Burj Al Arab is this building that stands on the edge where the deep blue sea meets the vast blue sky. This Architectural wonder is being celebrated as an icon of Dubai, one of the seven Emirates of Arab.

Not only for the heights and mind-blowing structure, this one renowned for its pleasing feel. As it possesses a calm scene and tone, and for its form, the building blends with the surrounding sea like it’s already growing along. Adopting the style of billowing spinnaker of yatch, it becomes one of the sea’s own.

It’s also known as Arab’s sail as it resembles the sail of a ship. It’s towering above the artificial island of the Jumeirah beach which is connected to the mainland by a curving bridge. The client wanted this to be not only a hotel but also an icon of Dubai that is welcoming the people. The Architect of this building is Tom Wright of WKK Architects and as we all know the owner is The Jumeirah Group.

Burj Al Arab Case study

• Location: Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
• Height: 321 m (1,053 ft).
• Owner: Jumeirah Group.
• Construction began: 1994.
• Construction completed: 1999.
• A number of rooms: 202.
• Construction cost: $7.8 billion.
• The building contains more than 70000 cu.m of concrete and 9000 tons of steel

Concepts -Orientation

As we all know, the challenge to designing a structure in Dubai is its climatic condition. It’s necessary to design with the order to minimize heat. The geography of Dubai is subject to strong climate and thunderstorms. The building holds the design to withstand the wind speed of 45 m per second. The site of this building is humid and hot. The situation is tackled as the largest exterior of the structure is oriented towards the south.

Concept of Burj Al Arab

The building holds the concept of structural expressionism in which the structural components are Visible from inside as well as the outside

Island

It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea and less than three years to build the structure.
The Island spot 280 m off the shore of Jumeirah beach. People are accessing it through a 340m long bridge.

The challenge is to protect the island from the waves as it might damage the structure. Then they came to this solution to create honeycombed concrete blocks to reduce the impact of the waves and they raised the island to 7.5 mts. When the waves hit the surface it turns back and this is how the building which is above just 7.5 mts from the ocean, stands unaffected.

Access  

People can access the roof through a helipad. Along with this, there are a grand stairway, elevators, and escalators. The special feature is the revolving door at the main entrance, for it maintains the air via the phenomenon of stack effect in which when the hot air arises the cool air falls in the building.

Facade

Burj Al Arab is a 28 story structure with split levels which makes it 56 stories. It’s made up of a 10,000 Sq.m floor area. More than 70000 cu.m of concrete and 9000 tons of steel has been used. The layout of the building is a concrete core at the back supporting the wings spread in a V shape and the trusses connect to it. The concrete core forms the high atrium which is 180m (590ft) tall. A double-skin Teflon-coat woven glass fiber screen was implemented to reduce heat gains and to display vibrant light features.

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Foundation of Burj Al Arab

Here the foundation is built above the sand as the sand produces friction against the pile and it prevents the building from sinking.

Structure

The challenge to the structure is how it’s going to withstand all the load, the live load, the dead load, and the wind load. The special challenge here was that the wind blowing away the sharp edges can cause destruction. But it is tackle by the exoskeleton and the honeycomb concrete barrier.
The building is supporting by 250 columns of 1.5 m in dia.

Interior of Burj Al Arab

The interiors were designed by the concept of four elements of the ancient world – water, fire, wind, and earth. Water is present throughout the hotel in aquariums and fountains, while the entrance fountain, together with steam symbolizes fire and air. Earth is symbolizing by the 24,000 sq.m of marble. And precious stones use throughout the hotel, as well as 2,000 sq.m of gold foil. However, the beautiful aesthetical structure is achieving after these several structural challenges and there were many brains to solve the challenges. The Architect wanted to create an illusion of a boat floating over the seas. Here on the golden shores of Dubai, the building stands gracefully.

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