137
Global
Height rank

Cayan Tower

Dubai
Height 306.4 m / 1,005 ft
Floors 73
Official Name
The current legal building name.

Cayan Tower

Other Names
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.

Infinity Tower

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed, 2013

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

United Arab Emirates

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Dubai

Address

Dubai Marina

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

residential

Structural Material
Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered a “steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Reinforced Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars.

Precast Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning system are constructed from steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. steel, concrete, timber), one on top of the other. For example, a steel/concrete indicates a steel structural system located on top of a concrete structural system, with the opposite true of concrete/steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used in a composite building’s core, columns, and floor spanning separately.

concrete

Official Website

Infinity Tower

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

306.4 m / 1,005 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
306.4 m / 1,005 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
263.1 m / 863 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

73

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

5

# of Apartments
Number of Apartments refers to the total number of residential units (including both rental units and condominiums) contained within a particular building.

495

# of Parking Spaces
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.

623

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

7

Top Elevator Speed
Top Elevator Speed refers to the top speed capable of being achieved by an elevator within a particular building, measured in meters per second.

8 m/s

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

111,000 m² / 1,194,794 ft²

Rankings
#
137
Tallest in the World
#
28
Tallest in Middle East
#
25
Tallest in United Arab Emirates
#
22
Tallest in Dubai
#
17
Tallest Residential Building in the World
#
10
Tallest Residential Building in Middle East
#
10
Tallest Residential Building in United Arab Emirates
#
9
Tallest Residential Building in Dubai
#
44
Tallest Concrete Building in the World
#
22
Tallest Concrete Building in Middle East
#
20
Tallest Concrete Building in United Arab Emirates
#
17
Tallest Concrete Building in Dubai
Construction Schedule
2005

Proposed

2006

Construction Start

2013

Completed

Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Façade Maintenance
Landscape
Vertical Transportation
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Construction Hoists
Elevator
Owner/Developer
Cayan Group - Real Estate Investment & Development
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Architect of Record

Usually takes on the balance of the architectural effort not executed by the "Design Architect," typically responsible for the construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc. May often be referred to as "Executive," "Associate," or "Local" Architect, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Architect of Record" exclusively.

Khatib & Alami
Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Engineer of Record

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.

Khatib & Alami
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Project Manager

The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.

Currie & Brown
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Arabtec
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Acoustics
Cerami & Associates; Shen Milsom Wilke, Inc.
Façade Maintenance
Landscape
Property Management
Rotana
Vertical Transportation
Opening Solutions, Inc.; Van Deusen & Associates
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Cladding
CSG Architectural Glass; Jangho Group Co., Ltd.
Construction Hoists
Elevator

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa 2014 Winner

2014 CTBUH Awards

CTBUH Initiatives

Twisting Tall Buildings

18 August 2016 - CTBUH Research

CTBUH Dubai Leads Tour of Cayan Tower

9 June 2015 - Event

Videos

06 November 2014 | Dubai

2014 Awards - Session 3 Q&A

Thursday, 6th November 2014 Chicago, USA. Leslie Shepherd, Chief Architect, General Services Administration, James Cutler, Founding Partner, Cutler Anderson Architects, Michael Goldrick, Project Management Director,...

Research

26 October 2015

Urban Planning in Dubai; Cultural and Human Scale Context

Akram Ogaily, Hill International

The rapid urbanization of Dubai and regional Middle Eastern cities presents challenges with respect to the traditional local city fabric and the advent of modern...

About Cayan Tower

The Cayan Tower is a luxury apartment building with a striking helical shape, turning 90 degrees over the course of its height. Each floor is identical in plan, but is set 1.2 degrees clockwise from the floor below, giving the tower a distinctive form by way of an innovative, efficient, repeatable structure. Its shape is pure expression of the relationship between a building’s form and the structural framework that supports it.

Aesthetically, the twisting shape makes the building stand out from the architectural disharmony of the Dubai waterfront, which is largely composed of indistinct towers that do not speak to their location. Located near Dubai Internet City, Emirates Golf Club, and numerous corporate headquarters, the tower’s twisting form provides a greater number of units with desirable views of the Dubai Marina and Arabian Gulf, while also preserving the views for residents living in neighboring buildings, ensuring that Cayan Tower enhances its spectacular waterfront site.

The tower’s structural system is a cast-in-place, high-strength, reinforced-concrete column superstructure. The shape and size of the columns were determined through the use of wind-tunnel testing and three-dimensional computer modeling to analyze building stresses. The building core is a cylindrical concrete form that acts as the central pillar for the tower. As the building ascends, the rotation at each floor occurs around this central mass. The building was constructed using a “jump form” system that takes advantage of its repetitive nature. Even so, construction took seven years.

Within the tower, the units have been divided into six unique types, offering ample living space configurations to residents. Standard units range from studios to three-bedrooms, and the crown of the building features six levels of both half- and full-floor penthouses. Residential amenities include an outdoor infinity edge pool facing the marina, flexible spaces on the sixth floor, a health spa, exercise facility, and conference centers.

On the ground plane, the tower acts as an urban gateway, connecting the Arabian Gulf, the Dubai Marina, and the city beyond. It also provides a visual point of reference on the city skyline. The building appears to change from every angle, giving it a sense of movement regardless of the viewer’s vantage point. Within the marina, the public can experience this design detail firsthand by walking along the waterside promenade that edges the tower’s site. A retail colonnade, located at the tower’s base, also provides visitors with shopping, shade, and views out toward the water.

The tower’s twisting shape is designed for enhanced indoor comfort. Its twist generates self-shading for the tower, ensuring that many of the interior spaces are protected from solar exposure. The building’s exterior terraces and the façade’s metal cladding panels, high-performance glass, and deep sills around the recessed glass line further protect the building from direct solar radiation, while providing diffuse daylight to interior spaces. This enhanced design for solar control reduces the building’s demand for cooling, provides a thermally comfortable environment, and minimizes the risk of glare, while optimizing occupant views of the surrounding marina environment and gulf.

The tower’s HVAC system has been specially designed to deal with desert conditions. A central dedicated outside air system equipped with sand filters and heat pipes distributes fresh air across the tower. Fan coil units within the occupied space satisfy the cooling load while providing additional local filtering to reduce the level of fine particles entering through the façade.

The tower’s helical form also acts as a shield from the northerly diurnal winds, which often carry sand and dust, thus minimizing the fine particles that may flow through the façade and impact indoor air quality. When outdoor conditions allow, windows can be opened so that natural ventilation can provide fresh air and passive cooling in interior spaces. At night, when cool winds blow from east and west, a separate system that passively cools the tower’s slabs helps the building discharge excess heat. Outside air is naturally brought into the space and used to “purge” heat absorbed by the tower’s exposed slabs during the warmer day hours. This cools down the thermal mass and restores the slabs’ thermal properties, enabling them to again absorb heat during the following day.

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa 2014 Winner

2014 CTBUH Awards

06 November 2014 | Dubai

2014 Awards - Session 3 Q&A

Thursday, 6th November 2014 Chicago, USA. Leslie Shepherd, Chief Architect, General Services Administration, James Cutler, Founding Partner, Cutler Anderson Architects, Michael Goldrick, Project Management Director,...

06 November 2014 | Dubai

Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa: The World’s Tallest Twisting Tower: Cayan Tower

The Cayan Tower is a luxury apartment building with a striking helical shape, turning 90 degrees over the course of its height. Each floor is...

06 November 2014 | Dubai

CTBUH 13th Annual Awards Dinner

The 13th Annual Awards Ceremony & Dinner was held in Mies van der Rohe's iconic Crown Hall, on the Illinois Institute of Technology campus, Chicago....

06 November 2014 | Dubai

Interview: Cayan Tower

Thursday 6th November 2014. Chicago, IL. William Baker & George Efstathiou, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, are interviewed by Chris Bentley regarding the Best Tall Building...

26 October 2015

Urban Planning in Dubai; Cultural and Human Scale Context

Akram Ogaily, Hill International

The rapid urbanization of Dubai and regional Middle Eastern cities presents challenges with respect to the traditional local city fabric and the advent of modern...

31 December 2013

Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2013

Daniel Safarik, Antony Wood, Marty Carver & Marshall Gerometta, CTBUH

By all appearances, the small increase in the total number of tall-building completions from 2012 into 2013 is indicative of a return to the prevalent...

18 August 2016

Twisting Tall Buildings

CTBUH has released a study that looks at the recent proliferation of twisting towers creating a new generation of iconic buildings throughout the world.

9 June 2015

CTBUH Dubai Leads Tour of Cayan Tower

CTBUH Dubai hosted a tour of Dubai's Cayan Tower, situated in the heart of the Dubai Marina. The tour was led by Dean McGrail, a CTBUH representative in UAE, and Director at WSP.

27 March 2014

CTBUH, EMI Lead Emirates Tall-Building Study Trip

Georges Binder, Belgium Country Leader, recently joined with Executive Master Immobilier to conduct a study trip on tall buildings to the United Arab Emirates.

27 March 2014

CTBUH, EMI Lead Emirates Tall-Building Study Trip

Georges Binder, Belgium Country Leader, recently joined with Executive Master Immobilier to conduct a study trip on tall buildings to the United Arab Emirates.

31 December 2013

CTBUH Releases Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2013

By all appearances, the small increase in the total number of tall-building completions from 2012 into 2013 is indicative of a return to the prevalent trend of increasing completions each year over the past decade.