5 iconic construction projects in the UAE and what we can learn from them

For a country that recently celebrated its 47th National Day, the UAE boasts many architectural marvels that have built its image as the hottest real estate destination in the world. The real estate sector is one of the major contributors to the economy of the United Arab Emirates, along with tourism. The United Arab Emirates is a wonderful amalgamation of heritage and modern architecture. The infrastructural revolution in the United Arab Emirates was the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who wanted to draw the world's attention to his country. He did it and how!

Considering the number of iconic buildings in the UAE, there is a lot one can learn from some of the most significant construction projects in the world. Here are some of the amazing structures in the UAE that we can all learn from.

Tower Khalifa

It would be unfair to start with any building other than the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building ever built on Earth! Burj Khalifa stands at an impressive height of 828 meters and is located in the city of Dubai. The structure was built over a period of 6 years from January 2004 to January 2010 when it was first opened to visitors. The exterior structure was completed in October 2009. The structure has established 15 world records, some of which are unlikely to be broken soon.

Structure overview:

The structure spans an area of 2,80,000 square metres

165 floors above grade level and 3 basement floors.

2,50,000 cubic meters of concrete was used

39,000 tons of rebar were used

22 million man-hours were invested in building the structure

The biggest challenge while trying to build the tallest building in the world was understanding and controlling the dynamics of wind impact while designing the massive structure. In an inspiring way, the design team incorporated wind engineering principles to mitigate the impact of wind with the structure's height. The team planned to reduce the width and shape of the structure as it climbed higher into the sky, thus reducing the dynamic effects of wind, motion and acceleration.

The desert lily inspired the design of the Burj Khalifa. The Y-shaped base is designed to provide stability to the building taking into account the direction of the wind and the source of the light. The lower floors up to 108 are used for residential and hotel spaces because they provide a 360-degree view of the surrounding areas with an abundance of natural light.

Abu Dhabi Midfield Airport

Abu Dhabi - the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is expected to welcome more than 20 million passengers in the next two years. Abu Dhabi Midfield Station is one of the largest infrastructure works under way in the city today. The terminal is located between the two existing runways of Abu Dhabi International Airport, which is why it was called the Terminal Building. The new station is part of the Abu Dhabi 2030 project to reshape the city as a tourism hub. In an important move, the authorities mandated the use of BIM during the tender issuance for Midfield Terminal. The project benefited greatly from the use of integrated BIM services. The terminal is designed in an "X" shape, which is believed to reduce walking time for passengers and maximize aircraft parking space.

The main features of the project:

MTF has a floor area of 7,42,000 square metres

The terminal can accommodate 8,500 passengers every hour

It is expected to serve 84 million passengers annually

The designers claim that the minimum connection time for international travelers will be 45 minutes from gate to gate

The MTF boasts the world's largest indoor arch - 180 meters long and 52 meters high

The terminal will have 65 gates, of which 8 are equipped to host A380 aircraft

The station benefits from natural light making it an energy efficient structure

Palm Jumeirah

Palm Jumeirah is one of three archipelagos under the Palm Islands project in Dubai. It is the largest man-made archipelago in the world. In many ways, Dubai and the UAE were put on the global real estate map in 2007 when the final breakwater was laid. The project was unique and was seen as inconceivable due to the construction challenges presented by the islands' location. It was an ambitious project that worked in Dubai and the UAE. Palm Jumeirah opened its gates to the world in 2007. Nakheel, the real estate developer, said that the materials used in building the Palm were enough to create a wall 2 meters high and 0.5 meters wide that could run around the world three times! Now, imagine the challenges of building such a website. The lesson of the project was that even as ambition runs high, skills, technique and technology can help achieve these rare heights.