To understand the epic engineering challenges of building the leaning Capital Gate tower in Abu Dhabi, you must first realise that nature wants it to collapse.
"Everything about the tower makes it want to fall over," says Michael Johnson, who has been appointed to oversee the final phase of construction of the building by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC). "But it has been designed to stop."
The building leans westward at 18 degrees, more than five times the angle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The top 17 floors, out of a total of 35, hang over the edge, putting thousands of tonnes of pressure on the core of the building.
Contractors and engineers devised a series of solutions to this problem, some of which have never been seen in the world of tower construction. In fact, this unique challenge is the reason that National Geographic is featuring the building along with Sheikh Zayed Mosque and the circular Aldar headquarters building as the "making of three modern day wonders" starting on Saturday.
"It's absolutely one-off," Mr Johnson says. "This will be in engineering textbooks for years to come."
The piling of a normal tower goes straight down into the earth and holds the building steady. But for the Capital Gate engineers created two sections of piling, one deeper than the other. Together they create competing forces that keep the building upright.
The core of the building was constructed with a slight lean away from the eventual slant of the building itself. As each consecutive floor was put in place, it too was pulled straight.
To make it even more solid, the core was threaded with thick bundles of steel cables that were pulled tight. The amount of cable was 44 times that used on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
The curving structure of the building is actually a web of steel "diagrids", which are "X" shaped pieces that are each designed on a computer and cut by a team in Sharjah to fit together exactly, says Werner Matyas, a senior project manager from Mace Group, who has worked on the project since the beginning. "One level included 18 nodes and required two weeks just to calculate," Mr Matyas says.
The heaviest diagrid weighed 16.65 tonnes. After each piece was swung into place, a team of welders would have to secure it before the crane could let go.
The steel structure helps channel the forces acting against the building into the strong core. On the top half of the building is a second diagrid that creates an open atrium through the floors to bring light into the hotel suites.
These were then covered by 700 diamond-shaped glass panes that were cut in a workshop in Musaffah. Part of that glass on the building will be cleaned by a mechanical platform, but the hard to reach areas can be accessed only by workers who will climb down with harnesses and ropes and clean them by hand.
Capital Gate would have been a challenge by itself, but it also underwent significant changes in design during construction that pushed the team to its limits. A year into construction, which began in September 2007, it was decided to add a swimming pool and restaurant suspended on a platform on the edge of the building facing the exhibition centre. Engineers had to secure it in place, while making sure it was consistent with the overall design.
The solution was a curving mesh skin that "splashes" against the building, culminating in the platform. The skin also shades the offices on the lower floors.
Then word came down in the middle of last year that the building required a helicopter pad. Not only did this require recalculations of forces across the building, but advanced engineering just to make the pad safe for a helicopter to land. Wind tunnel tests showed large amounts of wind shear forming on the surface of the pad, so the team had to lower it substantially to reduce these forces.
And while these engineering challenges seem strenuous, Mr Johnson says the hard part is now under way. During construction, there are fewer teams at work: steel workers, concrete workers and structural engineers.
Now, there are 29 separate missions to accomplish, from light fixtures and marble finishing to the link bridge that connects the building to the parking garage of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Each one of these tasks is made more complicated because no room or wall in the building is the same. Its curving structure makes every hotel room and office uniquely shaped.
"It's not symmetrical on any axis: X, Y or Z," Mr Johnson says. "Everything is different." This makes the final six months of the project perhaps the most difficult, he says.
"It's all about communication and co-ordination now," Mr Johnson says. "I would say the hard part has just started."
bhope@thenational.ae
How many people have been involved in the construction of the steelwork?
An average of 240 people were on the job for a period of about 14 months for the execution of steel work. About 6.5 million man-hours have been spent in total up to April, since construction commenced in 2007.
Does the steelwork provide the main support to the building and how does it do this?
The frame is an exoskeleton with the diagrid carrying all the weight of the floors, except the internal diagrid which transfers its load to the concrete core at the 19th storey.
How have you ensured that the steel work is in the exact place to ensure that you create the precise overall framework for the building?
The steelwork is fabricated from a [three-dimensional, computer-assisted-design] model to very high levels of accuracy and this defines the overall framework of the building both for fabrication and construction
What has inspired the interior design of the office areas?
Sparkle and astrophysics. Imagine the earth or a meteoroid cut in half to reveal an interior never seen before. It would radiate warm colours to the core, starting with light yellow on the perimeter and finishing with strong red in the centre. RMJM's interior design idea on this basis was to take reference from the colour graduation across the sphere diameter but using a cool colour palette that is both elegant and more suitable for interior applications in warmer climates. Thus RMJM ID has planned light blue veins of colour graduating to darker blue veins in the white stone finishes of the tower lobbies.
What are the main features of the design for the Hyatt Capital Gate hotel?
Its Sky lobby and reception on the 18th floor will have spectacular views of the surrounding city and coastline. Luxurious and uniquely shaped guest rooms starting from the 20th floor will provide a sense of floating above the earth, where the convex curve of the structure seems to make the building disappear below on the north-west elevation. On the opposite side of the building facing south east, there will be even more dramatic bedroom views and gravity play where the 19th floor cantilevered swimming pool seems to be suspended in mid-air when viewed from above.
On the ground floor we have an open plan food emporium, which will enable guests and visitors to ADNEC and the Hyatt to choose from a variety of outlets. The open tea lounge on the 18th floor is where visitors can enjoy afternoon tea while enjoying the views of the Grand Mosque and surrounding areas. The restaurant on the same floor with an inclined perimeter glass wall-facade allows visitors to see all of urban Abu Dhabi. At its outermost edges, the space will feel like it is floating above the ground.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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The%20specs
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