Construction of Burj Al Arab, Dubai

By
Ehsan Pourabedin
Student No: 070271

1. Location of Burj Al Arab
2. Experience
3. Description and its Dimensions
4. Building Uses
5. The Burj al Arab Island
6. concept architect
7. Designers and Architectural Style
8. Materials used in construction
9. amazing facts about Burj Al Arab
10. Island construction process
11. Construction Process

11. Structural Types
12. Structural Engineering and structure analyze
13. Gravity Loads
14. Lateral Loads
15. Construction Management
16. 2 phase of construction
17. MEP Engineering
18. Exterior
19. Technical Details
20. Economical justification of the project
21. A glance at Burj Al Arab
22. References

 United Arab Emirates – Dubai
 Private Island (280 m Offshore)

 World’s Tallest Hotel (321 m)

 World Class Accommodations
The Helipad

 The most technologically
advanced meeting and
conference facilities available

A Conference Room

The World's Tallest Usable
Full Hotel Building. If You
Counted Mixed Use
Buildings The Jin Mao
Tower In China Would Be
The Tallest Which Is Only
Half Hotel.
In English "Burj Al Arab"
Means The Arabian Tower
Burj Al Arab Was One Of
The Most Expensive
Buildings Ever Built. It Is
One Of The World's Only
Two "7 Star" Hotels.
Burj Al Arab Is Shaped Like
A Sail.

 Status: built
 Construction Dates:
 Began: 1994
 Finished: 1999

 Floor Count: 60
 Elevator Count: 18
 Units / Rooms: 202

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

 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 : 7.5 tones

 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 tones
 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

 Tom Wills-Wright
Tom Wright is the architect and
designer of the Burj al Arab in
Dubai, UAE
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

Tom Wills-Wright
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.

Since 1999 Tom Wright has
continued to work for Atkins as
Head of Architecture from the
Atkins H.Q. in Epsom, London.

W.S. Atkins & Partners
Atkins provided project and construction management, concept and
multidiscipline design services for the hotel. Originally founded in
1938 by Sir William Atkins, Atkins is now one of the top-ranking
consultant firms in the world. It employs 14,000 permanent staff.
The firm operates through three main categories: transport, design
and engineering solutions, and management and project services.

http://www.atkinsglobal.com

 structural expressionism
Structural Expressionism basically means that the
structural components of the building are visible
on the inside as well as outside. Commonly this
includes features such as exposed truss work and
complex shapes that require high level and unique
engineering Other buildings that have the same
style include: The Bank of China Tower in Hong
Kong, Erie on the Park in Chicago, and Edificio Dr.
Alfredo L. Palacios in Buenos Aires among other
buildings around the world and in planning. The
style seems to be coming more popular and can be
expected to appear in more buildings in the future.

KCA International
Led by Ms Kuan
Chew

 The client asked us to
design a building that
would become a symbol
for Dubai. Sidney has it's
Opera House and New
York has the Statue of
Liberty so Dubai would
also have a building that
people would associate
with the place.

 We looked at the other buildings in the world
that are symbols to see what they had in
common. We found that they were all totally
unique in shape and they all have a simple
easily recognizable form. We decided that the
test to determine if a building is symbolic is if
you can draw it in 5 seconds and every one
recognizes it.

 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.

 It helps its uniqueness. It looks like a sail / boat.
 If it was on shore it would block the sun on the
beach in the middle of the day.

 The building is built on sand, which is unusual
as most tall building are founded on rock. The
building 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.

 The screen that encloses the third side of the
atrium is made of 1mm thick glass fiber fabric
with a Teflon coat to stop the dirt sticking. The
screen is the largest of it's type and covers an
area of one and a half football pitch and
is hung from the top of the building by over a
kilometer of 52mm cable.

 The diagonal trusses on the side of the 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
to Dubai 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.

 carbon
 fiber
 concrete
 fabric
 glass
 gold
 steel

 The architectural materials of the hotel consist of only a
few mediums. Outside the exterior facade consists of
50,000m2 of glazed curtain wall of 35,000m2 aluminum
cladding designed by Al Abbar Group. Glass and steel
make up the remaining portions of the exterior. The
Steel structure was clad with 6mm composite
aluminum panels. The design is able to with stand a
wind load of 9kPa and was designed to drain water at
each horizontal joint. Inside the hotel the materials get
even more expensive than the outside. The interior
features marble and 24 carrot gold leaf (Burj Al Arab).
Like the exterior, the interior steel structure is also clad
with 6 mm composite aluminum.

It took 3 years to complete the island from
total 5 years construction period

 Number of piles: 230
 Length of piles: 45m
 Diameter of piles 1.5m
 Depth of lowest basement
under sea is 7m below sea level.

 Temporary tube piles driven into sea bed
 Temporary sheet piles and tie rods driven into sea bed to
support boundary rocks (see figure 1)

 Permanent boundary rock bunds deposited either side of
sheet piles
 Hydraulic fill layers deposited between bunds to
displace sea water and form island (see figure 2 with fill
layers partially complete)

 Permanent concrete armor 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 (see figure 3)

 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 (see figure 4)

 high-rise
 atrium
 cantilever
 landing pad
 pole
 truss
 stilts

Construction of Burj Al Arab began in
1994, and was completed in 1999 It was
built n the shape of the Arab dhow, a
type of Arabian vessel. Two ‘wings’
spread in a V shape to form a ‘mast’,
with the space in between them making
the worlds largest atrium . It needed to
be a building that would become
synonymous with the name of the
country.

 Principal Structural
Engineer of Building
Martin Halford
 Eversendai Engineering

 130 foot Deep Piles
 Outer Steel Frame V
 Inner Reinforced
Concrete V

 Core Connection

 Central Core Service
Transmits Gravity Loads

 Since the Burj Al Arab is built on a man-made island into the sea,
certain geotechnical considerations had to be considered. Mainly,
the ground beneath the Burj Al Arab is sand and silt. To take this
into account, the foundation was made with cement piles that
reach a depth of 130 feet. The foundation of this superstructure
does not reach bedrock; therefore the stability comes from the
shear forces along each deep pile.

 The Burj Al Arab withstands gravity loads through the stability of
the two intertwined V’s of steel and concrete. The concrete walls
and slabs come out from the point of the V which is a special
service core. At the end of each floor level are wings. Gravity
loads are transferred down from the core and wings to the
foundation. The use of a core and wings was suitable for this
structure to allow for the world’s largest atrium to be enclosed
between the two sides of hotel suites.

 3 Tube Steel Trusses

 Cross-bracing and
Curved Truss Arch

 Teflon Coated
Fiberglass Fabric

 As a tall building, the lateral loads of the Burj Al Arab are of most
importance. Due to the geographic location in the Persian Gulf,
winds and seismic activity had to be considered. The building was
built to withstand a fifty year wind of 100 miles per hour and a
seismic ground acceleration of 0.2 times gravity (Reina).

 The structure transfers lateral loads in a number of ways. First, the
Burj Al Arab has three tubular steel trusses on the outside of the
two sides of the V. These trusses act as cross bracing to wind and
earthquake forces. The translucent fabric wall of the atrium is not
only a stunning architectural feature but also helps transfer lateral
load. The fabric covers a series of steel cross bracing and is
comprised of two layers of fiberglass material which is Teflon-
coated. The fabric goes over the trussed arches mentioned before.
Due to the rigidity, lateral loads are transferred to the fabric wall
which acts similar to a diaphragm. The shape of Burj Al Arab
lowers wind forces more effectively then a square building because
of the streamlined V and curved fabric atrium wall.

 Joint Venture between

 Al Habtoor Engineering

 Murray and Roberts

 Fletcher Construction

 The companies all joined to gather because by utilizing the separate talents
of each partner; the bulk of the risk could be redistributed to the firms that
were best equipped to handle each particular issue. The risks that needed to
be considered were :
1. labor supply
2. concrete work
3. structural steel supply
4. Erection
5. high rise management experience
6. Purchasing
7. cost control
8. management staffing

 1- Al Habtoor Engineering had the responsibility to
provide the project with the labor required the quality
of the concrete and block work. The procurement
system put in place by the joint venture was based on
Al Habtoor Engineering's proven system.
 2- Murray and Roberts brought the expertise for
detailing, fabrication, shipment and erection of the
complex structural steel. This was subcontracted to
Genrec Steel Fabricators of Johannesburg, South
Africa, a company owned by Murray and Roberts.
This subcontract would reduce financial risk.
 3- Fletcher had the high-rise management and
planning expertise. The project director and project
manager came from Fletcher and were based in Dubai.

 Construction in two
phase

 Phase 1
Value Engineering
and
Constructability

 Phase 2
Actual Construction

 The first phase would address the complexity of the
building construction and take advantage of a three-month
lead. This allowed time for construction scheduling,
purchasing of forming systems, planning for crane and
hoisting, and initial programming. The project used this
time for value engineering and development of innovative
methods for accomplishing the unique tasks. Some of the
major challenges in this phase were related to the
exoskeleton embodiments, which were redesigned in order
to ease the installation and speed up the cycle times to
adhere to the tight schedule. In addition to the exoskeleton,
Genrec was faced with redesigned some of the structure just
to facilitate constructability. The rear-braced frame was
completely redesigned from lattice girder construction to
box girders. This was not only a saving in money but also
made the building much easier to build (Al Habtoor).

 For phase 2 the client had the option to award
it to another contractor should the results of the
first phase prove to be unsatisfactory. The
client decided to stick with the same firms since
there methods were already proving to speed
up and cheapen construction. Phase 2 was all
of the actual construction of the structure. The
partners used many new technologies to speed
up construction and lower the construction cost
so the companies could earn more profit by
saving money in such places as labor and
equipment (Al Habtoor).

 One new technology that was used was Cantilever’s Top
Climbing Jump Form system for the main core area.
Cantilever Pty Ltd, Queensland, Australia designed and
furnished the 300 ton forming system. A top climbing jump
form system requires the form to hang off a structural steel
grid and to be jumped utilizing a dozen synchronous
electric - operated screw jacks that lift the entire system by
pushing off the top of the walls previously poured. The
form system chosen for the wing walls and the stair cores
was Doka's SKE automatic-climbing form system. The wing
areas of the building house the two-storey suites. Each of the
six walls per wing are 13 meters long and were poured in
3.57 meter lifts. Doka designed the forms such that only two
climbing brackets per form were necessary. The fewer
suspension points meant fewer man hours were required for
each operation therefore saving time and money.

 Another place where technology was used was in the form
system for the main floors. This form system was also
designed, manufactured and furnished by Cantilever Pty
Ltd. This form was designed as a flying cable and was
supported by brackets attached to the walls. The form itself
weighed 18 tons. The frame for each form was constructed
with large castellated steel beams and measured 18.3 meters
long by 8.1 meters wide. Once the slab was cast and reached
sufficient strength, the forms were jacked down off the wall
brackets and flown into the next position with tower cranes.
The table forms saved time by eliminating the need for
shoring labor to hold them up. In addition, Meinhardt
International helped the joint venture re-engineer the slabs
to a post-tensioned design, reducing the labor on reinforcing
steel and time required to get sufficient strength to strip the
form (Doka).

 The forming a joint venture
the companies undoubtedly
contributed the most to the
success of the project. The
companies’ use of value
engineering, constructability,
and preplanning and
planning that included all
members of the group helped
to keep cost down as well as
keep up with the schedule
that was set by the owner.

 Majority of Mechanical, Electrical and
Plumbing Designs by DSE Engineering
Group
 All designs are very involved given the
nature the project
 Exterior Electrical Designs
 Subcontracted out to
 Speirs and Major Associates

 As you might expect the mechanical, electrical and
plumbing designs for this building are quite
involved given the building’s size and architecture.
Each facet of the MEP has its own individual
design challenges. One can imagine the difficulty
associated with cooling a building in a city with an
average temperature of 80˚ Fahrenheit in the
winter, especially when the greater part of the
building’s outside is covered in glass. The
complexity is only multiplied when you consider
that the building is a hotel and that each of the 202
suites are outfitted with their own electricity and
plumbing feeds.

The structure is made of a steel exoskeleton
wrapped around an reinforced concrete tower.
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. The sail is made of a material called
Dyneon, spanning over 161,000 square feet,
consists of two layers, and is divided into
twelve panels and installed vertically. The
fabric is coated with DuPont Teflon to protect
it from harsh desert heat, wind, and dirt. The
fabricators estimate that it will hold up for up
to 50 years.

 At 14,000 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).

 The Burj Al
Arab is lit
by 150
color
changing.
highlighted
by 90 Data
Flash
strobes

The • The tower
Changing changes
Colors of from white
to multicolor
the as the
Building’s evening
Exterior progresses

In fabric atrium wall
The membrane is constructed from 2 skins of
PTFE coated fiberglass separated by an air gap of
approximately 500mm and pre-tensioned over a
series of trussed arches. These arches span up to 50
meters between the outer bedroom wings of the
hotel which frame the atrium, and are aligned with
the vertical geometry of the building. The double-
curved membrane panels so formed are able to
take positive wind pressures by spanning from
truss to truss and negative wind pressures by
spanning sideways. Additional cables have been
provided running on the surface of the fabric to
reduce the deflection of the membrane

 The trussed arches which can extend out from
the supports by up to 13 meters are supported
vertically at the 18th and 26th floors by a series
of 52mm diameter cross-braced macaloy bars.
Girders at these floors transfer the load to the
core structure. These bars are then pre-tensioned
to ensure that the whole structure remains in
tension.

 An expansion joint is provided for the full
height of the building on the right hand side of
the wall. This enables the building to 'breath'
under wind loads and avoids the exertion of
large horizontal loads on the relatively weak
bedroom structures.

 The resulting form is entirely appropriate for the
building and its function with the fabric
reducing solar gain into the atrium and
providing an effective diffused light quality. It is
also appropriate for the Middle-East region
where its predicted lifespan and self-cleansing
qualities should resist the aggressive
environment.

 A stay in this luxurious hotel will range in price
from two to seven or more thousand U.S. dollars
a night. Just getting inside the doors for a tour
of the Burj Al Arab costs approximately one
hundred and fifty U.S. dollars. Despite these
prices, it has been said that the Burj Al Arab will
actually never be able to make a profit.
However, the building more than pays for itself
by creating a potent marketing symbol for
surrounding Dubai (Economist.com).
 BUT As we know:
 A great deal of the United Arab Emirates current
economy is dependent upon international
tourism. The Burj Al Arab quickly became the
city’s definitive icon; it is now to Dubai what the
Eiffel Tower is to Paris. Tourism worldwide has
seen a gradual decrease over the last few years.
However, more recently it has been increasing in
Dubai, thanks in large part to Burj Al Arab.
(Time Out Dubai).

Resource: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3IloFyM61Q

This is the Burj Al Arab, the only 7 stars hotel
... in the world, it was built in only 18 months
.....And opened its doors in 2003

This hotel is in Dubai, in the
Arab Emirates. Yes, a lot of
oil and a lot of money....

Just to go in and “see it” costs 60 € .
Can you imagine what it would cost to
spend the night?…..

In a little room like this one....

Let me tell you: you can enjoy one night
in a luxury suite from $7,500 to
$15,000 the most expensive...

This is the panoramic suite
for $ 8.250 the night...

You need to add what it will cost you
to dine in this restaurant

Once you are there you can swim in one
of the numerous pools....

Or perhaps take a bath in something
more “simple” and intimate...

You can have a drink in
one the numerous bars...

.... and be always in a “meeting”...

... or play a tennis match with Nadal...

Crazy isn’t it? And who will worry
if you lost a ball?…. For the price
of one hour of court you can buy
hundreds of balls...

This is an aerial view from the plane
Look at the Hotel Burj Al Arab

(1)

1. Guinness World Records Book 2006
2. Skyscraper Source Media Inc.
3. www.tomwrightdesign.com
4. www.atkinsglobal.com
5. www.youtube.com
6. Al Abbar Group (2004). “Custom Projects: Burj Al Arab
(Chicago Beach Hotel)”. Retrieved November 20, 2004 from
www.alabbargroup.com
7. Al Habtoor Engineering, Retrieved November 15, 2004
from www.habtoorengg.co.ae
8. Atkins (2004). “Design and Engineering Solutions”.
Retrieved November 4, 2004, from www.wsatkins.com
9. Burj Al Arab. (2004). Jumeirah International. Retrieved
November 28, 2004 from www.burj-al-arab.com

(2)

10. Burj Al Arab. (2004). Retrieved November 28, 2004 from
www.timeoutdubai.com.
11. Burj Al Arab (2004). Economist. Retrieved November 28, 2004 from
economist.com/
12. Doka Framework experts (2004) Retrieved November 15, 2004 from
www.doka.com
13. Emporis (2004). “Burj Al Arab”. Retrieved November 15, 2004, from
www.emporis.com
14. Flame Seal (2004). “Steel Fire Retardant Coating”. Retrieved November 25,
2004 from www.flameseal.com
15. Futronix (2004), Retrieved December 1, 2004 from www.futronix-info.com
16. Go Dubai (2000). “The two most exciting hotels in Dubai”. Retrieved
November 28, 2004 from www.godubai.com
17. McBride, Edward (2004) “Burj Al Arab”, Architecture, Washington, Aug
2000, Iss. 8, pg. 116, 12 pgs.

(3)

18. Jumeirah International (2004). Jumeirah International. Retrieved
November 28, 2004 from www.jumeirahinternational.com
19. Reina, Peter (2004), “Lodging on High,” Retrieved November 30,
2004 from http://www.uk-ci.net/
20. Richardson, Gary. Beautiful Hotel. (2004). Retrieved November
28, 2004 from www.ssqq.com
21. Scott Bader (2004). “Crystic® Fire Retardant Resins”. Retrieved
November 20, 2004 from www.scottbader.com
22. Speirs and Major Associates (2004). “Burj Al Arab”. Retrieved
November 21, 2004 from www.lightarch.com
23. Tenos (2004). “Burj Al Arab (Arabian Tower Hotel) – Dubai”.
Retrieved November 20, 2004 from www.tenos.co.uk
24. Wikepedia (2004). “Burj Al Arab”. Retrieved November 21,
2004, from www.wikepedia.org

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Construction of Burj Al Arab, Dubai

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