Abu Dhabi, 05 June 2010: CAPITAL GATE, owned and developed in Abu Dhabi,
the capital of the United Arab Emirates, by ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions
Company), has been certified as the ‘World’s Furthest Leaning Manmade Tower,’
by Guinness World Records.
CAPITAL GATE (www.capitalgate.ae <http://www.capitalgate.ae>) has been
built to lean 18 degrees westwards – more than four times that of the world
famous Leaning Tower of Pisa – and, earned the Guinness recognition after
rigorous evaluation by the Awards Committee since January 2010, when the
exterior of the 160-metre (524.9 ft), 35-storey tower was completed.
Commenting on CAPITAL GATE’s record-breaking achievement, His Excellency
Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, ADNEC’s Chairman said: “CAPITAL GATE
is a landmark development for Abu Dhabi and with this recognition the tower
takes its place among the world’s great buildings. It is a signature building
which speaks to the fore-sight of the emirate”.
CAPITAL GATE’s floor plates are stacked vertically up to the 12th storey
after which, they are staggered over each other by between 300mm to 1400mm
giving rise to the tower’s dramatic lean.
The tower features other innovative construction techniques including the
world’s first known use of a ‘pre-cambered’ core, which contains more than
15,000 cubic metres of concrete reinforced with 10,000 tons of steel. The
core, deliberately built slightly off centre, 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 has been a true design-and-build project from the very start.
There have been numerous challenges, which I am pleased to say we have
surmounted thanks to a structured partnering programme and the hard work
and commitment of everyone involved. Both ADNEC and our partners have thoroughly
enjoyed the opportunity to create an iconic structure which is not only
distinctive in appearance but also extremely functional,” said His Excellency
Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, ADNEC’s Managing Director.
When fully complete by the end of this year, CAPITAL GATE will house the
5-star Hyatt Capital Gate hotel as well as approximately 20,000sqm of premium
office space.
Peter Fulton, Managing Director, Hyatt International, South West Asia commented,
“This is indeed a proud day for all of us involved with CAPITAL GATE. We
are fortunate to have been given the opportunity to showcase our hotel
in one of the Middle East’s most significant developments. Along with our
partners at ADNEC, we hope to be able to offer a unique and authentic guest
experience that will complement this iconic structure, making it the preferred
address in Abu Dhabi for the discerning traveller.”
CAPITAL GATE was designed by international architecture firm RMJM and is
adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre within ADNEC’s Capital
Centre.
“RMJM has a 40 year history of designing and delivering world class buildings
in the Middle East. The award of this world record substantiates this and
puts both CAPITAL GATE and Abu Dhabi firmly on the world stage, and at
the cutting edge of global architecture. RMJM are delighted to have been
instrumental in this pioneering achievement,” said Nick Haston, RMJM Middle
East CEO
Besides CAPITAL GATE’S gravity-defying lean and its pre-cambered core,
the tower has several other elements that enhance its reputation as one
of the world’s most distinctive projects:
· Each room is different as is each pane of façade glass and every interior
angle.
· CAPITAL GATE’s shell comprises a super-strong exo-skeleton called the
diagrid that carries all the weight of the floors while also providing
an unobstructed floor plate precluding the need for pillars or internal
beams. Other high-profile buildings that use diagrid technology include
New York’s Hearst Tower, the Swiss Re building (‘The Gherkin’) in London
and Beijing’s CCTV tower.
· CAPITAL GATE’s double-glazed façade achieves greater energy efficiency
with waste air being pre-cooled between the inner and outer façades, before
being expelled.
· The tower’s façade glass 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.
· CAPITAL GATE’s 19th storey outdoor swimming pool has an unrivalled panoramic
view.
· A cantilevered tea lounge overhangs the tower’s exterior, 80m above the
ground.
· CAPITAL GATE also has an internal diagrid that has been used to create
a tapered, 60m high atrium.
· The tower’s foundation is a dense mesh of reinforced steel above 490
piles, drilled 20 – 30 meters underground.
CAPITAL GATE’s status as one of the world’s most complex engineering projects
has been further endorsed by a recent exclusive National Geographic television
documentary. The ‘Megastructures’ programme devoted to the project – ‘The
Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi’ – has been translated into 44 languages and
will be broadcast in 166 countries reaching a potential audience of 200
million viewers. ‘The Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi’ is due to air in the
Middle East next month.
