Burj Al Arab

Burj Al Arap Hotel

Dubai

Sinan Meric

Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 3

Concept……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 4

The first artificial island in Dubai………………………………………………………………….………………Page 4

Technical Details………………………………………………………………………………………………….………Page 4

Burj al Arab Hotel Island, Dubai – Construction sequence……………………………………….……Page 5

Burj al Arab – Unusual Equipment………………………………………………………………………………..Page 6

Burj al Arab - Cascade Water Feature………………………….………………………………….…………….Page 7

Structural design…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 7, 8

Construction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 9

Exoskeleton Rear leg Erection……………………………………………………………………………………….Page 10

Rear Brace Frame………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 10

Diagonals………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 10

Horizontals……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 11

Helipad Structure………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 11

Helipad Structure………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 11

Mast……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 11

Sky Restaurant Structure………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 12

Interior Design………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 13, 14

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 15

Introduction

Burj Al Arab, one of the world’s tallest buildings, is an iconic structure and also the world’s most luxurious hotel. Known as the “Towers of Arabia” in Arabic, this magnificent building has received great recognition from around the world, mainly because of its peculiar design that resembles the shape of a boat’s sail.

The hotel was built on a man-made island; Burj Al Arab construction began in 1993 and was completed in 1999. The 321 meters high building was designed by architect Tom Wright, formerly known as Tom Wills Wright.

BURJ AL ARAB, THE SYSMBOL OF DUBAI

In 1994 a group of young British architects led by Thomas Willis Wright received the commission of their lives: to design a building that would become the symbol of a city, Dubai, and a country, the United Arab Emirates. The client was none other than the actual ruler of Dubai, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. At that time few people were aware of the existence of the emirate, but it was the Burj Al Arab, the Tower of the Arabs, the one put Dubai on the map.

Concept Dubai's impressive economic boom was due in big part to oil; however their leaders noticed that their oil reserves would run out in 2016. Therefore, they decided to shift the emirate's economy to luxury tourism. The Burj Al Arab hotel was to be the new symbol of this emirate, and led Dubai to become one of the world's largest real estate development areas. When it was completed in 1999, the Burj Al Arab was the tallest hotel in the world, reaching 321 meters.

The building's layout is organized around two blocks forming a V shape enclosing a main courtyard. Two steel arches, separated from the main structure, give the Burj Al Arab its characteristic form.

The facade is covered with two layers of canvas, separated 60 cm from each other, in order to isolate the excessive heat and sunlight. The canvases are another reference to the vessels sailing the emirate.

The building is crowned by a suspended inverted cone, which when not working as a heliport, it is an impressive tennis court.

The first artificial island in Dubai The hotel was built on top of its own artificial island, separated 250 meters from the beach, to give the impression that is floating on water. Another reason for this was to prevent that such a tall building would overshadow the neighbouring beaches of Jumeirah.

The construction of the artificial island on which the hotel stands began in 1994. That was the first artificial island in Dubai, which later became famous for projects like the Palm Island or The World. However, this island had to be low, to give the impression that the building was floating, a decision that on the other hand had to face the risk of flooding by storms that occur in the Persian Gulf. This problem was solved by mounting perforated concrete blocks on a bed of rock, designed to reduce the impact of the waves, acting as a giant artificial sponge.

Technical Details

The resulting form is entirely appropriate for the Burj al Arab 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.

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

The Burj al Arab’s trussed arches which can extend out from the supports by up to 13 metres 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 structures. The macaloy bars are anchored at level 1 to a substantial entrance girder which is tied to the lower basement structure. These bars are then pre-tensioned to ensure that the whole Burj al Arab structure remains in tension.

The membrane is constructed from 2 skins of PTFE coated fibreglass separated by an air gap of approximately 500mm and pre-tensioned over a series of trussed arches. These arches span up to 50 metres 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 solution to overcome the complex 3-dimensional shape of the Burj al Arab building was to provide a series of shaped membrane panels that hotel atrium wall whilst maintaining the overall sail-like form of the hotel.

Burj al Arab - Construction sequence

Ring of steel sheet piles. Length of piles 45m Number of piles 230 Diameter of piles 1.5m Depth of lowest basement under sea, B3 is -5.000 below DMD (Dubai Mean Datum) i.e. 7.000m below sea level. Heights Height of Burj al Arab atrium 182m Height of helipad from sea 212m Height of top of accommodation from island, 27th Floor (Sky view) is 197.5m above DMD. The island is 7.5m above DMD. Therefore the Sky view is 190m above the top of the island. Height of Burj al Arab top of mast from island 321m Dimensions Distance of building off shore 450m to the outer point of the island 270m off shore Size of island 150m per side Sea 7.5m deep SHED hollow armour units surround the island Length of biggest truss 85m Weight of biggest truss 165t Cantilever of Burj al Arab sky view restaurant 27m & 1.7m deep Size of sky view restaurant 1000 m sq., room for 110 seated guests Weight of helicopter that can land on the pad 7.5 tonnes Maximum sway at top of accommodation 300 mm 50 year wind is 45 mps/mph Total volume of concrete on the island 33,000 sq. Total volume of concrete in the superstructure 36,000 sq. Total tonnage of steel 9200 tonnes Gross area of Burj al Arab building 120,000sqm 28 double height floors 7M floor to floor height

Largest atrium in the world. We don’t know, but the Burj al Arab Atrium is 180.5m high and has a volume of 285,000m3 Tallest hotel in the world 15th tallest building in the world

Number of restaurants 3 Length of mast 60m Size of mast plan bottom of mast is 5.3m x 2.5m and tapers to the top of mast, which is 3.5m x 2.5m Number of large cranes used in construction 3. Area of fabric, 8,700m sq. x 2 the height of the Burj al Arab hotel fabric wall above ground level is approximately 182m but this includes the entrance gazed wall. The glass wall height is approximately 14m Width of fabric up to 50m Thickness of fabric 1mm thick with 500mm air gap Number of fabric trusses 12 trusses not including level 26. Hung by cables from the 18th & 26th floors Diameter of cables 52mm Total length of cables 1 km Number of Burj al Arab suites 202 Size / types of suites One bed, number 164, 169 sq. Two bed number 28, 415 sq. Three bed number 10, 780 sq.

Burj al Arab – Unusual Equipment

Unusual equipment in one bed suite, digital telephone, interactive TV, internet & video conferencing: Unusual equipment in best suite: Video on Demand, Whirlpool spa bath, wall mounted body jets in the shower, 54″ plasma TV and surround sound Home Theatre system, Door intercom & video camera display on room TV, Electronically controlled curtains, Toshiba Satellite notebook computer, 9 No. telephones, video conference facilities, fax, printer, scanner, lighting scene dimmer system, light projector clock, single touch night light system from bedroom to bathroom, 2 minibars, mirror on ceiling above bed, DVD player, portable touch screen controller for all room entertainment, curtains and information systems.

Lifts speeds; Service 4m per sec 9mph Wall climber 5m per sec 11mph Passenger 7m per sec 16mph

Plan; Total number of floors in the Burj al Arab building: 56 storey 28 double height space floors 7m high Size of Burj al Arab tower in plan gross area 1.2 million sq ft

People; Number of Atkins staff on site at peak 150. Number of construction staff on site at peak. Peak labour force for overall project 4,000 How many man years to construct Burj al Arab (i.e. how long for one man alone in years) 8,000 years 350 man years to design and construction manage

Total site area excluding the Burj al Arab tower island 12.25 hectares

Burj al Arab - Cascade Water Feature

This is a spectacular waterfall descending a total height of seven metres, split into unequal height steps, increasing down the down the slope to create a three dimensional elliptical surface. In plan Fan shaped in plan and located between the 2 No. Escalators that link the Burj al Arab Hotel’s Ground and First floors, the waterfall is dramatic both visually and kinetically. The use of brightly coloured crushed glass aggregate, contained in eighty varying sizes of diamond shaped water catchment tray, combine with a stimulating light show to create the ultimate ‘wow’ factor on first entry into the Burj al Arab Atrium Lobby.

The feature comprises controlled falls of water over the diamond tiers of glass aggregate onto inclined grooved green/grey granite slabs, which create a shimmering water skin as a back drop to the active laminar stream presentations on each level. The feature contains 24 pairs of coloured fibre optic lit Leapfrogs® ; each pair designed to collide creating a bright “spark” effect as the fibre optic light disperses at the intersection point. The “spark” is further highlighted by dimmable coloured up lighting. Operation of both features is computer controlled to choreograph an array of different sequences and patterns of the display. Light and movement are combined with the sound of the impacting water streams. In fact, parts of the sequence sound like a chorus of hand clapped rhythms, adding to the ambience and interest created in the vast space of the Atrium Lobby.

Even when viewed from high above at the top of the Burj al Arab’s Atrium, the colour and light of the features form a delightful pattern and focal point for the whole space.

Structural design

Some of the criticisms stressed that the Burj Al Arab's formalism caused overcosts due to the highly complex construction techniques. For example, because of the thinness of the sand soil, 250 reinforced concrete piles were embedded 40 meters into the seabed, in order to give stability to the structure and to strengthen the foundation (a similar process has been explained for the Burj Dubai). The 202 rooms, each suite consisting of two levels, were prefabricated and installed on site, fitted on a concrete structure. Each suite forms a curved facade that in turn defined a balcony to the upper suite.

In order to make better use of space in the rooms, architects proposed the use of thin walls in the two blocks, that would not had be sufficiently resistant to winds and earthquakes. Therefore, the architects proposed that these two blocks were braced by beams which intersect in front of the Burj Al Arab. Also, stiffness is increased by the use of giant metal trusses of triangular section, located on the exterior side walls, a kind of exoskeleton, which diagonally braces the two side trusses and the large concrete column in the back of the hotel. Each one of these structures measures 85 m long and weighs 165 tons, and they had to be mounted using special cranes used for mining

To solve the problems of expansion and contraction of the trusses (that can reach 5 cm in a day) due to the extreme changes in temperature, a special steering linkage rod was designed.

Construction

The most spectacular trait of Burj Al Arab is that it resembles a modern yacht’s sail. With two hundred and two rooms in total, the marvellous building is located about 280 meters off the Dubai Coast on a man-made island having excellent landscaping.

For constructing the artificial island, 230 concrete piles, each of 40 meters length, were drilled into the sea bed. The piles acted as the first step for creating the island. The surface of the island was then made using large rocks that were put together in a specific concrete construction pattern.

To make the platform or the island on which the building would be constructed, temporary tube files and sheet files were drilled into the sea bed to support a number of boundary rocks, which were deposited later on both the sides of sheet piles. Once this was done, sea water was displaced to fill the inside space with concrete slabs and units. Around the structure, huge concrete structures were placed to protect the island and the base of the coffer dam like structure was filled with a concrete plug slab. Lastly, concrete walls were made and the main basement floor of the building was done. The construction of the island took the longest, almost three years out of the total five years taken for the construction process.

The distinguished 3D shape of the building has been constructed with a special geometry design to support the sail like design and also to protect the building from varying wind load. The outermost wall of the structure has been made from PTFE coated fiberglass with air gaps at regular intervals. Due to the specific design the double curve membrane is able to withstand the varying wind pressure easily. Moreover, additional cables are also provided on the structure to prevent any kind of material deflection. For the full height of the building, an expansion joint is provided on the right to prevent harmful effects from wind loads and excessive horizontal stresses. The material of the sail like structure is not only robust but also protects the interiors from the high intensity sun’s rays using its special light diffusing quality. Moreover, the building also has self-cleaning features that help in resisting the aggressive environment.

Exoskeleton Rear leg Erection

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 starting from 208m. The total weight of the structure is about 2,800 tons. The structure was made of two build up H sections of 1.8 metre wide by 4.5 metre deep plate girders (inner and outer legs) connected by a lattice braced members and segmented to 40 ton capacity 12m in length to create the gentle curve in concurrence with the building edge developing the shape of a sail. The assembled segment were lifted and erected in position using the tower cranes from ground floor to top, one over another using specially designed lifting lugs with 20 ton chain hoists in the pre-determined lifting location to lift the segment in required angle. After each segment were erected, temporary struts were introduced to tie Hybrid V shape structure back the rear leg to the core wall to maintain alignment until the Exoskeleton grows to the next point of permanent connection and then connected permanently with the Link Stud weighing about 10 tons to the concrete core. There were three Link studs on each side of the building, fixing at three points for the entire length of 273 metre Exoskeleton to the diagonal brace and horizontal brace point and continued erection of the segment only after the erection of diagonals and horizontals and finally connecting to the front legs starting from 208m. All exoskeleton are lifted in predetermined angles adjusted by chain blocks, hooked on to the crane and lifted in segments. All the joints are of full penetration welding and inspected by ultrasonic test. Platforms were fitted at each joint for welding and other related works

Alignment was carried out using electronic digital total station located at three different fixed locations, all surveying are done very early in the morning to get a more accurate reading, keeping in mind the movement of the structure due to thermal effects which generally develops deflection.

Rear Brace Frame

The two cores on the rear side of the building are 40m apart and connected by huge cross bracings of fabricated box sections called the rear braces. The box sections were brought into the site in transportable segments. The cross sections of the boxes are 2.2m by 1.4m and made of from 25mm to 40 mm thick plates. The box sections are assembled and welded at the ground level by the side the building. This brace ties both the cores together to give stability to the structure. The total tonnage of this part alone is 1600 tons. The shape of the Rear Brace is similar to “X “are erected in segments.

All the joints are of full penetration welding. These rear braces form as X of three portions for the whole building. The length of one brace was around 60m in one direction from one side of the bottom embedment to the upper embedment of the other side of the core, it was spliced into three pieces.

The first piece was about 24m and weighs about 50 tons and was lifted by two tower cranes as a tandem lift and erected between core embedment from one side and the another end rested on the temporary lattice girder trusses running between cores to support the rear brace segmental erection. Once these two 24mts braces were erected then the X of 12m length of 52 tons was erected by two tower cranes as tandem lift supported by the second layer of temporary lattice girder truss, which was erected between cores, the whole rear brace is in inclined towards the inside of the building. After all welding, touch up inspections been carried out, all the temporary platforms, scaffolds and the three lattice girder trusses were removed from its position and re – erected to the upper portion of the rear braces location to continue the same process of erection to complete the three portions of X rear braces in the building.

Diagonals

The diagonals are of huge tubular triangular truss geometry having the maximum cross section at the middle length and merged as one member at the ends. The Diagonal vary from 76m to 90m in length and weigh 160 to 180 ton. The Diagonal connects with a 300mm diameter pin connection to the core-wall and the Rear-leg structure. There are six diagonals erected at different levels on both side of the building. These diagonals are transported as a single fabricated piece from the fabrication shop 15 km away by special self-propelled long trailers. Strand jacks supported by Cat heads were connected to the building to execute the lifting of the Diagonals and Horizontals. Utmost care was taken to ensure that the measurement length between the core and the exoskeleton rear leg so that the diagonals with pin connection can be connected with ease.

Horizontals

The horizontal weighting about 200 tons connects the core wall to the exoskeleton rear leg. This structure was assembled in one piece in the assembly yard near the project side. The Horizontals were transported by long special self-propelled trailers to the erection site. They had to be erected between two fixed points so utmost care was taken to measure the length between the core and the exoskeleton rear leg. Horizontal were erected by strand jacking method similar to Diagonals, using the same cat heads platforms. Once the horizontal reached its determined elevation, then it was slide towards the building and placed to its position connected with bolts and welding. The strand jacks and the cat head platforms were removed from its position and kept ready for the next cycle of operation. Once cat heads and strands were removed then the Exoskeleton typical erection sequence was carried out up to its level to the next diagonal and horizontal fixing point and then stopped to continue diagonal and horizontal strand jacking operation.

Helipad Structure

This structure is at 212m level at the rear side of the building, weighs about 330 tons made up of steel trusses and 20mm thick plates. Two props of 1m diameter circular steel pipes, forming an inverted V shape, tapered at 30º to the vertical and tied back to the centre core by a 40m long spine truss weighing 120 tons, support the total Helipad structure.

Mast

The mast is about 104mts long, only 54m was braced in between Exoskeleton support legs starting from 208m level on the core wall and the balance cantilevers vertically 50m way above the Exoskeleton. The overall mast was erected in segments of average 30 ton weight matching the tower crane capacity. The mast is in oval shape of 2.5m x 5m at the bottom and gradually decreases to 2.5 x 2m at top. All the segments were bolted inside by ring plate flange connections. All the segments had inside arrangements of permanent ladders and interval platforms to facilitate access and maintenance. The first segment of the mast was erected after the Exoskeleton was erected on the trusses which run between two Exoskeleton legs in horizontal plane. There were manholes at periodic intervals, through that workers had access to go and come out from the mast to the nearby Exoskeleton temporary scaffolding arrangement. Temporary Safety exhaust fans were introduced inside the mast to have air circulation to workers. Before the mast erections coming to end with the use of the tower crane, the other two cranes were dismantled except the crane near to mast. Finally the third crane was dismantled by derrick crane. After complete dismantling of tower crane, derrick crane was dismantled manually and lowered from the roof top by winches.

Sky Restaurant Structure

The 350 ton structural steel sky Restaurant was one of the most complex and potentially dangerous structures to erect. The box girders cantilever out for about 30m from the main core wall of the building connected to about 200 tons of embedment.

The restaurant is having a floor size of 70m x 25m. The total structure is built up on eight cantilevered box sections and two end trusses at 200m above the ground level. The beauty of the restaurant is that it overlooks the sea. One of the highlights is, two 30m long girders had to be erected at 200m level but the crane did not have the lifting capacity so they had to split the girders into halves and joint up in the air with full penetration welding, it was a real challenge and Eversendai took it up and performed beyond everyone’s expectation in a record duration of 40 days.

The most dramatic element in the composition is

the restaurant Al Muntaha ("The Highest") which, with its outstanding C section, is suspended 200 meters above the sea, projecting itself 30 meters on each side of the central column. The idea of the architect was to give diners the feeling that you're dining in the air, with an uninterrupted view of the surroundings.

The secret of its construction relies is a series of metal beams of 1.6 m thick, arranged in a fan way from the concrete column towards the edges of the restaurant, which has been built in aluminium and glass to reduce its weight

Interior Design while the exterior design is remarkable for its sculptural form and its elegant and iconic form, its interior design is opulent, palatial, over ornated, eclectic and baroque.

The categorization of hotels ranges from 1 to 5 stars, therefore Burj Dubai's designation as "the only 7-star hotel" implies a service that goes far beyond usual levels in 5-star hotels. It was obvious that His Majesty Mohammed wanted the hotel to become a display of luxury a unique structure and a symbol for Dubai.

Its interior design was carried out by Chinese designer Khuan Chew, famous decorator of great hotels in the world. Her concept, she said, was based on the four elements of the ancient world: water, fire, wind and earth.

Water is present in aquariums and fountains at various points in the hotel. Earth is represented by 24,000 m2 of marble and precious stones used. The air is represented in the steam that rises from the fountains, and the fire in another fountain at the entrance of the hotel.

The golden colour abounds everywhere, but it is not gold painting. "Here, all that glitters is gold," said Chew. Throughout the hotel 2,000 m2 of gold foil were used.

A shell on the ceiling and the columns in the lobby are covered with gold, contrasting with the lush colours of the suites and furniture.

At first the designer had left the court completely white, so that the character of the lobby would be given by the volumetry of the suites and the hundreds of curved facades. However, the Sheik flatly rejected the minimalist proposal and demanded more colour and pageantry.

Chew then decided to work a scale of colours similar to the spectrum of rainbow, from blue to yellow, slightly changing its tone as it gains altitude. The floors would be carpeted in blue, which has a vivid effect when seen from above.

She also included staggered dancing fountains, a group of Aquarius and illumination shows to provide more dramatism to the entrance of the hotel. The decoration of the restaurants is also designed to impress. The restaurant Al Mahara (the oyster) is surrounded by huge water tanks containing a variety of sea flora and fauna. You enter the restaurant through a simulation of a submarine.

For the Al Muntaha, the panoramic restaurant, the designer chose a decorative motif on blue and green, representing the waves of the sea. In my view, it reduced the clarity and simplicity of the curved roof, visible from the outside.

And finally the suites were decorated like little palaces, including a grand staircase, classical columns, marble, velvet and gold, along with many sophisticated electronic devices. The extreme baroque style in the interior, which contrasts with contemporary lines and aerodynamic exterior, creates a contradictory and even counterproductive perception and a sense of exhaustion under such ostentation.

Conclusion

Burj Al Arab has been described as an architect’s playground. Nestled along the shores of the Persian Gulf, Dubai has grown to become a global center for trade, innovation and luxury. The completion of the Burj Al Arab Hotel forever changed Dubai's skyline, when the hotel, towering more than 1,000 feet in the air, opened in December of 1999 after five years of construction. The architecture of the Burj Al Arab is so innovative that the hotel is often considered one of the most distinctive hotels in the world. Built in the middle of the sea, famous for its spectacular and futuristic architecture, and above all dedicated to tourism.

The Burj Al Arab was designed by architect Tom Wright of WS Atkins as a superstructure to define Dubai's skyline. Throughout the project's timeline, 250 designers from the United Kingdom, the United States and Dubai contributed to the project. Burj Al Arab looks like a sailboat, but its design, however, is based on the sail of a dhow, which is a traditional Arabian fishing vessel used for fishing and pearling.

The structure of this masterpiece of architecture is made up of steel profiles and ensures its stability both for its triangular shape in plan and for the triangulation of their facades. Architects thoughts, ideas and designed and built this spectacular structure, space, solar energy, interior and exterior lighting, events, tennis and many more. Burj Al Arab is one of the world’s tallest buildings, is an iconic structure and also the world’s most luxurious hotel that was built on a man-made island in Dubai.

Thomas Willis Wright designed to build a building that became the symbol of a city in Dubai.

Reference

Article; Burj Al-Arab, UAE Structural Steel Construction For A Mega Project By Dato’ A K Nathan, Managing Director, Shin Eversendai Sdn Bhd