Infinity Tower, Dubai, UAE

In a distinctive application of architectural expressions through structural form, the Infinity Tower twists a full 90 degrees from its base to its crown 305 meters (1,000 feet) above the ground, through a series of incremental plan rotations at each level. The dramatic architectural form of the Tower presented the multi-disciplinary design team with unique challenges which are not typically encountered in the design process for more conventional building structures. The efficiency, constructability, and overall viability of the Tower depended upon the ability of the Architects and Engineers to develop and implement simple, straightforward building systems that work with the geometrically complex building form. This case study will present the geometric form of the Infinity Tower and describe the approaches taken by the design team in developing these building systems to allow the realization of the unique building form. The 75 story cast-in-place reinforced concrete Infinity Tower consists of 122,000 m 2 (1,312,500 ft 2 ) of residential and amenity space, as well as 6 levels of below-grade parking. Currently under construction and scheduled for completion in 2011, it is located near the north inlet to the Dubai Marina from the Persian Gulf.