Gulf Construction Online - Address towers linked by sky bridge

UAE Focus

Address Residences sky bridge.

Address towers linked by sky bridge

01 June 2017

Emaar Properties said it has accomplished the challenging engineering feat of designing, constructing and lifting a sky bridge that links the new Address Sky View hotel with the Address Residences Sky View in Downtown Dubai.

Rising at a height of over 220 m, the 85-m-long sky bridge, with a height of 22 m and maximum width of 30 m, has three storeys and will feature eight units of luxurious Sky Collection duplexes, a 70-m-long infinity pool that overlooks Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Fountain, and other amenities.

Billed to be a new touristic attraction that also adds economic value, the sky bridge is fabricated using 4,500 tonnes of structural steel, and was lifted in position using strand jacking technology, customised for the project.

Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the architects of Burj Khalifa, Address Sky View has 169 luxurious hotel rooms on 12 levels with amenities including restaurants, lounges, a world-class events venue, meeting rooms, three pools including a rooftop pool and a spa. It has 551 serviced residences that have floor-to-ceiling windows.

A team of global experts from five different entities worked on the project that was completed in around 365 days by more than 300 professionals and skilled workers.

Mohamed Alabbar, the chairman of Emaar Properties, said: “Building and lifting the sky bridge is the result of the hard work and collaboration of some of the best international experts in the field, who addressed various challenges through their innovative and creative approach.”

The unique sky bridge addressed several design challenges given the extensive loads of steel and concrete, as well as the loads related to the infinity pool, pool deck and façade, it needed. The ambient temperature difference was also considered during the design stage to ensure that it suits the region’s climate, said Emaar.

A steel frame with three levels was designed to hold the huge loads transferred to the core walls of the two towers it links, it stated. To address the construction challenges, the main body of the bridge was divided into five elements, each weighing over 400 tonnes each.