New jewel on the coast

This is as close to a panoramic view of the site as possible in the relatively small amount of space in which to work. The fence at the back blocks th

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The Al Jawharah tower represents the beginning of something big for the coastline of Jeddah.

The Damac Properties project, started last year and currently at ground level, is the first that will be constructed in the wake of a relaxation of building rules that will allow structures as high as 350m along the Corniche.

With the city aiming for a slice of Dubai-style high-rise building, it is perhaps fitting that the developer is exporting its knowledge from the city with which its parent company is most closely associated to the second-biggest Saudi city.

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The tower will be a 48-storey structure of one-to-four-bedroom apartments and five-bedroom penthouse suites, along with three podium levels and one floor for parking and a health club.

The structure resembles two separate curves that have been locked together, with the blue top curve cutting through and being supported by the white curve that is rooted to the ground. The end result will be something that seams top-heavy enough to appear gravity-defying.

The construction work is undertaken by a joint venture of International Centre for Contracting, a Saudi contractor, and Drake & Scull Construction, the umbrella company for all of the civil work carried out by the Dubai-based Drake & Scull International outside the UAE.

The total land area is 8,000m², and the site is within what looks to be an exact square, blocked from the road from metal hoardings on one side and in the shadow of the looming Rosewood Rotana, the only tower in the vicinity that serves as something of a landmark. The footprint of the tower is 1,400m².

Zuair Fayez Partnership is the main consultant, with an additional specialist consultant, Salama, that focuses on structural engineering.

In February, Damac Properties announced the completion of the raft foundation , a process that included the pouring of seven million cubic metres of concrete and 420t of steel – as well as the basement levels.

Malek Salhab, senior manager of projects at Damac Properties, says the company began excavation work and the preparation for the foundation in September. “We have completed the basement floor, which has a depth of 2.6m, and since then we have been doing the rebar for the vertical elements.