by M.J. Mohamed Iqbal, Installation Manager -- ETA-Melco Elevator Co., LLC
The Emirates Towers, the world's third tallest twin tower and the tallest twin tower in the Middle East and Europe, is now completed. Comprising a 52-story hotel tower and adjacent 53-story office tower, this is the third largest pair in the world with the office tower being the tallest in the Middle East and Europe and 10th tallest building in the world. The office tower was completed in November 1999, with the hotel tower following on April 15, 2000. Now, this development provides a focal point in the city, which will unify the traditions of Dubai's historic past with its ambition for the future. The tower's unusual equilateral triangular plan view is inspired by Islamic themes. The office tower reaches a height of 354.6 meters, and the hotel tower stretches to 309 meters. The five-story podium linking the two towers contains retail space, as well as facilities for office, hotel and car parking.
An international team was responsible for the Emirates Tower design and construction. The construction managers for the project were Turner Steiner International (U.S.); lead consultants were Hyder (U.K.), and the project's architects were NORR Group (Canada).
ETA-MELCO Elevator Co., the agent for Mitsubishi Elevators/Escalators Japan in most of the gulf region, CIS countries and Southeast Asian countries, was the package contractor for all vertical transportation systems in the office, hotel and the podium car park areas. Headed by Mr. S. Palaniswami, chief executive officer, they installed 41 elevators, 12 escalators, three scissor lifts and two dumbwaiters.
ETA-MELCO deployed an average manpower of 160 technicians to install the subject project. The installation team was headed by your author, department manager for Installation and project manager, with the cooperation of site personnel head Thivan Mohideen. With quality checking and documentation by Senior Engineer I. Mohamed Ibrahin, this whole project team was supported and guided from design to contract by Deputy General Manager A.S.A. Basheer. This team handed over 13 elevators for construction use in a short period of time, which was highlighted by the construction manager M/S, TSI and Lead Consultant. Along with the whole project team, ETA-MELCO put forth great effort in accelerating all the installation works to complete the project three months ahead of schedule. ETA-MELCO kept in line with the construction manager's revised execution program.
A quality team inspected all the elevators to provide quality assurance to the client.
The elevator consulting firm M/S H.H. Angus & Associates Canada sent their representative Derrick Hough, with 40 years of specialized experience in the elevator field, for the interim inspection of all the elevators as advised by Turner Steiner and NORR. Hough also complemented the installation team and the company for the quality of the installation, organizational skills and dedication to establishing the quality installation. According to Hough, the whole project is considered to be not "fast-track" but "flashy-track."
The elevators in this project use artificial intelligence (AI 2100N group control), refined variable voltage, variable frequency (VVVF) inverter drive and data network system to realize performance desired for the project. AI supervisory control is programmed so as to provide the shortest possible waiting time for passengers. Traffic conditions are monitored and analyzed and then factored into the supervisory control so that it can make optimum elevator service decisions.
This project also utilizes the latest design technology from Mitsubishi Elevator Co. The "permanent magnet motors" for mid-rise and high-rise elevators provide for speeds up to 420 m/min. Mitsubishi elevators are the first to make use of PM motors for high-speed ranges of elevator machines, which reduce the size and weight of the machine. The new type twin-disk brake system is used instead of the common drum-brake system.
Office Tower
The office tower has been designed to offer flexibility and efficiency to a range of businesses. The office tower harnesses the latest fiberoptic technology and integrated systems.
The sophisticated under-floor data, photo and power layouts, together with the integrated lighting and air conditioning system, allow the floors to be configured and divided to meet tenants' needs without requiring costly and time consuming work to move fittings or lay new electrical wiring.
The office tower contains a total of 17 elevators, of which five serve the top-level floors with maximum travel speed of 420 meters per minute. It consists of two "four"-car groups, one "three"-car group and a "five"-car group with a service elevator serving 54 stops. Of the 17 office tower elevators, 16 are housed in a triangular main lobby where the services for the low-, mid- and high-rise are made available in order to suit the traffic requirement thereby reducing the waiting time of the passenger. Elevator traveling time has also been reduced by assigning the elevators to the particular floors for the passengers.
The service elevator in the office tower serves a maximum of 54 floors with travel height of 245.73 meters and having a cabin height of 3.6 meters. This elevator holds the record of having a maximum number of landings, maximum travel height and maximum cabin height in the Middle East and Europe. This service elevator was handed over for construction use in 29 days after the date of access to the m/c room. This feat was also published in the local newspaper.
The fastest elevator group in this project serves at 420 m/min, runs through out the office tower and takes 40 seconds to reach the top floor of the office tower with a travel height of 230.855 meters.
Hotel Tower
The five-star hotel offers 400 rooms, including 40 luxury suites, with three main theme restaurants. The rooms have been designed to meet the exacting needs of the discerning business traveler.
Each of the rooms, configured in a business-friendly layout, features its own Internet connection and video on demand. The hotel offers an atmosphere of seclusion and privacy.
The hotel tower differs extremely from the office tower in two respects: one is scale, and the other is the spectacular atrium rising from lobby to level 40, where four panoramic elevators provide a breathtaking bird's-eye view.
The hotel tower has 12 elevators in service, of which four in the atrium area are panoramic, giving glimpses of the Arabian Gulf during the ride, along with a spectacular view of Sheikh Zayed Road, the world's most traffic-oriented highway.
The design of the panoramic elevators includes the withstanding capacity of the semicircular glass car cage to wind pressure from all sides in the open shaft up to level 42. These panoramic elevators are housed in the specially designed trusses that run up to the 42nd floor with an open lower atrium below nine floors and open upper atrium from the 10th to 42nd floors. While descending, passengers enjoy a thrilling "cross-over" at level 10, where the Oyster Lounge is located. The ride resembles the free-fall of a roller coaster and is a trip much enjoyed by the younger passengers. Special cage design and related coordination works were done by Mr. Akio Inoue/Mr. M. Tanaka of Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Japan.
The other three-car group in the hotel tower serves 52 floors at the rated speed of 360 m/min. The hotel tower consists of three service elevators up to level 49, which serves for the transportation of baggage, housekeeping, food and beverages.
Retail/Car Park
A five-level podium building connects the two towers, incorporating shopping, a boulevard and chiefly upmarket international fashion boutiques and service outlets, as well as seven food and beverage units. Here, having 12 hydraulic elevators and 12 escalators provide the means of movement throughout the building. The central mall area is served by two escalators and one circular panoramic elevator. Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Japan has incorporated a specially designed circular door along the radii of the shaft. The car cage of this central plunger hydraulic elevator is designed with completely transparent see-through glass. It serves between two floors in podium, which is located in the retail shopping mall area.
All the elevators are monitored and controlled by Mitsubishi's elevator monitoring system, which has also been hooked up with the building monitoring system. Monitoring is done around-the-clock using a highly sophisticated software control designed by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Japan and developed by China Ryoden of Taiwan. The monitoring system is integrated with the building monitoring system.
In a nutshell, the beauty of the wonderfully built Twin Tower is enhanced by the vertical transportation units and their smooth riding comfort.
Turner Steiner and Lead Consultant very much appreciated the services of the elevator work and product, and whole credit goes to the teamwork and sincere dedication and support from top management.