Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec) has revealed that glazing work on the iconic Capital Gate Tower, currently under construction next to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, is practically complete.

More than 12,500 individually shaped glass panels have been installed on Capital Gate’s façade in a complex engineering feat which has taken Adnec and its construction partners ten months to complete.

In an intricate operation, each pane of glass had to be a slightly different shape and fitted at a different angle due to the building’s unique lean and its curved profile, said a top official.

Capital Gate forms the focal point of Capital Centre, the business and residential micro city being developed by Adnec around the thriving Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. When fully complete, Capital Gate will feature the 5-star hotel - ‘Hyatt at Capital Centre’ besides playing host to some of the most exclusive office space in the UAE capital.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in Capital Gate’s development for the steady progress that is being made. The tower’s unique shape and character made the installation of the glazing particularly challenging for our engineers. It is a compliment to all involved that the installation took place during Adnec’s busiest year ever for exhibitions and events, yet, there was no disruption to our visitors or exhibitors,” said Simon Horgan, Adnec Group CEO.

The glass panes on Capital Gate make up more than 700 larger glass “diamonds,” and were manufactured in the US with the steel frames holding the glass precision-cut in Austria before being shipped to the UAE.

Adnec stored the glass panels away from the construction site and delivered them as needed, on enormous flatbed trucks.  Once they reached the Capital Gate construction site they were meticulously placed into the correct position by on-site engineers.  

The glass used is a highly energy-efficient, low ‘e’ category glass (Cardinal 240) containing 2 layers of silver inner coating allowing a high degree of natural light to permeate the building, while shielding users from harmful glare.

“The use of this advanced variety of glass is a ‘first’ for the UAE. The ‘pressure-plate’ system that has been developed for the steel frame which holds each pane in place guarantees the watertightness of the façade and allows thinner panes of glass to be used, thereby reducing the weight of the glazing system,” said Tony Archibold, associate director of RMJM, the international architectural firm that has designed Capital Gate.

“The lean and curve of the building added considerable complexity to the glazing process; there was little margin for error and we are pleased to have worked successfully to practically complete the glazing on Capital Gate in ten months. A few glass panes  have deliberately been left out to ensure that adequate ventilation exists prior to the installation  of the air conditioning.” he added.

Due to its unique shape, Capital Gate is being constructed on top of a concrete raft with a dense mesh of reinforced steel.
The steel Diagrid sits above an extensive distribution of 490 piles that have been drilled 30m underground to accommodate the gravitational and wind loads. The angles and dimensions of the building facade have been meticulously designed to ensure that each individually shaped panel accurately defines the shape of this magnificent structure.-TradeArabia News Service