Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi About Capital Tower
Capital Gate is a mixed use skyscraper in Abu Dhabi adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre designed with a striking lean. At 160 m (520 ft) and 35 storeys, it is one of the tallest buildings in the city and features a dramatic 18 degree incline to the west. The owner and developer of Capital Gate is Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company. The tower is the focal point of the Capital Centre/ Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre master development.
General information Location
Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
Coordinates Status Ground-breaking Estimated completion Use
24°25′07″N 54°26′05″E Completed September 2007 Late 2010 Commercial offices and Hotel
Height Roof
160 m (520 ft)
Technical details Floor count Floor area
35 53100 M2
Companies involved Architect(s) Contractor Owner
RMJM Dubai Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company
World records
In June 2010, the Guinness Book of World Records certified Capital Gate as the “World’s furthest leaning man-made tower.” The new record shows that the Capital Gate tower has been built to lean 18 degrees westwards; more than four times that of the world famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Investigation and evaluation, which was made by a Guinness appointed awards committee, started in January 2010, when the exterior was completed. The gravitational pressure caused by the 18 degree incline is countered by the world's first "pre-cambered core"; a technique that utilizes
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi 15,000 cubic metres of concrete reinforced with 10,000 tons of steel with the core deliberately built slightly off centre. It has straightened as the building has risen, compressing the concrete and giving it strength, and moving into (vertical) position as the weight of the floors has been added. . Capital Gate is also anchored to the Earth by 490 piles which are drilled over 30m deep.
Architecture and design
The building has an extraordinary exoskeleton or “diagrid” to absorb and channel the forces created by wind and seismic pressure as well as the gradient of Capital Gate. Each and every element of the grid is unique in geometry.
Capital Gate is thought to be the Middle East's first building to use a diagrid; others around the world include London's 30 St Mary Axe (Gherkin), New York's Hearst Tower and Beijing's National Stadium.
The Capital Gate project was able to achieve its record inclination through an engineering breakthrough that allows floor plates to be stacked vertically up to the 12th storey and staggered over each other by between 300mm to 1400mm, this allows for the tower’s dramatic lean.
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi Capital Gate was designed by international architectural firm RMJM and was due for completion by the end of 2010.
Upon completion, Capital Gate will house the 5-star Hyatt Capital Gate hotel as well as approximately 20,000sqm of office space. Each room is different as is each pane of façade glass and every interior angle. Its double-glazed façade achieves greater energy efficiency with waste air being pre-cooled between the inner and outer façades, before being expelled, and the glass façade is of low emissivity and is the first time it has been used in the UAE. It keeps the building’s interior cool and eliminates glare, while maintaining transparency.
The distinctive stainless steel ‘splash’ that descends from the 19th floor, is a design element and a shading device that eliminates over 30 percent of the sun’s heat before it reaches the building. The splash also twists around the building towards the south to shield the tower as much as possible from direct sunlight. A cantilevered tea lounge overhangs the tower’s exterior, 80m above the ground, with an internal diagrid used to create a tapered, 60m high atrium. The tower’s foundation is a dense mesh of reinforced steel above 490 piles, drilled 32 meters underground.
Project Time
Project Details
Cost of the project was
$233 million
Labour force from different countries
600 people
Subcontractor
400
Height to Architectural Top
165 meters
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi
Total built up Area
Architect
53,100 square meters
RMJM
Project Developer
ADNEC Group
Structural Engineer
RMJM
MEP Engineer
RMJM
Main Contractor:
Al Habtoor Engineering
Façade Consultant:
Hyder Consulting
Façade Contractor
Waagner Biro
Landscape Consultant
Al Khatib Cracknell
Key data
"The Capital Gate is a 160m-tall leaning tower in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The tower inclines at an angle of 18° westward. 14° more than Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa."
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi
The 35-storey building was designed by Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners (RMJM) and is used for mixed commercial purposes, including offices and retail spaces, the Hyatt Capital Gate hotel and a tea house. It has 30 meeting rooms, conference facilities for 1,200 people, a business centre on the ground floor, a helipad and an eight-outlet food court. The $231m project was developed by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC). Construction work on the tower was started in September 2007 and was completed in 2011. Commercial leasing of the tower began in April 2011. In September 2011, the project won the Best Commercial / Mixed Use Project and the Best Overall Project of the Year at the 2011 Cityscape Global Awards for Architecture in Emerging Markets. Capital Gate Hyatt was ready to start operations at the hotel in December 2011. Capital Gate forms the centre of the $2.2bn Capital Centre, a 23-tower business and residential micro city being developed by ADNEC next to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
Structure of the Capital Gate tower The tower is a two-layer design. The central core of the tower leans in the opposite direction to the inclination of the building and straightens with the height. Advanced diagrid technology has been adopted for the building's twisted design. It is the first tower in Abu Dhabi to use the technique. The building depends on the diagrid lattice arrangement of the façade which s the tilting external load and provides structural integrity.
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi The technology used consumes less structural steel than conventional frames, reducing costs and environmental impact. A triangular structure with a diagonal beam is used for the formation of the diagrid. The technology has been used for structures such as the Swiss Re building in London, Hearst Tower in New York and CCTV headquarters tower in Beijing.
Construction of the 160m-tall leaning tower The building is constructed on a 2m-high concrete raft. The raft in turn is positioned on 490 piles, drilled 30m underground to withstand wind, seismic and gravitational forces caused because of its inclination. The basement for the tower has been densely reinforced and required a concrete pour of more than 6,000m³. An 80m-long cone-shaped atrium is built through the upper floors of the building to form open balconies for the hotel rooms. The central core is constructed with pre-stressed concrete using automatic climbing formwork. The total built-up area of 53,100m² includes a basement of 5,500m². About 21,500t of steel is estimated to have been used for the construction of the tower. The diagrid of the entire building is approximately 8,500 structural steel beams. Each diagrid weighs about 15t and is divided into 722 elements. The east side has a decorative splash, designed in the form of a wave, connected with the canopy of the ading Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre grandstand canopy. The splash provides sun shade for the Capital Gate tower and a roof treatment for the centre's grandstand.
Façade of the United Arab Emirates-based tower The façade of the building is made of glass and steel elements which spiral skywards. The glazed s give a striking effect to the 23,000m² façade. It is connected to the concrete core with steel structures.
"The $231m project was developed by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC)." The 728 custom-made glass s fit the considering curvature of the building and form diamond shape. The glazing system, called Cardinal C240, is made of two silver coatings which are transparent, increasing its light transmission. The 16 lower floors with 15,000m2 is used for offices, while the upper 16 levels house Abu Dhabi's first Hyatt International five-star hotel and occupy 25,000m2. The 17th and 18th floors - the halfway point of the building - are constructed with a gigantic internal atrium. It has a cantilevered tea lounge and a swimming pool suspended 80m above the ground on the eastern side of the façade. The top of the lounge is an open sun terrace which gives a clear view of Abu Dhabi and the Gulf.
Contractors involved in Capital Gate
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises was the main contractor involved in the construction of the Capital Gate. Mace Group was the project manager. Designers: This project was a design-and-build project. The architect explains that it had to be because of the types of problems that were encountered during the project. The architect and engineer had to be extremely involved in the project in order to solve problems. (RMJM, 2008)
Civil:
Mechanical and Civil Engineering Contractors Company Limited is based in the United Arab Emirates with itsheadquarters for the region located in the city of Abu Dhabi. MACE provides a vast range of services tomunicipalities and oil companies encoming all aspects of construction and maintenance. MACE pridesitself for being a Center of Excellence in the construction, operation and maintenance fields in the Middle East.MACE provided civil services for the Capital Gate Project. (MACE)
Architectural & Engineering:
RMJM is an international architectural practice with offices throughout Europe, the Middle East & Africa, Asia-Pacific and The Americas. Their work encomes architecture, sustainable design, urbanism, masterplanning, interior design and research and development. Their culturally diverse studios are made up of almost1000 architects, designers and creative thinkers - comprising 50 nationalities - working on projects in over 20countries worldwide. The Capital Gate is their most recognizable project to date. (RMJM, 2008)
Builder:
The Al Habtoor Leighton Group, which is the General Contractor, is one of the leading multi-disciplinedcontractors in the Middle East and North Africa. It functions through its two core operating companiesAlHabtoor EngineeringandLeightonand through its diverse range of complementaryAssociated Businesses. The Group operates through the businesses in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain, andis looking to expand further into the Middle East and North Africa. The Al Habtoor Leighton Group offersclients a complete, one-stop solution to all construction, development and asset management needs. The AlHabtoor Leighton Group
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi employs approximately 30,000 people, making it one of the constructiongroups in the region. (Al Haqbtoor Leighton Group, 2010)
largest
Owner: ADNEC Group is an international venue development and business management company. ADNEC Group'sportfolio currently includes the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the Gulf's largest exhibition center;ExCeL London, the UK capital's largest exhibition center; the Al Ain Convention Centre, a brand newdevelopment in the historic city of Al Ain, Capital Gate, the UAE capital's iconic, gravity defying tower and anumber of hotel projects. In addition ADNEC is master developer of the Capital Centre project, the world's firstfully interconnected exhibition lifestyle destination.ADNEC Group is developing its network both through acquisition and construction; the company's objective isto become the world's leading venue provider to the international exhibitions, conferences and live eventsindustries by providing consistently high standards of venue facilities, management and client relationships andcapitalizing on the synergies which exist within a global venue network. (ADNEC, 2010 Civil:
Site Placement:
Capital Gate forms the focal point of Capital Centre, the business and residential micro city being developed byAdnec around the thriving Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. When fully complete, Capital Gate will featurethe 5-star hotel -
„Hyatt at Capital Centre‟ besides playing host to some of the most exclusive office space in
the UAE capital. (Trade Arabia, 2010)
Soil Type:
The construction of this building has been done on the seashore. As the sea shore contains more of sandcontent, the strength for the foundation is gained by 30 meter (nearly 100feet) steel rods vertically drilled deepinto the ground. The 7 feet thick concrete laid from the ground level s the building. (Hubpages)
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi Architecture:
Capital Gate was designed to be the most recognizable icon of the ADNEC/Capital Centre development.Further, it was designed to blend seamlessly with the National Day Grandstand, breathing new life into this historic landmark for the UAE. The eye-catching „splash‟ commencing from level 18 and sweeping across the historic grandstand, connects the past with the new, creating a wave-like effect over the exhibition centre.(UNP Design Aspects:
Nothing is standard about Capital Gate. Each room is different. Each pane of glass is different and every angleis different. It was designed to provide no symmetry so it inspires those within and outside the tower. (UNP)The iconic tower soars 160 meters above ground and has been built with a westward incline of 18 degrees. Capital Gate holds the Guinness Record for „World‟s Furthest Leaning Manmade Tower‟. Capital Gate contains35 stories with floors 2 - 16 comprising office space. Floors 18 onwards will house the 189-room, exclusive„Hyatt Capital Gate‟ hotel. Floors 1 & 17 compriseof plant rooms. (UNP)Some other important features include:The outdoor swimming pool on the 19th floor with a fantastic panoramic view overlooking the SheikhZayed mosque, the Arabian Gulf, the Mangroves, Downtown Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat and Yas Island.(UNP)The cantilevered tea lounge which overhangs the outside of the tower 80m above the ground. (UNP)The tapered internal atrium, which itself is formed by a separate structural steel diagrid over 60m inheight (from floor 19 to the roof) creates a stunning internal space that is quite unprecedented, andwhich brings natural daylight deep inside the building. (UNP)The design style type deconstructivism. (RMJM, 2008)
Occupancy:
It is a mixed use occupancy consisting of hotel and office space.
Construction Type:
It is concrete reinforced with steel.
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi Program:
The program consists of:Total Built-up Area: 53,100 sqm (UNP)Total Office Area: 20,900 sqm (UNP)Total Hotel Area: 25,050 sqm (UNP)
Height:
The building, from the ground to the top of the roof is 524.9 feet tall (160 meters). (UNP)
Building Envelope:
The tower is covered with 728 s of glass cut to the size and shape of a diamond that due to the curvatureof the structure will be embedded in a slightly different angle. (UNP)
Water/Vapor:
T
he „pressure
-
plate‟ system that has been developed for the steel frame which holds each pane in place
guarantees the water tightness of the façade and allows thinner panes of glass to be used, thereby reducing
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi the weight of the glazing system,” said Tony A
rchibold, associate director of RMJM, the internationalarchitectural firm that has designed Capital Gate. (Trade Arabia, 2010 Air:
“The lean and curve of the building added considerable complexity to the glazing process; ther
e was littlemargin for error and we are pleased to have worked successfully to practically complete the glazing on CapitalGate in ten months. A few glass panes have deliberately been left out to ensure that adequate ventilationexists prior to the installation
of the air conditioning,” said Tony Archibold, associate director of RMJM, the
international architectural firm that has designed Capital Gate. (Trade Arabia, 2010)
Fire:
During December 2008, PFP Contracting secured one of the most prestigious contracts in their history tosupply and install a ive fire protection system to the Capital Gate Tower. Much of the building diagridstructure is a visual feature and thus requires a high quality architectural finish to the fireproofing. Because oftheir depth of experience and personnel expertise, PFP Contracting qualified to install the steel fireproofing.(PFP Contracting)
Thermal: The glass used on the tower‟s facade is energy-efficient, low„e‟ category glass (Cardinal 240) containing 2
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi layers of silver inner coating allowing a high degree of natural light to permeate the building never before used in the UAE. It‟s designed to keep the inside of the building cool and eliminate glare, while ma intaining thetransparency of the facade - an important design consideration. (Trade Arabia, 2010)
Foundation:
Due to the soil conditions and the building itself the foundation system used was a deep foundation. Thebuilding sits atop a dense mesh of reinforcing steel and concrete that connects a total of 490 piles (CapitalGate, 2010). To help counteract the large overturning moment, which is caused by the buildings lean, the pileswere two different sizes. Of the total 490 piles, 287 were 1m (40in) in diameter, and 20-30 meters (65-100 feet)deep, the remaining 193 piles had a diameter of 600mm (24 inches) with a depth of 20m (65 feet). Unlike mostbuildings, whose piles are in compression, the piles for Capital Gate are in tension. This was done to helpresist the upward forces that would tend to pull the pile out of the ground. The building, however, cannot sitdirectly on top of the piles. All 490 piles were capped together using a densely reinforced concrete mat footingof nearly 2 meters (7 feet) thick (Roberts, Lean on Me, 2010).
Floor Systems:
The floors are constructed using a composite floor system, spanning from the main core, to the internal diagrid,and between the internal and external diagrids. The floor beams are connected to the concrete core viaembedment plates which are cast directly into the core wall when the concrete is poured. All the floors havethe same relative size as the floors rise. The first ten floors are stacked vertically directly on top of one another.The floor plates, on level 10 through 27, stagger over each other, between 800 (32inches) to 1400mm
(55inches) and then back to 900mm (35 inches) in line with the lean of the building‟s face. The remaining
floors, between levels 27 and 34, shift between 900mm (35inches) and 300mm (12inches) (Roberts, Lean onMe, 2010). Envelope:
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi The building envelope consisted of a combination of glass and steel. The system consisted of a largeprefabricated 8m (26.25ft) tall diamond-shaped , which are installed and connected to the diagrid. Over700 s were used to enclose the structure, each included 18 different panes of glass, coveringroughly 23000m2 (247570ft2). All the s are shipped to the site assembled and raised into it preciselocation, since each is slightly different. To add to the uniqueness of the building each had to be
installed correctly to allow for some movement as the building corrects from the core‟s pre
-camber (Reina,2009). Load Carrying System: The structural system consists of two diagrids, an internal and an external diagrid, and a center concrete core.A diagrid is a new system used in the construction of large buidlings which creates a skeleton composed of
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi
Structural Systems II Capital Gate
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Abu Dhabi 13 | Pagetriangular structures and diagonal beams, using less steel than a typical steel frame building.Additionally it eliminates the need for large corner columns, allowing more flexibility in the shape of the
building‟s form as in the case with Capital gate
(Diagrid, 2010). This diagrid system was chosen because of theunique architectural form of the building, the constantly changing position of the core in relation to the varyingfloor plates, and the desire to have large clear internal floor spaces. The exterior diagrid carries the weight ofall the floors, while the internal diagrid s the weight of the floors and transfers it to the center concretecore (Roberts, Lean on Me, 2010). The diagrid system used for the building consists of 722 elements andapproximately 8,500 structural steel beams, with each element weighing nearly 15 tons and has a paintedfinish (The Mace Group, 2009). Gravity:
Gravity, seismic and wind forces along with the dead load of the building play a large role in the in the designand structure of the building. This building is different because its signature lean, which sets the building apartfrom the other buildings, adds a much larger load to the gravity and dead load of the building, and creates alarge overturning moment. The center concrete core had to be specially designed to for the immense
forces created by the building‟s lean. The core, which contains 1
5,000m3 (19,619yd2) of concrete reinforcedwith 10,000 tons of steel, uses vertical post-tensioning and was constructed with a vertical pre-camber. Thispre-
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi camber means that the core was constructed with a slight opposite lean, as each floor is installed, theweight of the floors and diagrid system pull the core and slowly straightening it out. As the core is straightenedit is post tensioned, thus making the core and structure incredibly strong (Crowcroft, 2010). Mechanical:
The hotel space, in particular, will feature a double facade. This will create a thermal cushion in the interveningspace which should significantly reduce building energy demands. There are also energy recovery measures
integral within the building‟s MEP systems.
(Roberts, Lean on me, 2010)
Energy Requirements:
The double-glazed facade is used to achieve greater energy efficiency. Waste air is pre-cooled in between theinner and outer facade thereby reducing the energy consumption of the building by recycling the used air.
The stainless steel „splash‟ is a shading device that eliminates over 30 percent of the sun‟s heat before it ever
reaches the building, thereby saving on the need for cooling within the building. The splash twists around thebuilding towards the south to shield Capital Gate as much as possible from direct sunlight (UNP)
Electrical:
As far as our research has found, there are no energy saving or special features directly located on thebuilding. However, the Aloft building, another hotel located in the compound, is tied into a total of 560 solars installed on the roof of ADNEC Car Park A, covering an area of 25,000sf (2,300sm), that provides 90%of the hot water supply. This saves an estimated 870 mega watt hours of electricity
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi per year and supplies hotwater to the kitchens, hotel rooms and pool. (Wikipedia, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, 2010
Construction:
Budget:
What‟s more, the budget has escalated by 25% and sorely tested the team responsible for delivering the building. It was meant to have been finished in time for last November‟s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but now won‟t be ready until October 2010.This is all fine in theory but someone had to realise it. This was the job of contractor Al Habtoor Engineering,which also had to cope with the fast-track program typical of the region. The original two-year build-time started in August 2007 with the design developed as work progressed. Luckily Al Habtoor Engineering wasn‟t on a fixed-price deal. The FIDEC contract was used which relies on bills of quantities with rates that are re-measured as the building is constructed. “If it had been design and build it would have bust the company,” observes site manager Craig Rooney. The project got off to an inauspicious start. The design included an 84m-long basement extending in theopposite direction to the lean. This had tension piles at the far end to stop the whole basement being rippedout of the ground by the overturning forces generated by the tower. Unfortunately the main sewer for AbuDhabi was discovered underneath the proposed basement. As the sewer was pressurized, the ground couldn‟t be dewatered near it because there was a risk the pipe could burst. The solution was to shorten the basement by 6m and reduce the entrance canopy, but agreeing and implementing it added six months to the project. Schedule:
It was delayed by 5.5 months because of unexpected excavations and piling restrictions due to two nearby main sewage lines. The project so far has used 6.5 million Man hours and at the peak of construction therewere more than 1,200 workers on site
Techniques:
Incredibly the pre-cambering and post-tensioning of the core were variations in the contract; originally it wasgoing to be straight. The core was built so it leaned from the vertical by a theoretical 350mm at the top. Inpractice the steel diagrid and cladding were added as the core was constructed, progressively straightening
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi out the building. Rooney likens it to shooting at a moving target. “Every time you added a section of structuralsteel, it had an effect; every time you added a cladding , it had an effect,” he says. “People couldn‟t gettheir heads around it.”
The core was built in 4m high lifts with each section staggered 20mm to create the pre-camber. Every four lifts,36 steel tendons were inserted into the ductwork in the concrete and post-tensioned.In order to get the custom glazing s to the site, a custom fabricated truck bed had to be constructed.
BIM:
Complexity in modeling the diagrid was well managed with the features of Tekla Structures. TheTekla attributes helped in all fronts for a smooth construction of the structure. Concerning design, were oriented with minimal offset by adopting the method of bisection of bisecting planes. These offset valueswere taken from the 3D model and used in the design of cruciform nodes. Available length of weld was takenfrom the model to do the weld design of cruciform nodes. Beams connected to the nodes were moved in the3D model to avoid member clashing which resulted in eccentric connections. The eccentricity was measuredfrom the model and used in the connection design. From the preliminary model developed at the initial stage ofthe project actual cut-to-length of the was taken to procure the material. This helped in reducingmaterial wastage. Quantity of bolts, shear studs and paint was obtained from the Tekla Structures reports.Assembly lists derived from the Tekla model were converted into worksheets. Other departmental activities,like fabrication, painting and erection, were planned and monitored using these worksheets. The NC filesexported from the model facilitated faster and accurate fabrication. Temporary jigs were made with the help ofthe coordinates of individual assemblies that were taken from the model. Fit up of the individual parts of thenodes was done with the 3D coordinates taken from the model. Location of center of gravity and weight ofindividual assembly were taken from the reports. These were used to work out the lifting method statement andin the design of erection engineering. Bolt report based on the assembly mark helped the rigging team to havecontrol over bolt usage. 3D global coordinates taken from the Tekla model were utilized for erecting the diagridassemblies at their exact position. The 3D model was also given to the cladding team to work out the design of
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi
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Abu Dhabi 17 | Pagethe cladding system. The model was used to coordinate with the architectural profile model to nullify theinterface issues. Thus the model generated in Tekla Structures had played a vital role in the successfulcompletion of the works in a safe and faster way. (Tekla Project3, 2010
ADNEC Capital Centre development - Capital Gate Tower Client: Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) Actual Value: 218m USD Contractors: Main Contractor: Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises Co. L.L.C. Consultants: Main Consultant: Mace Group (Project Manager) Main Consultant: RMJM
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi Project Type: Commercial Building Project Duration: From: Q3 2007 Actual To: Q4 2009 Actual Status: Construction Scope Capital Gate tower a 35 storey, 165 metres high is part of ADNEC Capital Centre development located in Abu Dhabi city. The tower will house the executive five-star hotel Hyatt at Capital Centre. Schedule: Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises Co. L.L.C. was awarded the main construction contract in June 2007. Construction is in progress as per the schedule, and expected to be completed by the end of 2009. Mace Group is the Project Manager, while RMJM is the main consultant.
Twist and shout: RMJM’s Abu Dhabi Capital Gate tower RMJM’s Capital Gate tower in Abu Dhabi leans at a stomachlurching 18º, making it a project that largely consisted of geometrical and structural problems – not least of which was finding out where the building had moved to each morning We’ve applied to go into the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s most steeply inclined building,” says Tony Archibold, associate director of RMJM and the man responsible for the design of what must rank as the most extraordinary creation ever dreamed up by the architect. “The average inclination from the ground floor to the top is 18º. To get that into perspective the leaning Tower of Pisa inclines by just 3.9º.” This 160m-high building feels as bizarre as RMJM’s recent decision to hire Fred Goodwin, the reviled former banker, as an adviser. Called Capital Gate, the 160m high tower in Abu Dhabi is shaped like a shallow S: it starts off fairly straight, kinks about a quarter of the way up, then straightens out again towards the top. The building also twists as it goes up and the top overhangs the base by a gravity-defying 54m. As you would expect, it was difficult to make such an irregular form stand up physically and financially: inside, the building is stuffed with 13,200 tonnes of steel and the massive core necessary to hold it up, which in turn means tiny floorplates and rents.
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi What’s more, the budget has escalated by 25% and sorely tested the team responsible for delivering the building. It was meant to have been finished in time for last November’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but now won’t be ready until October 2010. So why go for such an extravagant structure? Archibold says the client, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company (ADNEC), wanted a landmark building to indicate the presence of its exhibition centre in the middle of medium-rise Abu Dhabi. It also had to shout “technical prowess” to draw attention to the cutting-edge exhibits showcased below. “It was a very nice brief,” says Archibold, adding that RMJM was also the structural engineer on the building. He adds that the building’s tilt is a response to the wind. “The prevailing winds come off the sea so the idea was that the building should look as if it was sculpted in some way by the wind.” The building is also a tribute to Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late president of the UAE. It has a canopy – nicknamed “the Splash” – that sweeps down the side of the building and continues until it reaches a nearby grandstand, one of the oldest buildings in Abu Dhabi and a favourite of the sheikh’s. How the building stands up How did RMJM go about ensuring the building wouldn’t fall over? The core, which is about the only vertical element in the whole building, is hard up against the north-west perimeter at the base and actually touches the south-eastern side at the top. The overturning force generated by that 54m overhang meant a standard concrete core wouldn’t do: this one was posttensioned on the side opposite the lean. The core was also precambered, which means it was built leaning in the opposite direction to the building; as the structure went up, it was gradually pulled into a vertical position. “It was necessary because of the extreme eccentricity of the forces on the core,” says Archibold. “We think it’s a world first.” The conventional columns couldn’t be used to the floorplates at the building’s perimeter, so a steel diagrid was used. This would be able to follow the complex shape of the building, and form a shell that could help to the floors.
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi However the top section of the building cantilevered out so far that another way had to be found to that part. The answer was six huge trusses 8m high and 8m deep spanning levels 17 and 18, which transferred the loads back to the core. The building also has a 60m-high atrium beginning at level 19 and stretching to the floor 33 at the top. “One of the reasons for this is it takes the dead loads out of the overhang,” says Archibold. This is all fine in theory but someone had to realise it. This was the job of contractor Al Habtoor Engineering, which also had to cope with the fast-track programme typical of the region. The original two-year build-time started in August 2007 with the design developed as work progressed. Luckily Al Habtoor Engineering wasn’t on a fixed-price deal. The FIDEC contract was used which relies on bills of quantities with rates that are re-measured as the building is constructed. “If it had been design and build it would have bust the company,” observes site manager Craig Rooney. The project got off to an inauspicious start. The design included an 84m-long basement extending in the opposite direction to the lean. This had tension piles at the far end to stop the whole basement being ripped out of the ground by the overturning forces generated by the tower. Unfortunately the main sewer for Abu Dhabi was discovered underneath the proposed basement. As the sewer was pressurised, the ground couldn’t be dewatered near it because there was a risk the pipe could burst. The solution was to shorten the basement by 6m and reduce the entrance canopy, but agreeing and implementing it added six months to the project. The core Incredibly the pre-cambering and post-tensioning of the core were variations in the contract; originally it was going to be straight. The core was built so it leaned from the vertical by a theoretical 350mm at the top. In practice the steel diagrid and cladding were added as the core was constructed, progressively straightening out the building. Rooney likens it to shooting at a moving target. “Every time you added a section of structural steel, it had an effect; every time you added a cladding , it had an effect,” he says. “People couldn’t get their heads around it.”
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi The core was built in 4m high lifts with each section staggered 20mm to create the pre-camber. Every four lifts, 36 steel tendons were inserted into the ductwork in the concrete and post-tensioned. Les Fairchild, the construction manager responsible for the core says the construction process was a “nightmare”.“On the lower levels we were using 250 tonnes of rebar for every lift, which is two-and-a-half times more than a normal core,” he says. “There were 250 men working on the core day and night which means there was a steel fixer every square metre.” The only way to ensure there was enough space for everyone was to cast each lift in three sections. There were constant detail design changes including a requirement to add an extra 35,000 rebar links per lift. The core took over a year to build and cost more than twice its estimated price. All the heavy steel in the core meant lots of lifting, but the shape of the building meant only two tower cranes could be used. “Probably the biggest argument on the job was allocating the tower cranes,” says Rooney. “We had a meeting every morning with the suppliers to thrash out who was getting how much crane time.” The cranes had to be fixed inside the core because the shape of the building meant freestanding ones couldn’t be used – the ties needed to link it with the core would need to be up to 32m long. Putting in cladding s once the ties were removed at the end of the job wasn’t on either because the cladding had to be fixed sequentially. The answer was to put one crane on the core, the other on the steel perimeter and have the cladding team work at night. As the Grand Prix deadline approached, Rooney brought in a 192m long crawler crane to help speed things up on the lower part of the building. The steel diagrid wasn’t any easier to fabricate and erect than the core. It is made up from 600 x 400mm box sections with a wall thickness of 80mm at the base decreasing to 12mm at the top. Each of the squares making up the diagrid is 8 x 8m with 18 ringing the perimeter at each level. “There are 702 of these and not one is the same,” says Rooney. This is because the building twists as it goes up, which means the shape of each floorplate is different. The angle of incidence
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi where the steel meet varies, and the box sections are twisted at various angles too. Steel specialist Eversendai was responsible for steel fabrication and erection. The diagrid was brought to site as X-sections that were welded together. Each section had to be held in position by the crane while it was welded to its neighbour; but as a complete weld would tie up a crane for 72 hours, each section was tack-welded using brackets. Even this took up to four hours per section. The cladding The cladding was done by Austrian firm Waagner Biro. Each section divided up into smaller triangular s. These were brought to site and ed together to form one large which was craned into position. Each large is fixed in just two places at each side; a special sliding t was developed to locate the top and bottom of each and allow for vertical building movement. The minimal number of fixings meant steel was used for the cladding frame rather than the more usual aluminium. Great care was needed to ensure the diagrid was in exactly the right place so the cladding s would fit. Because the building was constantly moving, this was done by measuring the building position against a 3D model. Although the diagrid ended up in exactly the right place, there was the issue of thermal movement; and as temperature could reach 50º in the summer, these were not negligible. “At 10 in the morning, when you were about to install a , you didn’t know where the building was,” says Rooney. “You could find a that didn’t fit one day would fit the next.” Despite these challenges the team managed to get the structure and cladding completed for the November Grand Prix so it at least looked finished from a distance. Now that the structurally difficult phases are out of the way the fit-out is in full swing. From levels 18 to 33 will be a Hyatt hotel with 189 rooms; below this will be offices. Whether the project gets into the Guinness Book of Records remains to be seen but one thing is sure, it will be a long time before anything else like this is constructed again.
Project Management-Capital Tower Project-Abu Dhabi
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