Uptown Tower completes full installation of façade
A total of 8,542 glass panels have been installed on the tower, which is the first of two supertall towers at DMCC’s Uptown Dubai District
DMCC has announced that the façade of Uptown Tower has been fully installed, marking a major construction milestone for the Jumeirah Lakes Towers-based megaproject. Set for handover in Q4 2022, the 340m-tall Uptown Tower is set to be a LEED Gold certified building and will be home to a state-of-the-art DMCC headquarters.
According to a statement, the tower will also feature a 188-key five-star hotel, SO/Uptown Dubai, as well as restaurants, extensive conference facilities, Grade A offices and 229 signature SO/ branded restaurants. Commercial office spaces are said to have received significant market interest with several spaces already pre-leased ahead of the scheduled completion date.
A total of 8,542 glass panels have been installed on the tower, which is the first of two supertall towers at DMCC’s Uptown Dubai District. Having started installation in August 2020, progress on the façade proceeded at pace following the completion of structural elements earlier this year. At peak installation, the team installed an entire floor of the building every two days, equating to 70 panels per day, the statement said.
Utilising an integrated design and manufacturing approach, the process of conceptualising and installing Uptown Tower’s façade was completed by using innovative technologies such as 3D modelling and digital tracking systems. By embracing innovative building practices, the project saw enhanced efficiencies that allowed the façade to be fabricated in line with project schedule requirements, DMCC noted.
“With over 17mn man-hours working on the project, the installation of the Uptown Tower façade system was completed with no lost time due to injury. This is a testament to the entire project team’s dedication to ensuring every person on the project worked safely and that any potential hazards on the project were managed and controlled effectively,” the DMCC statement highlighted.
Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Uptown Tower’s design replicates the brilliance of diamonds through its faceted glass façade that illuminates the interior spaces with natural light while filtering out harsh glare.
In March 2021, the Uptown Tower became the world’s first supertall structure to leverage robotics for its lift installations. In September, Empower began providing district cooling services to Uptown Tower. In March 2022, DMCC said it was installing solar car shades across JLT parking lots as part of its sustainability push.
