Photographer: Tim Griffith Photography
"75 stories tall and containing approximately 110,000 square-meters of floor area, the Cayan Tower'with its striking helical shape, world class amenities, Dubai Marina and Arabian Gulf views'redefines international luxury standards while challenging the underlying conventions of residential high-rise architecture.
The building's elegant helical form'its most basic design expression--is also its most striking feature. It makes the building stand out from the architectural disharmony of the Dubai waterfront. Positioned perpendicular to the Dubai Marina, the tower contains 75 identical floor plates. Each floor plate is rotated 1.2 degrees clockwise to the story below it, resulting in a full 90-degree rotation. The twisting shape provides excellent views for the tower's residents, while preserving the views of the Arabian Gulf for residents living in neighboring buildings. Structural wind loads are also reduced when compared against a rectilinear building of the same height.
The tower's structural system is a cast-in-place, high strength, reinforced concrete column superstructure. The shape and size of the columns were determined through the use of wind tunnel testing and three-dimensional computer modeling to analyze building stresses. The building core is a cylindrical concrete form that acts as the central pillar for the tower. As the building ascends, the rotation at each floor occurs around this center mass. The building was constructed using a 'jump form' system that takes advantage of its repetitive nature.
The tower's exterior is clad in pre-finished metal panels attached to cast-in-place concrete perimeter columns. The glass line is recessed, creating a deep sill that minimizes direct light penetration and shades both the building's windows and exterior terraces.
Within the tower, 495 units have been divided into six unique types, offering ample living space configurations to residents. Standard units range from studios to three bedrooms, and the crown of the building features six levels of both half and full-floor penthouses. Residential amenities include an outdoor infinity edge pool facing the marina, flexible spaces on the 6th floor, a health spa, exercise facility, and conference centers. At the ground level, a retail promenade provides shaded indoor and outdoor convenience shopping for both building occupants and marina users."
Links:
- https://vimeo.com/95820248