Infinity Tower basement raft slab completed
Over a 39-hour period, Currie & Brown oversaw the continuous pouring of 7,000 cubic metres of concrete to create the three metre thick basement raft slab, including 1,900 tonnes of steel reinforcement, that will support Infinity Tower under construction at Dubai Marina.
Currie & Brown are project and cost managers on the £140 million (Dh957m) project by developers Cayan Investment and Development to build the world's tallest tower featuring a 90 degree twist. Each of the 75 floors of the residential apartment development will be rotated by 1.2 degrees to achieve a full 90 degree spiral, creating the shape of a helix.
Over two days, 10 concrete placement pumps, 40 concrete mixer trucks, three concrete batching plants and a multinational site team of 500, led by Currie & Brown, worked to complete the task.
The concrete was mixed with ice at the batching plants and delivered to site with a maximum temperature of 27°C. Additives to the concrete included plasticiser/ retarders that produced a flowing concrete and a setting time of four hours. An extended setting time was essential to avoid cold joints in the slab. The concrete surface was finished with helicopter power floats and then covered with polystyrene for the seven-day curing period.
Commenting on the challenges Ahmad Kasem, development director at Cayan Investment & Development, praised the team involved saying, "Infinity Tower presents complex challenges to everyone involved in this project. Our union with the renowned Currie & Brown will guarantee a better project and cost management for the award-winning Infinity Tower. The expertise of Currie & Brown will further assert the quality and punctuality of the project."
When complete in 2010, the residential apartment building will be the tallest tower to twist by 90 degrees, standing 330 metres high with 75 floors above ground and a five-floor basement.
Mark Taylor, Currie & Brown's regional managing director for the Middle East and Central Asia, said: "We are proud to be associated with this landmark project which further demonstrates Currie & Browns ability to take an active lead role in world-class construction projects. Our dedicated team has ensured that, in conjunction with Cayan Investments and main contractors Arabtec Construction LLC, the challenge of this concrete pour has been met."