Civil Engineering report

Building the tallest tower

In the pursuit of a brighter and more sustainable future, we, the group LKCD & co, by
repurposing an existing and abandoned infrastructure, have decided to build the next record
breaking skyscraper, with the purpose of reimagining height but also sustainability. For
context, in October 2016, the grand project of the Dubai creek tower had begun its
construction, but after the pandemic (in 2022) the project was stopped, leaving the site
deserted and the foundations abandoned. Our project is to reuse the existing foundations to
support our new building: The New Horizon. In this Written assignment, we will attempt to
answer the question of how the abandoned creek tower foundation in Dubai can be
redesigned and effectively repurposed to home the next world highest skyscraper, while
incorporating sustainability principles and creating a beacon for future generations. Firstly,
we'll look at the different objectives that the new horizon skyscraper will fulfill. We will then
take a look at the methodology behind the skyscraper’s construction. And thirdly, we'll look at
the key results the skyscraper has accomplished. Finally, we'll wrap up the subject with an
overview/conclusion and by listing our references.

In this second part the objectives the tower will accomplish will be discussed. As said
in the introduction the primary objective of the tower is to reuse the foundations of the creek
tower located at the center of the creek harbour in Dubai (UAE), filling in the empty space.
This sustainable approach comes with difficulties as the design of The new horizon tower is
the complete opposite of its predecessor, proning a curvilinear form and a large diameter.
Skyscrapers require advanced structural systems to withstand the forces acting upon them.
Therefore, the second objective the tower must fulfil is the security of the structure. We can
identify three major hazards a ultra high rise structure must withstand: first, are the particular
hazards due to its environment (For example, all of Japan's buildings are equipped with
shock absorbers to withstand the earthquakes that occur regularly ), secondly are the
hazards due to its height (For example, the Burj Khalifa is able to withstand the powerful
winds of the UAE, but it also acts as a thunder umbrella for dubai’s city center), finally the
tower must incorporate sustainability and security measures while offering comfort and
luxury (For example, All tall skyscrapers need to have really fast elevators to move people
quickly to the higher floors but there top descending speed must not exceed 10m/s, as an
example the Guangzhou CTF Finance Center has an elevator that can reach a top speed of
21m/s and transport 21 persones at the time). These objectives will be later on detailed in
the third paragraph of this assignment as we will develop the methodology to achieve these
objectives

In this third paragraph the methodology behind the tower’s objectives will be
elaborated through the use of different references.
First and foremost, the general structure of the tower will be based on the original
concept of the creek harbour tower. For geotechnical context, Dubai geology is mostly
formed “by the deposition of marine sediments associated with numerous sea level changes”
according to Springer Link, consequently according to the Proceedings of the XVII
ECSMGE: “the stratigraphy comprises a superficial layer of sand, followed by a thin layer of
sandstone and alternate layers of calcisiltite, conglomerate and conglomeratic calcisiltite. At
approximately 110m, materials become finer grained, with successive layers of siltstone,
claystone and mudstone “. So to sum up, engineers are faced with a weak soil, having a
UCS (uniaxial compressive strength which is determined by dividing the maximum load the
test specimen could bear by the average cross-sectional area) below 5MPa, meaning that
they were faced according to Lesics with two challenges, first is the poor load bearing
capacity of the ground and secondly the differential settlement of the structure. The Creek
tower uses a dual foundation to support its weight and height. Designed by Santiago
Calatrava and based on Emaar’s (“real estate development company based in the UAE''
(companieshistory.com)) experience, according to the Proceedings of the XVII, the tower will
be structurally made up of a hollow, reinforced cylinder with a “25-meter diameter” that is
topped by a terrace and spire. The height of this stem will be at least “700 meters'', creating
an extremely thin structure. Since such a slim construction cannot stand alone, the tower is
stabilized horizontally using two arrays of post-tensioned cables.
Based on that, The New Horizon skyscraper will have the same core foundation as
the Dubai Creek tower but will not be utilizing the same cable array foundations that had the
structural role to anchor the vast number of post tensioning cables. Which leaves us with two
options: firstly is to join the two already built foundations and add two other foundations filling
up the space between the core and the foundation with a RCC (Reinforced Cement
Concrete) structure to imitate the buttresses of a dam. This option wasn’t the one we opted
for, because of its high cost, high space consumption and high need for concrete which
doesn't respect the sustainable objective the tower has set to respect. This brings us to the
second option which we have chosen for its efficiency to hold a structure by utilizing the
principles of tension and compression similar to how a bridge works and for its low
consumption of materials and space. The second option consists of joining the core with the
base of the 2 pre-built structural array foundations and with two added similar foundations on
the north and south side of the tower, at a height of 800m, elevated (space is left underneath
the curved surface). Because of the incline, the structure is under compressive force which
maintains the core foundation and holds itself elevated “by pushing the foundation outwards
resulting in a large thrust outwards” according to engineering nut youtube’s channel (as an
example, the eiffel tower utilizes the same principles of compressive force). Inspired by SOM
(Skidmore, owings & Merrill) the engineering company behind the structure of the Burj
Khalifa, The New Horizon will use 4 buttresses (solution used to support a dam) placed
between the core and the 4 side structures to support the core. The difference between the
compressive force of the 4 pillars and the tension force of the 4 buttresses will enable The
New Horizon to withstand the powerful winds and storms of the UAE.
For the heart of the skyscraper, a RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) circular core
will be erected. The 4 buttresses and the 4 curved structures are designed so we can live
next to them without realizing they are buttress walls. The buttresses are divided by cross
section forming I shaped sections that “allow the cantilever beam to resist bending” (Lesics).
Huge glass facades of transparent solar panels are erected around the building giving the
living space energy-free lighting during the day, fossil-energy free lighting during the night
and a spectacular view of the surroundings. The glass facade is supported by columns
similarly to the Burj Khalifa. They are cleaned by robots like “osmo” that are suspended by
the top of the building by extending cranes and a vertical rail system. Furthermore, the
materials utilized to build The Horizon Tower are mainly steel and concrete C50 and C80
because of the warm weather of Dubai, concrete solidifies but the C50 and C80 variants of
concrete do not solidify if mixed to ice and are pumped up during night. The core is built in
concrete but due to the low tensile stress resistance of the concrete, steel bars are
implemented in the core because of their capability to absorb most of the tensile stress.
Thirdly, the tower has a circular form surrounded by a white tube, creating a Spiral around
the main infrastructure. This allows The New Horizon to kill vortex shedding by confusing the
winds as the shape varies. The top of the tower also utilizes a spiral shape with a semi circle
and a lightning arrester placed in the middle. The lightning arrester can absorb high voltages
produced by lightning strikes by generating opposite charges to attract the lightning once
detected by sensor equipment. The electron flow of the lightning is then dissipated in the
steel inside the outer columns of the structure (due to the skin effect) and dissipated into
earth pits.
 Finally the tower utilizes a system of multiple stages to make water flow thru the
entire building: based on the science channel and the Burj Khalifa, The New Horizon uses 7
pumps and 6 reservoirs placed gradually higher and higher. The New Horizon is sustainable
because of its low consumption in water due to the water recycling system. Thus instead of
sending the water to the sewer, it passes through multiple filters and is then reused in the
numerous vertical farms placed around the core. It is an efficient way of using water because
it doesn't use electricity as the water utilizes its own weight to descend. To be electrically
sustainable the skyscrapers use transparent solar panels placed on the glass panels,
developed at Michigan state University according to tom’s guide. Lastly the visitors of this
tower will be able to enjoy a luxurious visit, stay or living with the numerous activities, hotels
and the aeronautical space engineering museum that are blended with the omnipresent
green life, the breathtaking view on dubai and cutting edge technologies, for example the
rotative terraces let's hotels and the observer deck to open and close there exterior
experiences depending on the weather conditions and without being a hazard to the tower’s
stability.

The Key findings of this report are:

1.​ The interesting idea of repurposing foundations, by reusing the principal aspects of
the Dubai Creek Harbor as the main core and its foundation built to withstand the
particular geocontext of dubai
2.​ The use of 4 buttresses and 4 curved surface that utilize compressive and tension
forces to enable the tower to withstand many hazards as the wind
3.​ The interesting choice of materials as the concrete and the transparent solar panels,
which brings us to our next point.
4.​ How the skyscraper found innovative ways to be sustainable: Vertical farms, reuse of
water, solar panels and repurposing an abandoned foundation.

To conclude, A firm committed to a sustainable future, LKCD & Co, intends to build
the environmentally friendly New Horizon skyscraper on the base of the demolished Dubai
Creek Tower. Reusing the foundation, guaranteeing structural stability, and implementing
sustainability measures are among the goals. In addition to a reinforced concrete core, glass
facades with solar panels, and water recycling systems, the approach entails connecting the
current foundation with new ones utilizing tension and compression principles. The tower will
have opulent facilities and displays on aerospace engineering.
Références :
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a.pdf
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ction-rcc-stands-for-regional-cement-concrete-reinforced/
-​ https://www.quora.com/Skyscrapers-How-do-the-elevators-at-Dubais-Burj-Khalifa-wo
rk
-​ https://www.vacuumelevators.com/a-guide-for-choosing-the-type-of-elevator-you-nee
d/#:~:text=is%20250%20feet.-,Gearless%20Traction%20Elevator,the%20best%20op
tion%20for%20skyscrapers.
-​ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190114-how-japans-skyscrapers-are-built-to-sur
vive-earthquakes
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0a490c87e352/1641916498620/Salvadori+After-School+Skyscrapers+-+Sample+Le
sson.pdf
-​ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_Creek_Tower
-​ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeddah_Tower
-​ https://www.acko.com/travel-tips/dubai-creek-tower/
-​ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2irptBxO34
-​ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jndyRwBLF9g
-​ https://www.leadingedgeonly.com/innovation/view/reusable-building-foundations
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a.pdf
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-​ https://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2019/09/190927.pdf
-​ https://www.merveilles-du-monde.com/Tour-Eiffel/Construction-des-piliers-de-la-tour-
Eiffel.php
-​ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm8wryejD74
-​ https://www.tomsguide.fr/panneaux-solaires-transparents-bientot-remplacer-fenetres/
-​ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgxSD6H799Q
-​ https://civilblog.org/2013/08/11/unconfined-compressive-strength-of-rock-sample-is-9
143-1979/#:~:text=The%20UCS%20of%20the%20specimen,the%20average%20cro
ss%20sectional%20area.
-​ https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/uniaxial-compressive-strength#:~:t
ext=The%20average%20uniaxial%20compressive%20strength,to%20the%20original
%20compressive%20strength.
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n_of_foundations_for_high-rise_buildings/links/5534366e0cf27acb0def90c4/The-desi
gn-of-foundations-for-high-rise-buildings.pdf
Images illustrating different aspects of the report:

Diagram of the foundation of the dubai Creek

Harbour

Drawing of The New Horizon Skyscraper

Image of the eiffel tower’s foundation illustrating the compressive force discussed in the
methodology (on the left), Image of the Dubai Creek Harbour’s foundation (on the right)

Image références:
-​ https://www.ecsmge-2019.com/uploads/2/1/7/9/21790806/0703-ecsmge-2019_pereir
a.pdf
-​ https://www.unjourdeplusaparis.com/paris-reportage/1887-1889-construction-tour-eiff
el-images
-​ https://www.guiding-architects.net/dubai-creek-tower-the-worlds-tallest-building/