Capital Gate

1
Capital Gate
Capital Gate
Capital Gate in 2010 (under construction)
General information
Location Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
Coordinates 242507N 542605E
Status Topped-out Under construction
Groundbreaking September 2007
Estimated completion Late 2010
Use Commercial offices; Hotel
Height
Roof 160m (520 ft)
Technical details
Floorcount 35
Floorarea
53,100m
2
Companies involved
Architect(s) RMJM Dubai
Contractor Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises
Owner Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company
References:
[1]

[2]
Capital Gate is a mixed use skyscraper in Abu Dhabi adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre
designed with a striking lean. At 160m (520 ft) and 35 storeys, it is one of the tallest buildings in the city and
features a dramatic 18 degree incline to the west.
[3]
The owner and developer of Capital Gate is Abu Dhabi National
Exhibitions Company. The tower is the focal point of the Capital Centre/ Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre
master development.
Capital Gate
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World records
In June 2010, the Guinness Book of World Records certified Capital Gate as the Worlds furthest leaning man-made
tower.
[4]

[5]
The new record shows that the Capital Gate tower has been built to lean 18 degrees westwards; more
than four times that of the world famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Investigation and evaluation, which was made by a
Guinness appointed awards committee, started in January 2010, when the exterior was completed.
The gravitational pressure caused by the 18 degree incline is countered by the world's first "pre-cambered core"; a
technique that utilizes 15,000 cubic metres of concrete reinforced with 10,000 tons of steel with the core deliberately
built slightly off centre. It has straightened as the building has risen, compressing the concrete and giving it strength,
and moving into (vertical) position as the weight of the floors has been added. . Capital Gate is also anchored to the
Earth by 490 piles which are drilled over 30m deep.
[6]
Architecture and design
The building has an extraordinary exoskeleton or diagrid to absorb and channel the forces created by wind and
seismic pressure as well as the gradient of Capital Gate. Each and every element of the grid is unique in geometry.
Capital Gate is thought to be the Middle East's first building to use a diagrid; others around the world include
London's 30 St Mary Axe (Gherkin), New York's Hearst Tower and Beijing's National Stadium.
The Capital Gate project was able to achieve its record inclination through an engineering breakthrough that allows
floor plates to be stacked vertically up to the 12th storey and staggered over each other by between 300mm to
1400mm, which allows for the tower's dramatic lean.
Capital Gate was designed by international architectural firm RMJM and was due for completion by the end of 2010.
Upon completion, Capital Gate will house the 5-star Hyatt Capital Gate hotel as well as approximately 20,000sqm of
premium office space. Each room is different as is each pane of faade glass and every interior angle.
Its double-glazed faade achieves greater energy efficiency with waste air being pre-cooled between the inner and
outer faades, before being expelled, and the glass faade is of low emissivity and is the first time it has been used in
the UAE. It keeps the buildings interior cool and eliminates glare, while maintaining transparency.
The distinctive stainless steel splash that descends from the 19th floor, is a design element and a shading device that
eliminates over 30 percent of the suns heat before it reaches the building. The splash also twists around the building
towards the south to shield the tower as much as possible from direct sunlight. A cantilevered tea lounge overhangs
the towers exterior, 80m above the ground, with an internal diagrid used to create a tapered, 60m high atrium. The
towers foundation is a dense mesh of reinforced steel above 490 piles, drilled 20 30 meters underground.
Project time line
September 2007- Enabling works commence
November 2007 - Pile driving starts
April 2008 - Core wall construction starts
February 2009 - Faade commences
May 2009 - Reaches 100m in height
June 2009 Incline starts to take shape
October 2009 - Attains final height of 160m
December 2009 - Completion of exterior core structure
January 2010 - First phase of splash completed
February 2010 - Interior fit-out commences
March 2010 Commencement of link bridge to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre
April 2010 Commencement of atrium roof
End 2010 Expected completion of construction
Capital Gate
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Opening date To be decided
See also
List of tallest buildings in Abu Dhabi
References
[1] Capital Gate (http:/ / www. emporis. com/ en/ wm/ bu/ ?id=322929) at Emporis
[2] Capital Gate (http:/ / skyscraperpage. com/ cities/ ?buildingID=73163) at SkyscraperPage
[3] "Capital Gate" (http:/ / www. adnec.ae/ group/ capital-gate. php). Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC). 2010. . Retrieved 7
June 2010.
[4] "Capital Gate Tower in Abu Dhabi certified world's furthest leaning manmade tower" (http:/ / www. worldinteriordesignnetwork. com/ news/
capital_gate_tower_in_abu_dhabi_certified_worlds_furthest_leaning_manmade_tower_100607/ ). World Interior Design Network.
07-Jun-2010. . Retrieved 7 June 2010.
[5] Mail Foreign Service (2010-06-10). "Abu Dhabi's Capital Gate 'leans nearly five times more' than Tower of Pisa to claim world record"
(http:/ / www. dailymail. co. uk/ news/ worldnews/ article-1285590/
Abu-Dhabis-Capital-Gate-leans-nearly-times-Tower-Pisa-claim-world-record. html). Mail Online. . Retrieved 2010-06-10.
[6] Laura Salmi (Tuesday 28 October 2008). "Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates" (http:/ / www. worldarchitecturenews. com/
index. php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview& upload_id=10567). World Architecture News. . Retrieved 7 June 2010.
External links
Capital Gate official Website (http:/ / www. capitalgate. ae)
Capital Gate - World's Furthest Leaning Man-made Tower (http:/ / www. worldsbiggests. com/ 2010/ 06/
world-furthest-leaning-man-made-tower. html)
Media related to Capital Gate Abu Dhabi at Wikimedia Commons
Article Sources and Contributors
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Article Sources and Contributors
Capital Gate Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=390528444 Contributors: AgnosticPreachersKid, Antondeleon, Auhbc, Bearcat, CommonsDelinker, Ducttapeavenger,
Emerson7, Emirati Icon, Everyone Dies In the End, Freakshownerd, GregorB, Htanna, Iridescent, Karl gregory jones, Kevinmon, Malcolmxl5, Palaeozoic99, Scriberius, , 12 anonymous
edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
File:Capital Gate Abu Dhabi 001.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Capital_Gate_Abu_Dhabi_001.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5
Contributors: User:Nepenthes
Image:commons-logo.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Commons-logo.svg License: logo Contributors: User:3247, User:Grunt
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
http:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/