To infinity and beyond

Kasem points out how the rotation of the Infinity tower is achieved.
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RELATED ARTICLE: IN PICTURES: Infinity Tower

In 1173, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was built with the intention of standing vertically, but its current state is what drives tourists into the Italian district of Tuscany. London’s 30 St Mary Axe, nicknamed ‘The Gherkin’ for its unusual shape, also attracts the crowds, just like the Kuwait Towers do, with their unique glass spheres.

World famous buildings are often identified by their distinctive silhouettes, and now, Dubai is hoping to create a new icon, with a twist.

Infinity Tower, located in the Dubai Marina, is set apart from its neighbours by its rotating structure and is spiraling into the sky at a fast pace, with one floor being cast every five days. And, as Construction Week went to press, the building reached the 46th floor.

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“We are actually ahead of schedule. We allocated seven days to finish a floor but we are doing it in five days,” says Ahmad Kasem chief development officer for Cayan, the project client.

“We will complete the structural work by mid June at the latest.”

The residential building offers studios, one, two three and four bedroom apartments, as well as duplexes and penthouses. It also has six podium parking levels and amenities such as a swimming pool and retail outlets.

It is set to be topped off at 73 storeys and 305m in height, with the entire development scheduled to be delivered in April next year.

News about a completed ‘icon’ will be welcomed during this climate, after the economic crisis caused delays to projects across the GCC. But, for the Infinity Tower, the crisis is a gentle breeze, compared to the severe blow that knocked its construction plans two years ago.

On February 7, 2007, after enabling works had commenced and excavation works were complete, a wall that held back the Dubai Marina was breached. The site was ultimately flooded, leaving only the arm of a crane peaking above the surface of the water.

“The diaphragm wall failed and the whole thing filled to the same level as the marina,” Kasem adds.

Apart from physical damages, the flood also scarred the projects finances according to Kasem: “We spent close to AED100 million on dewatering and retrofication works after the incident occurred. This was added to the total construction cost, which now equates to AED1 billion.”