As construction of Capital Gate continues in the UAE capital city of Abu Dhabi, the developers and architects have submitted a joint application to the Guinness Book of Records to recognise the tower as the “most inclined in the world”.
Capital Gate totters westward at an astonishing 18 degrees — leaning all over the Tower of Pisa, which tilts by fewer than four degrees.
Its unique posture means that the tower is being constructed on top of an incredibly dense mesh of reinforced steel. This sits above an intensive distribution of 490 piles which have been drilled 30m underground to accommodate the gravitational, wind and seismic pressures caused by the lean of the building.
“Its graceful, asymmetric diagonal structure, known as a ‘diagrid’, supports the tilting external load of the building,” David Pringle, CEO, RMJM Asia and the Middle East said. “And we believe that this is the first building in the world to use a pre-cambered core.”
Besides being believed to be the ‘world’s most inclined’ building, Capital Gate also features 728 unique custom-made diamond-shaped glazing panels. Due to the structure’s curving shape, each pane of glass is different and each will be fitted at a slightly different angle.
Capital Gate will accommodate the five-star ‘Hyatt at Capital Centre’ hotel and will provide the most exclusive office space in Abu Dhabi. The tower forms a major part of the Capital Centre development, a $3.4 billion business and residential micro city being constructed around the thriving Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
