Designed by the late Dame Zaha Hadid, this architectural masterpiece is situated in Dubai’s, Burj Khalifa District, it spans 84,300 square metres and was designed as two separate towers which join into a singular whole, taking the form of a cube.

BG&E provided the structural design, including assisting with improving the constructability of the two 21-storey towers, that connect at roof level by a six-storey composite steel-concrete sky-bridge, plus six basement levels.

Due to the unusual shape of the building, an innovative construction methodology was developed for the assembly of the bridge and the podium, and the installation and dismantling of the temporary platform to the underside of the bridge, which provided temporary support for fitting of the facade.

The bridge was built using a segmental construction sequence. The main trusses for the bridge and the external facade grids were initially built bottom-up, however when the temporary diagonal members were released, the load paths were changed from the temporary condition to the permanent, which is a ‘top hung’ structure.

Our technical experts implemented this approach as it enabled the construction of each structural element to be undertaken simultaneously. This approach used lower-capacity cranes, which reduced the tonnage of each steel segment of the bridge and also reduced the construction time and construction cost.

BG&E’s remit also included revisiting the original footing design and removing 240 piles from underneath the two tower footprints, which also helped to reduce the construction programme by three months.

The design outcomes for the delivery of fluid but geometrically designed glass cube, provided our client with a robust constructability efficiency.