece of Ibn Battuta Mall.

Local developer Nakheel is finalising plans for the world's tallest tower in Dubai. The scheme involves constructing a 1.4 kilometre-tall tower next to the Ibn Battuta Mall in the Jebel Ali area.The Tall Tower project had involved plans for a 1,050 metre-tall building, but it is understood these designs have now been revised upwards to make it the tallest skyscraper in the world. At 1.4km it is almost double the height of Emaar's Burj Dubai, which is expected to reach about 815 metres, and several hundred metres taller than rival towers in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. A spokesman for Nakheel confirms designs for the tower are being finalised and says a launch is expected this year.

Earlier designs for the project showed a building with 228 floors, a four-level basement and one service sub-level – a total built-up area of 1.49 million square metres with 492,000 sq m of useable space. The tower will house offices, apartments and hotels. In the original 1,050 metre design, the highest habitable floor was at 850 metres, topped by a 200-metre central spire with a three-level function area and three service floors (MEED 10:8:08).

Nakheel's tower will be the focal point of its plans for the Ibn Battuta Mall development next to Jumeirah islands and Jumeirah Lake Towers. The Tall Tower will be flanked by about 20 smaller towers of up to 90 storeys that will be next to the revamped shopping mall. Work has started on changing the layout of the mall ahead of the proposed expansion, which will double its existing retail area to 250,000 sq m by building retail space over existing parking areas between the mall and the metro. The expansion will also include entertainment attractions and a roller-coaster on top of the mall.

The Tall Tower was originally called the Pinnacle and destined for Palm Jumeirah, before becoming part of the Dubai Waterfront scheme when it was renamed Al-Burj. The consultancy team for the tower includes UK-based WSP, US-based Leslie E Robertson Associates and Australia's Woods Bagot. The project is just one of several skyscraper projects under development in the Gulf that could claim the title of the world's tallest building. Saudi-based Kingdom Holding had planned to build a tower in Jeddah that was expected to be one mile high (1,609 metres). However, these plans are understood to have been scaled back and the final height of the building could be about 1,100 metres.

Like Nakheel's Tall Tower and the Burj Dubai, the tower will form part of a wider 5.4 sq km real estate project planned by Kingdom Holding. Another masterplanned community anchored by a tall tower is Kuwait's City of Silk. The Burj Mubarak is expected to be 1,001 metres tall. In Bahrain, Danish architect Henning Larsens Tegnestue (HLT) has completed design work for a 1,022 metre-tall tower. If all these projects go ahead, and no other 1,000 metre-plus towers are built in other regions, the Gulf will be home to the five tallest buildings in the world.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Al Burj construction photos map and plot sign

This is the Map View and the red spots are where the pics were taken from.



his is from area 1 with the red square around it, looks like the 'Tall Tower' site office.



This is a panoramic from the spot with the 5 spokes coming out of it.



This is the equipment on the 'Tall Tower' site, which the guards were so nice enough to confirm.







These two images are of the plot signs.


Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Engineering the worlds tallest towers

Engineering the worlds tallest towers, click on image for full size!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Possible Al Burj location

Here is a photo of the Al Burj location plot, you can see here very clearly where the site is in relation with Dubai Marina and JLT.


Photographer: soennecken
Date: 29/05/2008
Altitude: 20,000 ft (zoom used)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Large high resolution photos of Al Burj plot

In the first photo the Al Burj construction site is at the far left about half way up the photo. In the second photo its at the bottom center of the photo, you can clearly see the cranes and construction equipment. There will be a new city built around the Al Burj and the city of Dubai will expand greatly due to this massive project. Their are rumors the current power plant will be disassembled and a French company will build a new nuclear power plant for the city of Dubai and the greater UAE.

Click on the photos for full size:

Monday, May 19, 2008

Al Burj in New York City or Chicago

If the Al Burj was built in New York City or Chicago what would it look like? Here is a couple comparisons that show just how tall this building when its complete. Current FAA regulations cap the maximum height of skyscrapers in the USA at 2,000 feet. The Chicago Spire is currently the highest a building can be built in the USA...

Al Burj plot location photos

Here is two photos of the Al Burj plot, the first photo shows the location of this project and its location within the city of Dubai.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Dubai will become city of supertowers

Dubai: The city will have the largest number of supertowers - buildings that rise more than 100 habitable floors - as five more will be added to the seven under development, Gulf News has learnt.

The new supertowers are part of a cluster of 11 projects worth Dh25 billion to be built in a major master-planned development that will be announced in October.

"All five supertowers will be about 600 metres tall - rising more than 100 floors. These are some of the most unique projects incorporating the latest building technologies and consuming up to 60 per cent less energy," Adrian Smith, who designed Burj Dubai - currently the world's tallest tower - told Gulf News in an exclusive interview.

His firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects, is designing the projects.

Thirteen supertowers are currently under development worldwide, including seven in Dubai. The five new ones will change the equation heavily in favour of the emirate.

The supertowers already announced in Dubai include Al Burj, Burj Al Alam, Princess Tower, Marina 101 and Pentominum.

Monday, May 5, 2008

5 supertowers to be built in Dubai

Five more skyscrapers with more than 100 floors each will be built in Dubai, according to a report.

The new supertowers will be part of a cluster of 11 projects worth Dh25 billion ($7 billion) to be built in a major master-planned development that will be announced in October, said the Gulf News report.

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects is designing the projects, it said.

All five supertowers will be about 600 metres tall and incoroporate the latest building technologies, Adrian Smith, who designed Burj Dubai, was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

Thirteen supertowers are currently under development worldwide, including seven in Dubai. The five new ones will make Dubai the city with the largest number of supertowers - buildings with more than 100 habitable floors.

The supertowers already announced in Dubai include Al Burj, Burj Al Alam, Princess Tower, Marina 101 and Pentominum.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

The taller towers of tomorrow

The world has a new tallest building. Last week it was announced that, rising above the desert coast of the Persian Gulf, the Burj Dubai became taller than any other structure on the planet. And it's not even due to stop climbing until 2009. According to a press release issued by its developers, Burj Dubai currently stands at 629 meters, at least one meter taller than the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, which has held the mantle of world's tallest structure on and off since 1963. Burj Dubai is already taller than the CN Tower (553.33m), the tallest free-standing structure in the world and Taipei 101 (508m), the world's tallest building which has floors throughout.

The exact final height of the Burj Dubai is a closely guarded secret, anything between 700m and 818m (the latter making it roughly twice the height of the Empire State Building) is reported. It is also reported that its total number of habitable floors will be around 162. The arrival of the Burj Dubai, moreover, heralds a new age of skyscraper design that promises to rival the astonishing rise of 20th-century American cities.

Since the completion of the Sears Tower in 1973, the height of the world's tallest buildings has stalled around the 450m mark. For over 30 years, the construction of taller skyscrapers has been held back by two difficulties: building enough elevators to reach the top and a diminished fervour for record-breaking buildings.

The Burj Dubai is only the first of a new generation of skyscrapers that will see that desire unbound and push the record over 1,000m, into the kilometre-high club and beyond: buildings as tall as a mile high. In Dubai, the proposed Al Burj could stand as tall as 1,200m (down from the initial proposal of 1,600m, or just under a mile). Further up the Gulf in Kuwait, Burj Mubarak Al-Kabir could tower as high as 1,001m, although its UK-based architects, Eric Kuhne and Associates, admit that such a structure is likely to take 25 years to build and require triple-decker elevators to make it feasible.

Then, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, preliminary designs for a building provisionally called the Mile-high Tower is about to be put out for tender, according to Meed, a business intelligence service covering the Middle East. Apparently you will be able to see North Africa from the top.

Away from the Gulf (credit crunch permitting), we can expect the International Business Centre in Seoul possibly some time next year weighing in at 580m and then Foster and Partners' Russia Tower which will soar above Moscow at 612m, all of which puts the current hoo-hah about tall buildings in London into perspective.

But it's not outside the realms of possibility that London could one day join the mile-high club. Indeed, preliminary plans for a super-tall tower rising above St Paul's were drawn up as early as 2005. Populararchitecture describes its Super Tower as a building "of unprecedented scale conceived not as a building so much as a vertical extrusion of the city - a new town in the sky complete with parks, public squares, schools and hospitals."

It would rise 1,500m above London, be hollow of structure and have great gaping holes - hundreds of metres in the air - to let in the light. Of course, several engineering and logistical challenges have to be overcome to break into this new bracket of super-tall buildings, while questions about their economic and environmental sustainability also have to be asked. But the sheer audacity of these designs is simply so striking.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Nakheel trumps Emaar with 1,200m tower

Dubai developer Nakheel is to build a tower 1,200 metres high, comfortably surpassing the Burj Dubai as the tallest building in the world, a source at a company working on the project has told ArabianBusiness.com.

The source at Australian architects Woods Bagot, which was recently awarded a contract for the project, said the tower is to be located on the Arabian Canal, a $61 billion project being developed by Limitless.

Both Limitless and Nakheel are part of state-owned conglomerate Dubai World.
The source would not reveal the name of the project, which is commonly referred to as Al Burj or the Tall Tower.

Nakheel confirmed to ArabianBusiness.com that it was working with Woods Bagot, but said it could not discuss details about the project.

"We are still finalising the design concept of a new project involving an iconic structure - Woods Bagot are a consultant on this project," Nakheel said in a statement.

"As we are still in the design concept stage, it would be premature to discuss any details at this early stage."

At 1,200 metres high Al Burj would be significantly taller than Emaar Properties' Burj Dubai, which is expected to be up to 900 metres once complete in early 2009, although the final height remains a closely guarded secret.

Speculation over whether Nakheel would trump rival Emaar in the race to build the world's tallest tower has been rife ever since the developer announced the Al Burj project back in 2006.

The tower was initially planned to be over a kilometre high and form part of Nakheel's Dubai Waterfront development, but the location was changed.

The tower is now expected to be built between Jumeirah Lake Towers and Ibn Battuta Mall close to Sheikh Zayed Road, according to Construction Week.

The magazine revealed in January that French company Soletanche Bachy had begun piling work on the project.

Nakheel told ArabianBusiness.com the location had yet to be finalised.

"The location of the project has not yet been confirmed, as we are currently conducting test piling to ascertain the suitability of a potential site,” the developer said.

The project is expected to be officially launched "sometime toward the end of the first half of this year", a company spokesperson told ArabianBusiness.com in January.

The Arabian Canal project will include a 75-kilometre canal and extensive waterfront development stretching inland from Dubai Waterfront in Jebel Ali, passing to the east of the Dubai World Central development before turning back towards the Palm Jumeirah.

Limitless is spending around $11 billion to build the canal alone, and another $50 billion on a sprawling 20,000-hectare development that will stretch for 33 kilometres along the inland section of the waterway.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/51573...0m-tower?ln=en

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Al Burj location on a diagram map

Al Burj will be next to JLT and Discovery Gardens and opposite of Dubai marina.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Al Burj could go as high as 1462 meters

There are some renders out that show the Al Burj at a height of 1462 meters, here is the renders that ive collected. Please take this news with caution as Nakheel hasn't released the official designs yet to the public.




You may want to also look at these renders as well:

New SkyCity of Dubai part one
New SkyCity of Dubai part two

Monday, March 3, 2008

The new skycity of Dubai part 2

The new skycity of Dubai part 2

Here is some possible renders of what the Al Burj will look like on its completion, please remember design changes may take place this is a extremely early render of the building.




The new skycity of Dubai

Here is some possible renders of what the Al Burj will look like on its completion, please remember design changes may take place this is a extremely early render of the building.



Sunday, March 2, 2008

Al Burj site photo update March 2nd 2008

Here is some updated construction photos taken on March 1st 2008 at the Al Burj site.



Sunday, February 24, 2008

Twice as high as Burj Dubai

Twice as high as Burj Dubai

A Middle Eastern real estate company have asked British firm Hyder Consulting to design a structure that will be twice as tall as the Burj Dubai - making it the world's tallest tower.

Speaking at a construction forum in Abu Dhabi last week, Andy Davids, Hyder Consulting's director of structures, told weekly magazine MEED that the tower would be located in the Middle East region.

Contacted by ArabianBusiness.com on Thursday, Hyder Consulting's design and structures team did not provide any further details on the project.
Hyder has been working on Emaar Properties' Burj Dubai, currently the world's tallest structure being built in Dubai and scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008.

Burj Dubai, which is the world's tallest structure, has now reached a height of 604.9 metres (1985 feet) with 159 floors completed, with a final rumoured height to be 818 metres. Burj Dubai is currently taller than the world's tallest completed building, Taiwan's Taipei 101 and more than 40 metres higher than the world's tallest free-standing structure, Toronto's CN Tower.

Three proposed sky-scraper projects in the Gulf are taking am at Burj Dubai's crown as the world's tallest.

In Saudi Arabia, Kingdom Holding has proposed the Mile High Tower in Jeddah, which would rise to 1,600 metres if completed.

Burj Mubarak Al-Kabir in Kuwait's City of Silk is proposed to be 1,001 metres and Nakheel's Al Burj in Dubai is planned to reach 1,200 metres.

ArabianBusiness.com on February 14 published the first aerial films and photos of Burj Dubai's breakthrough the 600-metre mark.

The aerial footage of the landmark building was taken via a helicopter ride over Dubai on February 2, a day after developer Emaar confirmed the 600 metre-mark had been breached.

The newswire is presenting the spectacular films and photographs as part of a landmark special report, The World Exclusive, commemorating the completion of The World islands in Dubai after nearly five years in development.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Hyder Consulting designing a 1000+ meter tall structure

The UK's Hyder Consulting is designing a structure that will be twice as tall as the Burj Dubai, according to a consultant involved with the project - making it by far the tallest tower in the world.

Speaking at MEED's Arabian World Construction Summit in Abu Dhabi, Andy Davids, Hyder Consulting's director of structures, confirmed that the tower would be located in the Middle East region, but would not give any further details.

Hyder has been working on Emaar Properties' Burj Dubai, which is under construction in Dubai and due to be completed at the end of 2008.

Burj Dubai reached 598.5m and 158 floors last month, over 90m higher than the world's tallest building, Taiwan's Taipei 101 and more than 40m higher than the world's tallest free-standing structure, Toronto's CN Tower. Its final height is rumoured to be 818m.

Kingdom Holding Company has proposed a skyscraper in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah, the Mile High Tower, which would rise to 1,600m if completed.

Other super-tall buildings planned in the Gulf are Burj Mubarak Al-Kabir in Kuwait's City of Silk, which is expected to hit 1,001m, and Al Burj in Dubai, which is planned to reach 1,200m

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Al Burj piling work has started

The piling test used will be the same as the Pentominium, and the foundations of Al Burj will be 148.65 -151.55m deep. You will notice the rebar cages are square instead of circular. This is because they are going to build slurrywalls around the foundation.




Saturday, February 2, 2008

Dubai's real estate ambitions soar higher

DUBAI - Even as this west Asian metropolis awaits the completion of the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, towards the end of this year, work on its rival, also in Dubai, has started. French firm Solantache Bachy has started work on the building, tentatively named Al Burj or “Tall Tower”, being developed by the Dubai government-owned real estate giant Nakheel, according to local media reports.

When completed, the Al Burj will be over a kilometre tall and will compete with Emaar Properties’ Burj Dubai, which is unofficially the tallest manmade structure in the world as of now. Though Emaar has kept the Burj Dubai’s final height a closely guarded secret, it is expected to be 900 metres tall when completed.

Although the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat officially recognizes the height of a building only when it is completed, the Burj Dubai, being built at a cost of $4.2 billion, surpassed the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, as the world’s largest free-standing structure in September last year. A spokesman for Nakheel told Construction Week magazine that Solantache Bachy has started testing work on the site of the Al Burj.

Previous reports suggested that Nakheel would officially unveil the project by announcing the award of the contract in March, but another Nakheel official told the Arabian Business website that a more realistic date would be towards the end of the first half of this year. Initial designs show the Al Burj as having all of 228 floors with a four-level basement and one service sub-level. According to Construction Week, the total built up area will be 1.49 million square metres, with 492,000 square metres of usable space. The development will house offices, apartments and hotels.

The highest habitable floor will be at 850 metres, which will be topped by a 200-metre central spire with a three-level function area and three service floors.Though the super-tall structure was originally proposed to be built in the Dubai Waterfront area, the location has now been moved to between Jumeirah Lake Towers and Ibn Battuta Mall on Sheikh Zayed Road, an area marked by a large number of skyscrapers.

Meanwhile, head of Nakheel’s building division Robeert Lee told local media in an interview that the Al Burj would be a combination of offices and residential apartments.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Nakheel tight-lipped on Burj Dubai rival

TALLEST TOWER: An initial artist's impression of Nakheel's Al Burj.Dubai-owned developer Nakheel on Wednesday remained tight-lipped about details of its rival to the Burj Dubai, refusing to reveal the building’s final height, when it will be finished or even its name. Work has now begun on the site of the building, commonly called Al Burj or the Tall Tower, intensifying speculation over whether Nakheel is planning to take the Burj Dubai's crown as the tallest building in the world.

According to initial designs that put Al Burj at over a kilometre high, the building would easily overtake Emaar Properties' Burj Dubai as the world's tallest. The Burj Dubai is expected to be around 900 metres upon completion at the end of this year, although the final height remains a closely guarded secret. A spokesperson for Nakheel said the company was still finalising details for the structure and was unable to reveal its height or when it would be completed. "They're [the details of the project] not yet available," the spokesperson told ArabianBusiness.com. On the name of the building, the spokesperson said Al Burj was a "working title".

Previous reports have stated the project will be officially unveiled in March, but the spokesperson said that date was unrealistic and a launch would more likely take place "sometime toward the end of the first half of this year".

The Al Burj project has been under development for some time, first announced back in 2006. The tower was initially planned to form part of the Dubai Waterfront development, but the location was moved to between Jumeirah Lake Towers and Ibn Battuta Mall on Sheikh Zayed Road. Magazine Construction Week on Tuesday revealed French company Soletanche Bachy was tipped to win the piling and foundations contract for Al Burj, citing sources close to the project.

RELATED: Work begins on Nakheel's Al Burj

Initial designs for the tower indicate there will be 228 floors, a four level basement and one service sub-level. The total built up area will be 1.49 million square metres, with 492,000 square metres of usable space. The development will house offices, apartments and hotels. The top habitable floor will be at 850 metres, topped by a 200-metre central spire with a three level function area and three service floors.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Work begins on Nakheel's Al Burj

From arabianbusiness.com

French company Soletanche Bachy is tipped to win the piling and foundations contract for what is expected to become the tallest building in the world, Nakheel’s Al Burj, sources close to the project told Construction Week on Tuesday.

With initial designs putting Al Burj, or the Tall Tower, at over a kilometre high, the building will easily overtake Emaar Properties' Burj Dubai as the world's tallest.

The Burj Dubai is expected to be around 900 metres upon completion at the end of this year, although the final height remains a closely guarded secret.

A spokesperson for Nakheel denied an official award had been made, but confirmed the French company had begun some work on the project.

The spokesperson said testing work had been done on site and an official launch was planned in March.

A source at Soletanche Bachy’s Dubai office confirmed the Tall Tower was among the projects it was working on.

It is common practice in the region for companies to start work on projects prior to actually winning the contract.

Al Burj was initially planned to form part of the Dubai Waterfront development, but the location was moved to between Jumeirah Lake Towers and Ibn Battuta Mall on Sheikh Zayed Road.

RELATED: World record Al Burj looking for new home

Initial designs for the tower indicate there will be 228 floors, a four level basement and one service sub-level.

The total built up area will be 1.49 million square metres, with 492,000 square metres of usable space. The development will house offices, apartments and hotels.

The top habitable floor will be at 850 metres, topped by a 200-metre central spire with a three level function area and three service floors.

Among the consultants working on the project are the UK’s WSP, US-based LERA, Australia’s Van Der Meer Consulting (VDM) and Olive Group, while foundation-engineering company Fugro Middle East has just completed soil investigations on the site.

Soletanche Bachy was recently awarded a foundations contract for the Norman Foster-designed Russia Tower in Moscow with the STT Group. At 612 metres high it will be the tallest building in Europe.

The company also worked on the foundations for the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and constructed the 2.4-kilometre long canal on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

Al Burj location on a diagram map

Here is the Al Burj location on a diagram map, you will notice the new location if further away from the sea then the previous location.. I feel this is a smart move on their part if you believe in global warming and future sea level rise.

Soletanche Bachy at Al Burj site update

Soletanche Bachy,a French company was awarded the piling contract of Al Burj and their on the project site... Here is some more photos of the work going on at the Al Burj site.