The building is unique in the sense that it was designed using a Y shaped building footprint, that causes the building to "spiral" the higher the building progresses. This spiraling motion as well as the Y shape has multiple advantages structurally as well as aesthetically.
The Y shape allows for additional structural security as well as support. Since the wind loads at such a height can be difficult to counter, this Y shape allows for additional wind deflection and adds an additional safety layer of reinforcement for the structure.
The building was designed and developed using nearly 73,500 different design models on the ETABS v. 8.4 design program which utilizes 3D models to consisting mostly of reinforced concrete walls as supports. The buildings foundation consists of a solid reinforced concrete pad that is 12.5 feet deep and utilizes nearly 12,500 cubic meters of concrete (more than 3 Death Valley's filled with concrete).
This project stands as a masterpiece of concrete construction in both size and innovation and is justifiably the centerpiece of a $20 billion dollar development effort.
This is really funny that we wrote about the same thing, and I was looking at the same pictures. While we have some of the same information, I find it interesting that your engineering source was talking about the architectural inspiration, yet the artical from my architectural source did not mention these aspects. It is a remarkable building, however I still wonder how smart it was to build it!
ReplyDeleteI've read a lot about this building... over 1/2 mile high! The complexity and scale of structures being built in Dubai today is unparalleled (oil money). In construction, it is always difficult to make both the architect and structural engineer happy, or, in other words, to make a building a pioneer in design aesthetics that is also structurally sound. Here's another building in Dubai that I think is pretty awesome.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dubai-architecture.info/DUB-003.htm
It amazes me at some of the engineering that goes into some of the buildings around the world. it is hard for me to grasp the idea that we as human being can accomplish something as amazing as this and still do not even have a cure for the common cold!!
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