Burj Al-Arab & Caja Torre Construction Study

1.0_Introduction 2.0_Environmental Approaches + Details 3.0_Building Configuration 4.0_Construction Process 5.0_Details and Special Features 6.
0_Conclusion
BURJ AL-ARAB TORRE CAJA MADRID

BURJ AL-ARAB
1.0_Introduction 2.0_Environmental Approaches + Details 3.0_Building Configuration 4.0_Construction Process 5.0_Details and Special Features 6.0_Conclusion
BURJ AL-ARAB
Tom Wright Architect RIBA .

(formerly Tom Wills-Wright)
The architect and designer of the Burj al Arab in

Dubai, UAE.
The felt pen illustration was an early development

sketch of the hotel drawn by Wright .
The brief to the architect was to create an icon for

Dubai, a building that would become synonymous
with the place, as Sydney has its opera house and
Paris the Eiffel Tower so Dubai was to have the Burj
al Arab.
Tom Wright lived in Dubai during the design and

construction of the project, working as the project
Design Director for Atkins , one of the world′s leading
multi discipline design consultancies.
Tom Wright is British, born in Croydon a suburb of

London on 18th September 1957.
Educated at the Royal Russell School and then

Kingston Polytechnic school of Architecture.
Wright became a member of the Royal institute of

British Architects in 1983 and has been in practice
ever since.
THE ARCHITECT
BURJ AL-ARAB
• The Burj Al Arab - Tower of

the Arabs , also known as
• Name : Burj Al Arab "Arab Sail“.
• Location : Dubai, United Arab Emirates • A luxury hotel located in
• Status : Complete Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
• Constructed : 1993–1999 • At 321 m (1,050 ft), it is the
• Use : Hotel, Restaurant third tallest building in the
• Construction world used exclusively as a
type : Skyscraper hotel.
• Cost : US$ 700 million • Stands on an artificial
• Structural island 280 m (920 ft) out from
material : Steel, Concrete Jumeirah beach.
• Antenna or • Connected to the mainland
spire : 321 m (1,050 ft) by a private curving bridge.
• Roof : 210 m (690 ft) • It is an iconic structure,
• Top floor : 200 m (660 ft) designed to symbolize
• Floor count : 60 Dubai's urban transformation
• Floor area : 111,500 m2 and to mimic the sail of a
(1,200,000 sq ft) boat.
• Elevators : 18 • Located on an island of
• No. of reclaimed land offshore of the
rooms : 202 beach of the former Chicago
• Features and Beach Hotel.
amenities : Helipad is available • Dubai's iconic building is a
: National landmark construction of superlatives.
: One of the city‟s famous • The world's only 7-Star
Burj Al Arab - the world's third
building hotel - although its formal
tallest hotel.
rating is 5 Star Deluxe, the
highest the international
rating system offers.
INTRODUCTION
BURJ AL-ARAB
How the idea was born
• The instruction from the client (the

Crown Prince of Dubai) was to design,
not just a hotel, but also a signature
building; one that would announce,
"Welcome to Dubai".
• The client wanted a dramatic

statement with imagery that would
immediately conjure up images of the
city.
• The reason of Burj al Arab building

look like a giant sail- Dubai is
becoming a world resort location, so
the building had to say holiday, fun and
sophistication all things associated
with yachting. This mixed with Dubai's
nautical heritage it seemed an
appropriate shape.
• The building is built on sand, which

is unusual as most tall building are
founded on rock. The Burj al Arab is
supported on 250, 1.5M diameter
columns that go 45 meters under the
sea. As there is only sand to hold the
building up the columns rely on friction.
DESIGN CONCEPT
BURJ AL-ARAB
The Burj al Arab Island

Number of piles: 230
• Length of piles: 45m
• Diameter of piles 1.5m
• Depth of lowest basement under sea is 7m below sea level.
Heights
Height of atrium: 182m
• Height of helipad from sea: 212M
• Height of top of accommodation from island: 190m
• Height of top of mast from island :321m
Dimensions
Distance of shore to the outer point of island: 450m
• Size of island: 150m per side
• Sea depth: 7.5m
• Length of biggest truss: 85m
• Weight of biggest truss: 165t
• Cantilever of sky view restaurant: 27m & 1.7m deep
• Size of sky view restaurant: 1000 sq m
• Weight of helicopter that can land on the pad: 7.5 tonnes
• Maximum sway at top of accommodation: 300mm
• Total volume of concrete on the island: 33,000 sq m
• Total volume of concrete in the superstructure: 36,000 sq m
• Total tonnage of steel: 9200 tonnes
• Gross area of building: 120,000 sq m
• 28 double height floors (7m floor to floor height)
• Height of atrium: 180.5m with volume of: 285,000m3
• Length of mast: 60m
• Fabric area: 8700 sq m x 2 Thickness: 1mm with 50cm air gap
VITAL STATISTIC
TORRE CAJA MADRID
• The first cranes of the Cuatro Torres Business

Area complex were erected at this building despite
Torres Espacio having been started before.
• The first construction cranes were erected on
October 8, 2004.
• When works started, four test facades were
installed to find the best solution for the final façade
design.
• Steel structure of the building weights 11,000
tonnes.
• The entrance lobby is 13.85 meters high.
• The building has two concrete cores with
panoramic elevators. These cores support all the
weight of the building, with each column-free floor
framed in steel.
• This is the tallest building in Spain, rising over
Torre de Cristal by just 89 centimeters.
FACTS
BURJ AL-ARAB
2.0_Environmental Approaches
Facts& Figures
•In fact land is BOTH available and Cheap in most Modern
Cities in the Middle East. city for this reason are encouraging
Horizontal Construction
•In The last decade things started changing. bay Countries
in particular Started encouraging such Buildings.
Why the Sudden Change ?
Definitely not for Space Savings. But

Purely the need
for Country Land Marks and to prove that
their
countries are up to the Standards.
BURJ AL-ARAB
Designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to

mimic the sail of a boat.
Several features of the hotel required complex

engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an
artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To
secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 forty-metre (130
ft) long concrete piles into the sand.
Engineers created a surface layer of large rocks, which

is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which
serves to protect the foundation from erosion.
It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, but
less than three years to construct the building itself. The
building contains over 70,000 m3 (92,000 cu yd) of concrete
and 9,000 tonnes of steel.
Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.
Burj Al Arab is the world's second tallest hotel (not

including buildings with mixed use). The structure of the
Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang North Korea, is 9 m (30 ft)
taller than the Burj Al Arab, and the Rose Tower also in
Dubai, topped Burj Al Arab's height at 333 m (1,090 ft),
becoming the world's tallest hotel.
BURJ AL-ARAB
The Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as well as praise, described
as :
"a contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the
construction ultimately proves to be." The contradiction here seems to be related to the
hotel‟s extreme luxury. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art construction
technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in an exercise that is
largely due to the power of excessive wealth."
"both the hotel and the city, after all, are monuments to the
achievement of money over practicality. Both elevate style over
body."
"Emulating the quality of impressive interiors, in an
expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is
created in Burj Al Arab … The result is a baroque (decorative)
effect".
Sam Wollaston writing in The Guardian described the hotel as
"...fabulous, hideous, and the very top of ostentation - like
Vegas
BURJ AL-ARAB
The Tower Hotel is provided with the following life safety systems:
1) Fire Detection & Alarm System including a fire telephone system.
2) PAVA System.
3) Fire Protection System (Sprinklers, Hose Reels, FM-200)
4) Staircase Pressurisation.
5) Smoke Extract System.
Commercial Hotels (MEP) C-16-F

ISO 9001: 2000,ISO14001: 2004,OHSAS 18001: 1999 Registered
1) Essential electrical power (Main 11KV Generators)
for main distribution board MDB-E1 and E2.
2) 1500 KVA, 380V, 50Hz Local Generator.
3) Central Battery Emergency Lighting System.
4) Foul / Water pumping stations.
5) UPS Systems.
6) Aviation Obstruction Lighting System.
7) LPG Detection System
The Tower Hotel is provided with the following special features

under the package 1305:
1) Atrium Water Features – Internal.
2) Cascade Water Feature – Internal.
3) Upper Atrium Show Lighting .
4) Lower Atrium Show Lighting .
5) Fire Wire Lighting System.
6) External Show Lighting.
7) Sky Tracker Lighting.
8) Ellipse Water / Fire - External.
9) Fire Towers – External
10) Image projectors – External.
BURJ AL-ARAB
At 14000 channels it is the largest architectural lighting control system ever made
(Futronix). Each suite has one or more PFX-32 dimming control systems, which operate the
lighting in every room. The largest suites have five systems giving a total of 160 channels of
lighting. As if the interior lighting schemes were not enough, each suite is also
equipped with digital surround sound, multimedia enhanced 42” plasma television,
internet access, touch-screen video and teleconferencing, fax machine, photocopier, data
port and to top it all off, automated curtains (Burj Al Arab
BURJ AL-ARAB
Wind Effects Dubai’s Seismic Impact Dubai
geographic location subjects the hotel to severe weather itself is not located in an earthquake
conditions including strong winds and occasional violent intensive zone. However, southern Iran which
thunderstorms. (Halford & Walters 2000, 43) Due to the is only 100 miles away to the north is
structure‟s proximity to its adjacent hotel resort, wind tunnel subjected to moderate earthquake risk and in
testing was considered to ensure a safe design. “Based turn which could create tremors in Dubai if a
on the guidance issued by the UK’s Building Research seismic event were to occur in Iran (Halford &
Establishment (BRE) and an analysis of 18 years of wind Walters 2000, 44). According to Building
data from nearby Dubai International Airport, a 50 year Research Establishment (BRE) specifications,
return period windspeed of 45 meters per second, under it is strongly recommended that buildings
the recommendations of Dubai Municipality, was constructed in this region are to be designed to
adopted for the design resist earthquake of MM VII intensity.
Therefore, a seismic zone factor of 0.20g was
considered for the detailed design phase
(Halford & Walters 2000, 44). To further
reinforce the structure from any potential
swaying, “two tuned mass dampers,
weighing about 2 tonnes each, limit
vibrations in the tubular steel mast that
projects 60 m above the building (Reina, n.d
).”
BURJ AL-ARAB
Orientation
To counter the wind movement
through day and night
Wind pressure more high from
the sea
BURJ AL-ARAB
Tune Mass Stamper
To counter the movement of the building and
structure due to the vortex force and seismic
movement
Total of 11 four tone Tune Mass Stamper fixed
along the exoskeleton structure.
BURJ AL-ARAB
BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Artificial Island
• The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed

280 metres offthe Dubai shore and 450m to its
furthest point.
•To make the foundation secure, its builders drove

230 40 metre long concrete piles into the sand.
•The foundation is held in place by the friction of

the sand and the silt along the length of the piles.
The surface of the island was created using large
rocks which were circled with a concrete ‘honey-
comb′ pattern armour which serves to protect the
foundations from erosion.
•Of the hotel's total five year construction period,

it took 3 years to complete the island.
BURJ AL-ARAB
•Temporary tube piles driven into sea bed

•Temporary sheet piles and tie rods driven into sea bed to support boundary rocks
BURJ AL-ARAB
•Permanent boundary rock bunds deposited either side of sheet piles

•Hydraulic fill layers deposited between bunds to displace sea water and form island
BURJ AL-ARAB
•Permanent concrete armour units placed around island to protect it from the waves
•2m diameter 43m deep piles driven through island and sea bed below to stabilize structure
BURJ AL-ARAB
•Island interior excavated and temporary sheet pile coffer dam inserted
•2m thick concrete plug slab laid at base of island
•Reinforced concrete retaining wall built
•Basement floors created
BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Concrete works
• V shape concrete tower
• Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while

the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium.
• Reinforced concrete tower

BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Concrete works
• Prefabricated Concrete
BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Steel Bracing (Inner Reinforced Concrete V)
• The front (shore-facing) facade is constructed of two

tiers of huge, steel 'X' trusses.
• Together the reinforced concrete and the exoskeleton act
as a composite and provide the structure horizontal
stability in all directions
BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Steel Bracing (Inner Reinforced Concrete V)

BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Steel Exoskeleton
• A steel exoskeleton wrapped around a reinforced concrete

tower.
• 2 main structure :
i. diagonal truss
ii. ‘Yacht’ structure
• The assembled segment were lifted and erected in

position using the tower cranes from ground floor to top.
BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Diagonal Truss
i.
BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Yacht’ structure

BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Sky view restaurant

BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Interior
• The tallest atrium lobby in the world, at 180 meters (590 ft).
• The atrium dominates the interior of the hotel, and takes up

over one-third of interior space.
• Prefabricated concrete
BURJ AL-ARAB
4.0_Construction Process _ Fiberglass fabric
•The space between

the wings is enclosed
by a Teflon-coated
fiberglass sail, curving
across the front of the
building and creating
an atrium inside.
BURJ AL-ARAB
5.0_Details and Special Features _ Artificial Island
Artificial Island During Construction Phase
The building itself stands on a foundation of 250 tubular The island took 3 years to construct as compared to the building
piles with a diameter of 1500mm driven into the sea itself which only look less than 3 years.
soil. The foundation’s exterior comprises of
conventional rock bunds coated with a layer of white The architect rejected the idea of using natural rock blocks
cement concrete and hydraulically filled with sand. The because it makes the artificial island higher and wider as the
surface of this armor system is covered by many shed architects want the island to be lowest as possible. Therefore
units of white cement concrete to reduce tide impact conventional honey comb concrete block is introduced.
and to facilitate water drainage. The construction of the
concrete island was completed in March 1996.
BURJ AL-ARAB
5.0_Details and Special Features _ Fiber Glass Teflon
The huge Teflon to resemble a huge sail
For the hotel to feature the largest atrium

of 200m high, the largest Teflon glass
fiber fabric available is used
It is composed of two layers of PTFE

coated fibreglass fabric, tensioned
between the steel trusses which span
50m between the accommodation wings
stair cores at the double story height
intervals
During the day, the fibreglass fabric acts

by filtering intense sunlight and diffusing
it into the atrium space to allow natural
lighting within the building
During the evening, the fabric wall

equipped with a MAC 500 lighting system,
functions as a projection screen for light
performances of high quality patterns to
impress the in-house guests.
Interior View of Fabric Fiberglass Wall
BURJ AL-ARAB
5.0_Details and Special Features _ Exoskeleton Structure
Exoskeleton_A term to describe the cross-braced frame; a building

technique used to provide a structure support and prevent sliding.
•Pair of diagonal steel trusses rising 273 m above ground
•provide the structure horizontal stability in all directions
•each steel truss weighs 165 ton each and total weight is about 2,800 tons
Video of connection pin
BURJ AL-ARAB
5.0_Details and Special Features _ Exoskeleton Structure
Rear Brace Frame

This brace ties both the cores together
to give stability to the structure.
The shape of the Rear Brace is similar
to “X “are erected in segments
Diagonals
The Diagonal connects with a 300mm diameter
pin connection to the core-wall and the Rear-
leg structure
Mast
Oval shape of 2.5m x 5m at the
bottom and gradually decreases to 2.5 x
2m at top
Exoskeleton Rear leg

The exoskeleton is made up of two legs on both
sides of the building starting from the ground
level to 273 meters and connected to the front
legs
Horizontal
The horizontal weighting about 200 tons
connects the core wall to the
exoskeleton rear leg
BURJ AL-ARAB
• A 24 meter (79 feet) wide helipad projects

from the building 210 meters above the ground.
• Burj Al Arab is the world's tallest structure with
a membrane facade.
• This is the tallest operating hotel building in
the world.
• The building's external lighting schemes, from
white light to a multicolored one, change from one to
another every 30 minutes expressing the evening's
• The diagonal trussesprogress.
on the side of the Burj al
Arab building are as long as a football pitch and
weigh as much as 20 double-decker busses.
• They were built 15 KM from the site and brought by
road on huge 80 wheel lorries which had to be
specially imported from South Africa. The highest
truss took a day to lift into place.
• If one man was to build the building himself it would
take about 8,000 years to finish.
FACTS
BURJ AL-ARAB
• The building's design is

influenced by the profile of an
Arabian sailing ship.
• The Al Muntaha restaurant

is located 200 metres above the
Persian Gulf, offering great views
of Dubai. It is accessed by a
panoramic elevator.
• The atrium is 180 metres

high, one of the tallest in the
world.
• The hotel features a total of

eight restaurants and bars.
• All of the hotel's 202 rooms

are two-storey suites, ranging in
size from 170 square metres
(1,830 square feet) to 780
square metres (8,396 square
feet).
FACTS
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Designer : Foster & Partners

Norman Foster is one of the world's most famous and influential
contemporary architects.
The practice has won over 440 awards for excellence and has won in excess of
70 national and international competitions.
In 1999, he garnered the accolade of 21st Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate.
The practice has works on permanent display in London's Victoria & Albert
Museum, New York's Museum of Modern Art and Paris' Pompidou Centre.
Norman Foster was the recipient of the Premium Imperial for architecture,
2002.
In June 2006, Norman Foster was awarded the British-German Association

Medal of Honour for services to Anglo-German relations.
Foster + Partners is the world's only architectural practice to have won the
Emporis Skyscraper Award on two occasions: London's 30 St. Mary Axe in 2003
and New York City's Hearst Tower in 2006.
THE ARCHITECT
TORRE CAJA MADRID
• Torre Caja Madrid - Spanish: Caja Madrid Tower

• Skyscraper located in the Cuatro Torres Business Area in
Madrid, Spain.
• The tallest of the four buildings in the Cuatro Torres
Business Area complex, surpassing Torre de Cristal by less
than a metre.
• First known as Torre Repsol and would have served as
headquarters for Repsol YPF oil and gas company.
• During the construction of the tower, Repsol decided to
change the location of its future headquarters and the financial
institution Caja Madrid purchased the building for €815 million
• Name : Torre Caja Madrid in August 2007.
• Location : Madrid, Spain
• Status : Complete
• Constructed : 2002 - 2008
• Use : Commercial , Office
• Construction type : Skyscraper
• Cost : 815 million Euro
• Structural material : Glass, Steel, Concrete,
Reinforced
• Height : 249.89 m
• Façade material : Aluminum, glass
• Façade system : Curtain wall
• Floor count
(above ground) : 45
(below ground) :5
• Floor area : 110,000 sq m
• Climate : Warm temperature
• Architectural style : High tech
INTRODUCTION
TORRE CAJA MADRID
Caja Madrid Tower is a great building in

Spain. This new headquarters building for
Caja Madrid – the largest bank in Spain –
continues investigations into the flexible
workplace that can be traced through a family
of recent office towers, most notably for
Swiss Re and Commerzbank. This degree of
flexibility results in part from pushing the
service cores to the edges of the plan – a
strategy first used in the design of the
Hongkong Bank – to create uninterrupted
1200-square-meters floor plates.
ABOUT THE BUILDING

TORRE CAJA MADRID
At ground level, a 22-meter glazed atrium

provides the transition from the street, and
accommodates a „floating‟ glass-walled
auditorium set into a mezzanine.
At the top of the building, there is a void

space beneath the uppermost section of the
„portal‟ frame is designed to house wind
turbines as a possible future innovation.
Although the building is conceived as a

corporate headquarters, it also has the
flexibility to be partly sub-let, enabling Caja
Madrid to expand or contract its
accommodation easily in the future as
required.
Vertical circulation routes occupy minimal

space as a result of an intelligent lift system
that requires fewer lift cars than conventional
systems.
The cores are strategically positioned so as

to block west/east direct sunlight, a move
that has the added benefit of framing
spectacular views of the hills of Sierra de
Guadarrama to the north and the center of
Madrid to the south.
ABOUT THE BUILDING

CAJA MADRID
– and is carefully positioned to maximise the exceptional
qualities of its site.
Madrid At the top of the building, the is a void space beneath the
uppermost section of the „portal‟ frame is designed to house wind
turbines as a possible future innovation. Although the building is
conceived as a corporate headquarters, it also has the flexibility
to be partly sub-let, enabling Caja Madrid to expand or contract
its accommodation easily in the future as required. Vertical
circulation routes occupy minimal space as a result of an
intelligent lift system that requires fewer lift cars than
conventional systems. The cores are strategically positioned
so as to block west/east direct sunlight, a move that has the
added benefit of framing spectacular views of the hills of
Sierra de Guadarrama to the north and the centre of Madrid
to the south.
CAJA MADRID
CALCULATION AND MECHANICAL REPRESENTATION

Complete finite element models have been developed of this
building to obtain their vibration modes and frequencies, as
well as to calculate the
50-year along-wind displacements. The human comfort is
assessed, according to the
recommendations of Eurocode, in terms of the 5 and 10-year
along-wind building
acceleration at the top occupied floor. The across-wind structural
response is not considered in
CAJA MADRID
The wind displacement can be thought of as consisting of three

parts:
1-a static part due to the 10-minute averaged extreme wind
velocity
2-a static part due to the wind turbulence
3-A dynamic response caused by resonance with the turbulent
wind breeze.
The vibration frequency, on one hand, is needed to calculate the

resonant response.
On the other hand, it is the fundamental mode shape in

combination with the mass distribution along the height that
determines the building mass in the fundamental vibration
mode. The
accelerations due to along-wind turbulence are higher for lower
fundamental frequencies and fundamental modal mass.
CAJA MADRID
Lateral load resisting characteristics

The bending-dominated lateral load resisting system in x-direction is composed of the two
concrete cores. In y-direction, a megaframe behaviour is obtained due to the rigidly connected
transfer trusses; about 60% of the stiffness in y-direction is attributed to this frame action. Note
that the top steel structure does not have any influence on the global frame action. P-delta
effects were found to be rather small, being 4% and 5% respectively in the x and y-direction.
The frequencies of the first three harmonic vibrations are provided in table 5.
The result shaow that the x-direction is the governing wind direction, having the
highest fundamental period and wind excitation. The force coefficient is constant
along the building height and equals.
TORRE CAJA MADRID
4.0_Construction Process _ Foundation
• The tower use the mat foundation system supported on drilled piers
TORRE CAJA MADRID
4.0_Construction Process _ Basement Parking
• The tower design includes 5 parking levels below grade

TORRE CAJA MADRID
4.0_Construction Process _ Ground Floor
• Basement parking (5 level )

TORRE CAJA MADRID
4.0_Construction Process _ Reinforced Concrete Cores
• The structure of this

building consists of two
concrete cores that are
linked together at three
locations over the height
of the building.
TORRE CAJA MADRID
4.0_Construction Process _ Steel Truss
• The links between the

cores are a pair of two-story
trusses, which not only link
the cores but also support
the 11 to 12 floors above
each truss
TORRE CAJA MADRID
4.0_Construction Process _ Office Blocks
• 34 office floors (a total

of approx. 110,000 sq
meters) divided into three
distinct office blocks of
11, 12 and 11 floors.
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• Façade system : Curtain Wall

• Façade Material : glass and aluminum
TORRE CAJA MADRID
5.0_Details and Special Features _ Long-Span Transfer Trusses
The links between the cores are

a pair of two-story trusses,
which not only link the cores
but also support the 11 to 12
floors above each truss.
Essentially the building floors

are divided into three segments,
where each segment is an 11 to
12 story structure that is
supported on trusses that span
between the two cores. All
mechanical floors for the
building are located with in the
two-story truss levels.
The Long-Span Trusses not only

support loads but also to
provide rigidity to the 2 cores
TORRE CAJA MADRID
Primary Trusses Secondary Trusses
The Long-Span Transfer Trusses consists of

•Two “primary” trusses that span 105 ft between the cores
•Two “secondary“ trusses that cantilever 33 ft to the north
and south past the primary trusses and transfer the four
exterior columns back to the primary trusses
To Provide Rigidity
The bottom chord and end diagonal of the trusses will
push the cores apart, while the top chords will pull the
cores together.
TORRE CAJA MADRID
The trusses induce both vertical and horizontal forces into

the core walls; for this reason two steel columns are
embedded with in each core. The embedded steel column
allows for a direct connection of the trusses to the core.
Since the trusses induce a large vertical load to the
embedded steel column, shear studs welded to the flange
and web of the columns will transfer the vertical load from
the steel column to the concrete cores.
TORRE CAJA MADRID
5.0_Details and Special Features _ Floor Framing System
Basic Principle
The floor framing at each level is supported by four interior and four
exterior steel columns.
The two exterior columns on the north and south sides are supported
directly on the secondary trusses.
Floor Slab
Level 1, 12 and 24 - 0.075 m metal deck plus 0.150 m of normal
weight concrete the thicker slab was provided to minimize sound
transmission from the mechanical rooms
Other Level - 75mm deck plus 75mm of light weight concrete
TORRE CAJA MADRID
5.0_Details and Special Features _ Vierendeel Frame
The architectural design intent was to minimize the

number of exterior columns on the typical office
floors and eliminate corner columns.
This was achieved by providing only two columns on

the north and south faces of the building. These
columns have been detailed to allow for vertical
movement at the mid-height between each floor.
To eliminate the columns from the corners, spandrel

beams on the east and west side of the building
would cantilever from the cores out to the 23 ft
cantilevers on the north and south faces of the
building.
The perimeter spandrel beams and exterior columns

form the Vierendeel frame.
TORRE CAJA MADRID
5.0_Details and Special Features _ Basic Load Distribution
Load from the floor slab – Internal and external column – Loads transferred to cores Loads transferred to foundation
Internal and external column Long Span Steel Truss and piles and finally to the earth
TORRE CAJA MADRID
• The first cranes of the Cuatro Torres Business

Area complex were erected at this building despite
Torres Espacio having been started before.
• The first construction cranes were erected on
October 8, 2004.
• When works started, four test facades were
installed to find the best solution for the final façade
design.
• Steel structure of the building weights 11,000
tonnes.
• The entrance lobby is 13.85 meters high.
• The building has two concrete cores with
panoramic elevators. These cores support all the
weight of the building, with each column-free floor
framed in steel.
• This is the tallest building in Spain, rising over
Torre de Cristal by just 89 centimeters.
FACTS
BURJ AL-ARAB &TORRE CAJA MADRID
1. Core and Planning

Burj Al-Arab Torre Caja Madrid
COMPARISON STUDY
2. Environmental Approach
1. Building
Orientation
Wind displacement
2. Exoskeleton
Structure
COMPARISON STUDY
3. Load Transfer
COMPARISON STUDY
4. Building Materials
Fiber Glass Teflon Façade system : Curtain Wall

Façade Material : glass and aluminum
COMPARISON STUDY
5. Technology
Exoskeleton Structure Long-Span Transfer

Trusses
COMPARISON STUDY

Burj Al-Arab & Caja Torre Construction Study

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1.0_Introduction 2.0_Environmental Approaches + Details 3.0_Building Configuration 4.0_Construction Process 5.0_Details and Special Features 6.

BURJ AL-ARAB TORRE CAJA MADRID

Tom Wright Architect RIBA .

The architect and designer of the Burj al Arab in

The felt pen illustration was an early development

The brief to the architect was to create an icon for

Tom Wright lived in Dubai during the design and

Tom Wright is British, born in Croydon a suburb of

Educated at the Royal Russell School and then

Wright became a member of the Royal institute of

• The Burj Al Arab - Tower of

How the idea was born

• The instruction from the client (the

• The client wanted a dramatic

• The reason of Burj al Arab building

• The building is built on sand, which

The Burj al Arab Island

• The first cranes of the Cuatro Torres Business

Definitely not for Space Savings. But

Designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to

Several features of the hotel required complex

Engineers created a surface layer of large rocks, which

Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.

Burj Al Arab is the world's second tallest hotel (not

Commercial Hotels (MEP) C-16-F

The Tower Hotel is provided with the following special features

Wind Effects Dubai’s Seismic Impact Dubai

4.0_Construction Process _ Artificial Island

• The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed

•To make the foundation secure, its builders drove

•The foundation is held in place by the friction of

•Of the hotel's total five year construction period,

4.0_Construction Process _ Artificial Island

•Temporary tube piles driven into sea bed

4.0_Construction Process _ Artificial Island

•Permanent boundary rock bunds deposited either side of sheet piles

4.0_Construction Process _ Artificial Island

4.0_Construction Process _ Artificial Island

4.0_Construction Process _ Concrete works

• V shape concrete tower

• Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while

• Reinforced concrete tower

4.0_Construction Process _ Concrete works

4.0_Construction Process _ Steel Bracing (Inner Reinforced Concrete V)

• The front (shore-facing) facade is constructed of two

4.0_Construction Process _ Steel Bracing (Inner Reinforced Concrete V)

4.0_Construction Process _ Steel Exoskeleton

• A steel exoskeleton wrapped around a reinforced concrete

• The assembled segment were lifted and erected in

4.0_Construction Process _ Diagonal Truss

4.0_Construction Process _ Yacht’ structure

4.0_Construction Process _ Sky view restaurant

4.0_Construction Process _ Interior

• The atrium dominates the interior of the hotel, and takes up

4.0_Construction Process _ Fiberglass fabric

•The space between

5.0_Details and Special Features _ Artificial Island

Artificial Island During Construction Phase

5.0_Details and Special Features _ Fiber Glass Teflon

The huge Teflon to resemble a huge sail

For the hotel to feature the largest atrium

It is composed of two layers of PTFE

During the day, the fibreglass fabric acts