01 April 2021

Six Construct, a subsidiary of Besix Group, the largest Belgian group operating in the construction and infrastructure sector in the region, is deploying Schindler’s Robotic Installation System for Elevators (Schindler Rise) for construction work at Uptown Tower in Dubai.

Schindler Rise is claimed to be the world’s first robot that can perform installation work in an elevator shaft.

Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and being built by Besix Group, The 340-m-tall Uptown Tower will feature 188 luxury hotel rooms and suites, restaurants, health spas, conference facilities, and 229 branded residences. Accor is set to bring its luxury hospitality and residential boutique brand, SO/ to the project, with SO/ Uptown Dubai being the brand’s debut property in the Middle East.

Uptown Tower is expected to feature premium offices on the first 22 floors above a podium; The SO/ Uptown Dubai Hotel, a five-star property on the next 10 levels; and SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences on the 28 upper floors.

Uptown Tower’s architecture has been designed to replicate the brilliance of diamonds through its faceted glass façade that illuminates the interior spaces with natural light while filtering out harsh glare.

Guided by a smart and sustainable construction strategy, Uptown Tower will be a Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified building, and home to a state-of-the-art Business Hub of DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre), one of the world’s most interconnected free zones. Uptown Tower is expected to be the first tower to be completed within the Uptown Dubai district – described as a 24-hour neighbourhood with world-class dining, high-end retail outlets, a central entertainment plaza and hotels and businesses – with its delivery set for next year.

DMCC awarded the contract to build the first supertall tower in its Uptown Dubai district to Besix in January 2019. Enabling, piling and substructure works were completed by February 2020.

Known for adopting innovative solutions, Besix is using the autonomous and self-climbing robot pioneered by Schindler for the first time on a supertall tower.

Ideally suited for use in high-rise buildings, it will travel to all the levels of the tower to accurately measure and drill precision holes to set the anchor bolts necessary for the installation of the elevator guide rails and landing doors, says Besix.

Luis Miguel Monteiro, Project Director at Six Construct of the Dubai Uptown Tower, said: “This cutting-edge technology is revolutionising the elevator installation by making construction faster and more accurate, while also improving the health and safety conditions for technicians.”

“Robotic systems are becoming increasingly important to automate many of the construction industry’s repetitive and physically demanding tasks. Customer also benefit from increased accuracy, better quality installations and greater work safety & health conditions on the jobsite.

According to Monteiro, the Covid-19 pandemic is not only the driver of improvement in productivity in construction work but its accelerator, in particular through the digitalisation of processes.

Paul Ashton, the executive director (Property) at DMCC, says: “Using innovative solutions to build Uptown Tower in a sustainable and safe manner aligns perfectly with our core ethos.

“The Schindler Rise solution will not only provide a safer workplace for those working on the project but will also result in a higher-quality product.”

As a technology leader in innovative urban solutions for smart cities, Schindler Rise couples artificial intelligence (AI) with elevator technology to enable the safe and precise installation of elevators, paving the way for greater automation and digitalisation in the elevator industry. Digitalisation extends the capabilities of Schindler Rise by also enabling it to record actions and automatically exchange data with a digital model of the building, says Schindler.

The pioneering innovation was nominated as a finalist for the Innovation Award 2019 by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats (CTBUH). It was also nominated finalist in the category Innovation Leaders of this year’s Swiss Technology Award, the most important distinction for innovation and technology transfer in Switzerland, it adds.  

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• Plan for sustainable urban development
• Landmarks of opulence
• Towering presence
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• Besix ‘rises’ to Uptown challenge with Schindler
• Dubai Projects at a glance

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