UAE bags three structural engineering awards

The UAE has won three awards of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) allocated for the 2010 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards.

This was announced during NCSEA’s 18th Annual Conference in Jersey City, New Jersey, on October 2. A maximum of three awards were given in eight separate categories, with one project in each category being named the Outstanding Project.

The UAE Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo, Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Yas Marina Hotel Link Bridge won the NCSEA awards for their iconic structural engineering.

Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building, and the world's tallest structure. At 828 metres in height, it surpasses the previous world's tallest building by a staggering 319 metres. A new structural system was developed to support the height of this building - the "buttressed" core. Primarily a reinforced concrete structure, this system is very efficient, and also fosters constructability.

The building also utilised the wind tunnel to confirm and refine massing and shaping, such that wind vortices are disorganized, thereby reducing wind forces and motions on the tower.

The UAE Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo, China, rises to a height of 20 metres with a plan diameter of roughly 60 metres. The sand-dune inspired pavilion encloses 3,900 square metres of exhibition showcase for the UAE at the World's Fair. After the expo, this pavilion will be disassembled and rebuilt at a permanent site in its home country, requiring that the entire structure be demountable.

The Yas Marina Hotel Link Bridge is more than the typical linkage between buildings; it is a destination. Designed as a vantage point for viewing the Formula 1 races on the course situated below the structure, it was constructed in 17 months through a fast-track construction process where all stakeholders were involved from the design stage; including the client, contractor and fabricator.

As part of the Yas Marina Hotel Project, the link bridge opened in time for the 2009 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The iconic bridge connects the hotel's two primary towers; the hotel structures are wedded together by a spectacular illuminated steel and glass veil that was incorporated in the bridge's design.

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