Nakheel Tower
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This article contains information about expected future buildings or structures. Some or all of this information may be speculative, and the content may change as building construction begins. |
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| Nakheel Tower | |
|---|---|
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| Artist's rendering of Nakheel Tower at night. | |
| Information | |
| Location | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Status | On hold |
| Use | Mixed |
| Height | |
| Antenna/Spire | 1,400 m (4,593 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 228 |
| Floor area | 1,490,000 m² (16,038,200 sq ft) |
| Elevator count | 32 |
| Companies | |
| Architect | Woods Bagot |
| Structural Engineer | WSP Cantor Seinuk |
| Developer | Nakheel Properties |
| References: [1][2] | |
Nakheel Tower (برج نخيل) is a supertall skyscraper proposed for construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates by developer Nakheel. The project was previously called Al Burj (Arabic: البرج "The Tower").[3] It has been announced that construction is currently on hold, and further work on the tower's foundations will begin around January 2010.[4][5]
Nakheel is in talks with several potential contractors which include Samsung Engineering & Construction (who are also building Burj Dubai), Japanese Shimizu Corporation and Australian Grocon. WSP is Lead Consultant for the structure, heading a consortium that includes LERA of New York and VDM of Australia, and working with architects Woods Bagot.[6] The proposed tower would be 1,400 m (4,593 ft) tall.[7]
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[edit] Location
The tower was proposed in 2003 as the centrepiece of Palm Jumeirah, one of the world's largest man-made islands. It was to be named "The Pinnacle" and rise from the centre of a canal on the trunk of the island. The height was to be 750 m (2,461 ft) tall and consist of 120 floors of luxury apartments but it was replaced by the Trump International Hotel and Tower and moved to the Dubai Waterfront. Although ground leveling and land reclamation has begun on the Dubai Waterfront, construction of the tower never started because of the proximity to the Al Maktoum International Airport, which is currently under construction.[2]
The location has now been changed again to a plot near Jumeirah Lake Towers and Dubai Marina, and soil testing has begun.[8] The tower will be the focal point of Nakheel's plans for the Ibn Battuta Mall development next to Jumeirah Islands and Jumeirah Lake Towers. It will be the center of the Nakheel Harbour and Tower complex, which will include about 20 smaller towers of up to 90 stories, a marina, and part of the Arabian Canal. The development will be next to the revamped shopping mall.[7]
[edit] Design
Very little has been revealed about the exact design but Nakheel keeps stressing that it will become one of the tallest towers in the world and become a new icon for Dubai.[citation needed]
The original design conceived by Pei Partnership Architects was to have 631,000 m² (6,792,000 sq ft) of floorspace comprising ultra-luxury apartments, restaurants, a large health club, and an observation deck.[citation needed] The building actually consisted of three separate towers built around a hollow interior and joined together by several sky bridges functioning as sky lobbies. On top of each sky bridge was a sky garden. One of the towers was shorter than the other two with a large outdoor pool on the roof, while the other two were topped with large spires.[citation needed]
A later redesign had the basic shape remain the same - three towers connected by sky bridges with two twin spires and one tower shorter than the others. As for the number of sky bridges, the original design[citation needed] showed only 4, but later renderings showed at first 6, then 9 or 10. The building is also to be mixed-use rather than wholly residential.[citation needed]
There appears to be a new architect on the project, with Woods Bagot replacing Pei Partnership.[1]
The latest redesign renamed the project to Nakheel Tower, with a single tower over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) tall.[9][10]
[edit] Height
Projections of Nakheel Tower's final height have varied widely. Nakheel is believed to be engaging in a strategy of secrecy similar to that employed by Emaar with Burj Dubai. According to officials at Nakheel, the tower was originally designed to be at least 700 m (2,297 ft) tall and have more than 160 floors[citation needed], although an early render showed the tower with more than 200 floors[citation needed]. Companies involved in the project reported an initial height expectation of 1,600 m (5,249 ft) which was later reduced to 1,200 m (3,937 ft)[11]. In July, 2007, Nakheel CEO Chris O'Donnell was reported to have said that "height isn't everything" and suggested that Al Burj might not be any taller than the Burj Dubai, which is 818 m (2,684 ft).[12]. Yet only a week later, Nakheel reaffirmed that the tower would be taller than 1 kilometre.[1] A report on 20 June 2008 claimed that the tower is planned to be 1,400 metres (4,593 ft) tall.[7]
[edit] Name
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There are three names that have been proposed for the tower. Al Burj, Tall Tower, and Nakheel Tower. None have officially been decided yet although Al Burj is most commonly used. It is most likely that no official name will be given until the tower is approved. Currently the most probable name for the building is Nakheel Tower.
The first name given to the tower was Al Burj. The name Al Burj stuck for the longest period of any of the three names. After Al Burj the project was then renamed Tall Tower. This name only lasted a few months until being switched to the current name, Nakheel Tower.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Nakheel designs 1km-high tower". http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=3004862&postcount=516. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
- ^ a b "DUBAI: Al Burj". http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=3144611&postcount=1. Retrieved on 2007-11-15. (dead link?)
- ^ Xpress - Nakheel Tower to eclipse Burj Dubai
- ^ "£53 billion on hold". http://www.themovechannel.com/news/4ab79656-f1b6. Retrieved on 2009-02-26.
- ^ Work on Nakheel Tower Stopped for 12 months
- ^ "WSP designs structure for the world’s tallest tower". http://www.wspgroup.com/en/WSP-Group-engineering-consultants/Press/News-Archive/2008-group/WSP-designs-structure-for-the-worlds-tallest-tower/.
- ^ a b c "MEED - Nakheel increases height of Tall Tower to 1.4 kilometres". Emap. http://www.meed.com/news/2008/06/nakheel_increases_height_of_tall_tower_to_14_kilometres.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-25. (subscripton required)
- ^ "TALL TOWER (aka Al Burj), 228F Res+Com+Hotel, 1050m". http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=16238746&postcount=1060. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
- ^ http://www.meed.com/feature/fast_facts/2008/10/nakheel_harbour__tower.html Nakheel Harbour and Tower
- ^ http://www.meed.com/news/2008/10/dubai_unveiled_another_worlds_tallest_tower.html Nakheel plans to build world's tallest tower
- ^ "Waterfront Tower to be World's Tallest Landmark". http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=2695035&postcount=116. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
- ^ "Al Burj to shrink?". http://www.ameinfo.com/127539.html. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
[edit] External links
- Dubai Waterfront website
- Nakheel Properties
- Nakheel Harbour Tower Renderings
- Nakheel Harbour and Tower
- SkyscraperCity discussion topic
- Emporis.com database entry for Al Burj
- "Burj Dubai gets a rival" - article
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