Crowning Glory

Workers are completing Elite Residence.
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It is no secret that getting buildings finished in Dubai has got more difficult in the last year, which makes the quick progress at the 91-storey Elite Residence all the more impressive.

Contractor Arabian Construction Company (ACC) is developing between five and seven floors a month. With 64 floors finished on the estimated US$250 million project, only 20 remain. Architect Ahmed Saffarini explains that the use of slipform techniques – which allows concrete to be poured as the core is moved vertically – has enabled ACC to develop the towers so quickly.

“The ability to move the core vertically means you can build very, very fast,” he says.

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But Saffarini also points out that, when finished, the Elite Residence will be one of the strongest buildings around. He says that the architects planned for the building to withstand winds of up to 160 mph, while also designing an innovative ‘core and core’ structure.

“You have a central core and you have an outside core. It’s a more rigid type of structure. The structure is very strong,” he says.

The façade, meanwhile, is designed to be smooth, minimising the effect of the wind. “Like a car,” Saffarini explains.

The Elite Residence sits alongside the Princess Tower, another Tameer property currently under construction. The building will offer 697 residential units to wealthy investors, with amenities such as swimming pools, high speed elevators, a ballroom and table tennis court.

With this in mind, it is difficult to see how the building is any different to the other developments in Dubai. But according to the developers, it is Elite Residence’s architecture that sets it apart.