Dubai tower reaches major milestone - 21 January 2010
Atkins has celebrated the topping out of the 32-storey Iris Bay office and retail tower at Business Bay in Dubai.
The £60 million tower – designed, engineered and project managed by Atkins – comprises two identical double curved shells which are rotated and cantilevered over a four-storey podium, underneath which are three levels of basement and underground parking for 920 cars.
The topping out ceremony brought together the site supervision team, the client and key members of the design team to celebrate the milestone, which culminated in the last structural slabs being poured on top of the 170m tall structure.
“We’re delighted the project has quietly but successfully advanced to this milestone stage,” says Hesham Abdelaziz Gabr, Atkins resident engineer for the project. “It was a real challenge to meet the demands of the unique design, but working alongside the contractor to resolve on-site issues, with the coordination and support of the design teams here in Dubai, we have been able to keep the project fully on track.”
Atkins was commissioned in 2006 as lead consultants for architecture, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering design, and project management for the entire development by client Sheth Estate International.
The project was an early opportunity for Atkins to explore the challenges of sustainable design in a hot climate and incorporates both passive and active environmental features. The distinctive ovoid shape creates areas of negative pressure that draw air through the building and reduce dependence on mechanical ventilation.
The rear elevation is a continuous vertical curve punctuated by balconies while the front elevation is made up of seven zones of rotated glass. This includes naturally ventilated spaces and integrated solar energy and shading films in the glass façade.
Atkins is due to hand over the project to the client this summer, once the building's shell and core are complete.
Ends
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Notes to editors:
Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is one of the world's leading engineering and design consultancies. We have the depth and breadth of technical expertise to respond both to the complex challenges of major infrastructure projects, and the urgent transition to a low-carbon economy. Whether it’s the concept for a new skyscraper, the upgrade of a rail network, the modelling of a flood defence system or the improvement of a management process, we plan, design and enable solutions.
Recent projects include:
• Major infrastructure works, such as the design and programme management of the civil works for the Dubai Metro red and green lines;
• High profile transport planning and urban design – our innovative scheme to deliver a diagonal crossing at London’s Oxford Circus has helped tackle the problem of pedestrian crowding;
• Key rail projects – providing architectural and engineering design services on London’s Crossrail, Europe’s biggest civil engineering project, and designing stations, tunnelling and track systems on Gautrain, South Africa’s first high speed line.
• Multidisciplinary building design – North Road Primary School in Darlington is an exemplar project which raises standards for environmental design and community engagement;
• Vital water and environmental projects – as part of a joint venture, Atkins is providing technical assistance to the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme in Nigeria, which will benefit up to three million people.
Atkins was named among the 20 Best Big Companies to Work For 2009 by The Sunday Times; The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2009; and The Times Top 50 Companies Where Women Want to Work 2009. The company was construction and civil engineering sector winner for the fourth consecutive year in the Target National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2009.
Atkins is the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.