End in sight for Dubai's Infinity Tower

Cayan Real Estate Investment and Development, the developers of the Infinity Tower in Dubai Marina, have set an October 12 deadline for completion of the project. According to Faris Al Qaysi, Project Manager for Infinity Tower contractor Arabtec, the project is currently 80% complete as of last week. The remaining work involves interior finishing, testing and commissioning electrical and mechanical services, and work on the façade. The building, which twists 90 degrees through its 72 above ground floors, was initially slated for completion in 2008 but suffered extended delays. During work on the substructure in 2007, the project was severely impacted after the breach of a diaphragm wall caused the building site to flood. Cayan spent close to US$27.2m (AED100m) on dewatering and works after the incident occurred. Further delays were experienced due to financing problems as a consequence of the global economic downturn. Speaking to Construction Week on Tuesday, Cayan Senior Project Manager, Omar Derbas, reflected on the challenges these delays caused. “Some people outside thought we weren’t going to come out of it. That was the rumour in the market at that time. Thank God we proved everybody wrong. We’re still here and the building’s almost ready for completion.” Cayan’s contract for construction of the building with Arabtec currently stands at $190.6m (AED700m), but is expected to rise to nearer US$231.4m (AED850m) once the work is complete. Arabtec Project Manager, Faris Al Qaysi, says the design of the building has posed a challenge to the contractors. “In construction and building design we usually follow the vertical elements. This building is twisted in shape, so none of the elements are vertical except the core in the centre. The core vertical element is a cylinder but all around the floors, none of the columns are vertical, all are inclined in two directions.” The tower’s distinctive design was the work of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, also responsible for the Burj Khalifa. The tower’s twist is designed to maximise views out of the building. Each floor, or slab plate, rotates 1.08 degrees around a fixed cylindrical core. Once the tower is complete, the 80 floors will make a cumulative 90 degree turn.