Belgian contractor Besix Group said yesterday that concrete work on the Dubai Uptown Tower topped out at 329m this month, while the tower itself will reach a final height of 340m when complete in the autumn of this year.
Reaching the milestone included installing the world’s largest solar installation on a construction site and the attainment of 14 million manhours without lost time incident.
The Dubai branch of Besix Group is responsible for the detailed engineering and construction of this exceptional skyscraper, which is developed by Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC), the client, and was designed by the architectural firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.
The works are being carried out under the supervisory management of Turner International Middle East, with WSP and Woods Bagot as structural, technical and architectural consultants, respectively.
David De Visscher, UAE resident manager for Besix-Six Construct, said façade completion was at 90%.
Besix’s in-house design office contributed to geotechnical and structural studies, the development of BIM models, the design and construction of the façade, and the development of planning and methods. Besix Engineering is also assisting the operational teams, their active collaboration ensuring the operational excellence of the construction process which started at the end of 2019.
Besix teams were the first in the world to use robotic solutions such as the Schindler RISE, an autonomous, self-climbing robot that carries out preparation and installation work in the lift shafts, in a supertall skyscraper.
In terms of sustainability, Besix Group and its partner Enerwhere have installed the world’s largest solar installation on a construction site in the world, producing 540 kW of power largely contributing to the site’s overall power needs.
In June 2021, the company reached 10 million hours of safe work without a lost time incident on the project. At the end of 2021 the site was holding the exceptional record of 14 million manhours without lost time incident.
