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Leaning Tower of Pisa toppled

Friday, October 31, 2008

Catherine Deshayes

Chasing Dubai's crown for being the UAE's headline grabbing, ground breaking emirate, Abu Dhabi is poised to enter the Guinness Book of Records with the design of a new building...

Whilst Dubai still reigns supreme in terms of tourist and investor attention, city leaders in Abu Dhabi have ambitious plans to build a city to rival their more famous neighbour.

They are planning to turn Abu Dhabi into a city with a real focus on Arab culture, with branches of the Guggenheim museum and the Louvre, as well as a Formula One racetrack. It is also home to the world's largest Persian prayer rug.

As if that weren't enough, the city is steeling itself to enter the Guinness Book of Records with its latest building, Capital Gate.

The project architects ADNEC Group and RMJM, have submitted a joint application to recognise Capital Gate tower as the ‘most inclined in the world.'

Capital Gate leans westwards by 18 degrees compared with the leaning Tower of Pisa which leans less than four degrees.

Because of its strong lean, Capital Gate is being constructed on top of a dense mesh of reinforced steel. This will sit on 490 piles - which will each be drilled 30 metres into the ground to help the tower withstand wind and gravitational forces.

It also features 728 unique custom-made diamond-shaped glazing panels. Due to the structure's curving shape, each pane of glass is different and each will be fitted at a slightly different angle.

Capital Gate will accommodate the 5-star ‘Hyatt at Capital Centre' hotel and will provide the most exclusive office space in Abu Dhabi.

The tower forms a major part of the Capital Centre development, £1.5 billion business and residential micro city being constructed around the thriving Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Simon Horgan, Chief Executive Officer of ADNEC Group, said, "Capital Gate will be a building that the world will talk about, not because it has surpassed another building as the world's tallest, but because of its aesthetic splendor and technical achievement."

Picture by aekpani