Concept

The lover levels of the tower, traditionally the most difficult and least attractive area, has been reinterpreted as a series of prestigious wharf appartments, terraced similar to that of cruise ship decks. By widening the base, the tower is anchored into its surrounding water basin similar to the surrounding mangroves and nearby canals. The top Sky villas offer 270 degree views opposite the new cultural district on Saadiyat Island.

The building features an iconic silhouette and a facade characterised by vertical slots with private balconies. A series of reflective fins generates a vertical dynamic and gives the building a constantly changing appearance. "The fins track the sun, control the solar shading and dissolve tha rationality of the plan into a continuously evolving building volume", says Tobas Wallisser.

The facade's continuous surface enables curvature with a lot of repetition and the potential for standardisation in the building process. State-of-the-art engineering and innovative materials will be used to achieve a fully sustainable performance", explains Chris Bosse.

The Tower Ground Breaking was at the beginning of 2009, with a completion date set around June 2011.