97
Global
Height rank

The Index

Dubai
Height 326.0 m / 1,070 ft
Floors 80
Official Name
The current legal building name.

The Index

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, 2010

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

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 / office

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

The Index

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."

326.0 m / 1,070 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).
326.0 m / 1,070 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
322.0 m / 1,056 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).

80

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.

520

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

2442

# 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).

27

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.

170,400 m² / 1,834,170 ft²

Rankings
#
97
Tallest in the World
#
20
Tallest in Middle East
#
18
Tallest in United Arab Emirates
#
16
Tallest in Dubai
#
47
Tallest Mixed-use Building in the World
#
6
Tallest Mixed-use Building in Middle East
#
5
Tallest Mixed-use Building in United Arab Emirates
#
5
Tallest Mixed-use Building in Dubai
#
29
Tallest Concrete Building in the World
#
15
Tallest Concrete Building in Middle East
#
14
Tallest Concrete Building in United Arab Emirates
#
12
Tallest Concrete Building in Dubai
Construction Schedule
2003

Proposed

2005

Construction Start

2010

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Material Supplier

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

Concrete
CCL
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Paint/Coating
Owner/Developer
Union Properties
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; Woods Bagot
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.

Bruechle; BG&E; Halvorson and Partners
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.

Roger Preston & Partners; WSP Group
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.

Edara Confluence
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.

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

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

BuroHappold Engineering
Material Supplier

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

Concrete
CCL
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Paint/Coating

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa 2011 Winner

2011 CTBUH Awards

CTBUH Initiatives

The Index Chosen as Featured Building

1 September 2012 - Featured Building

CTBUH Releases Tallest Buildings Completed in 2010

31 December 2010 - CTBUH Journal

Videos

03 November 2011 | Dubai

Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa: The Index: Passive design for the Middle Eastern High-rise

The Index has a long but narrow profile which houses its mixed residential-over-office functions within its coherent but well articulated form. The tower has been...

Research

25 April 2019

Tall Building's in Numbers: World's Tallest Offset-Core Buildings

CTBUH Research

There has long been an interest in separating the service cores of tall buildings from the main programmed areas – to create more column-free, easily-configured...

About The Index

The Index occupies a prominent corner site within the Dubai International Finance Center, a financial district intended to establish Dubai as an investment market, and to provide a catalyst for further economic growth in the region. Balancing a mixture of residential, commercial and social uses to support the Finance Center and wider community, the building represents a vertical city quarter with a population of around 6,000 residents and workers on its 20,000 sq m (215,278 sq ft) site.

The Index exploits the sustainable paradigm of maximizing the environmental benefits of a compact, high-rise form with an efficient design that reduces the need for mechanical cooling systems and artificial lighting. Oriented east to west, the building is positioned obliquely off-grid, strategically designed to accentuate the metropolitan view of Dubai International Finance Centre on the north side and the Dubai cityscape on the south. By turning away from the city axis, the building is also able to reduce solar gain; the building’s core mass absorbs heat and limits its reliance on mechanical ventilation. A system of sunshades shelters the interiors on the exposed south elevation.
Entrance is via a dramatic four-story atrium with the tower sitting on a landscaped podium, which provides shaded pedestrian routes through the site and a range of places to eat, shop and socialize. A 200-meter-long (656-foot) pool wraps around the edge of the tower: its tranquil inlets help to cool the transitional spaces, reflect indirect light and animate the entrance with the sound and motion of water cascading over the smooth stone shingles. The effect is a dramatic sense of arrival.

The perimeter of the site is marked by a colonnaded sequence of shops, and the space created between the tower and glazed façade defines a semi-private garden, a shaded grove and seating where office workers and residents can relax. The landscape of the podium draws on local species of date palms, which thrive in the desert climate and require less irrigation. Forging links with the wider master plan, the retail podium also has a lower level connection to a large internal mall, which is accessible throughout the Finance Centre.

The floors are supported by four A-frame concrete “fins” that taper as they rise, creating a slender profile that reveals the building’s structural system and internal organization. The inner and outer edges of the structural fins have a ribbed effect, created by pre-cast concrete panels which are colored a light grey—this finish reduces the visual impact of sand settling on the façade, thereby minimizing maintenance requirements and energy use.

The challenge for the design of The Index tower was to bring together a combination of retail, residential and commercial spaces within a single tower, without compromising each function. The form of the tower articulates these different functions externally—the design balances the needs of offices and high quality apartments within a single, coherent structure with a relatively compact footprint and very slender profile.

The twenty-five floors of office space are concentrated at the base of the tower, so that the living spaces above can take advantage of views towards the coast. The different functions are separated by a spectacular double-height, fully-glazed sky lobby, articulated externally as a horizontal break in the façade. Residents’ facilities include a lounge, restaurant, pool and health club and the tower is crowned by twelve luxurious duplex and triplex penthouse apartments which feature private swimming pools. In addition to balconies, the tower incorporates eight large terraces spaced out on the slender edges of the building—these are structural elements, which have been fully utilized to take advantage of the spectacular views from the tower.

Placing the lift cores on either side of the building, where they are clearly visible externally, ensures that orientation is clear. Each core gives access to half of the floor plate and signage marks the east and west zones accordingly. A small central lift core, serving 40 levels of apartments, rises to the sky lobby, where a local lift core transports residents to their individual apartments. The different functions contained within the tower are echoed in the treatment of lift areas on the office and residential floors: the lower level lift lobbies are clad in highly reflective stainless steel, while the upper floors are neutral, appropriate to a more domestic setting.

The environmental strategy is progressive and integrated with the tower’s architectural design: the open atrium at the base of the building combines shading with a large water feature to create a cool microclimate; each apartment can be naturally ventilated; and large glazed areas on the office floors maximize natural light, but are controlled by external shading on areas with high solar gain.

Each office floor plate comprises three 27x27 meter (89x89 foot) column free bays. These long span structures allow maximum flexibility for space planning, so that the levels are suitable for large international financial corporations or can be subdivided for multiple tenancies.

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa 2011 Winner

2011 CTBUH Awards

03 November 2011 | Dubai

Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa: The Index: Passive design for the Middle Eastern High-rise

The Index has a long but narrow profile which houses its mixed residential-over-office functions within its coherent but well articulated form. The tower has been...

03 November 2011 | Dubai

CTBUH 10th Annual Awards Dinner

The 10th Annual Awards Ceremony & Dinner was held in Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Crown Hall, on the Illinois Institute of Technology campus, Chicago....

03 November 2011 | Dubai

Interview: The Index

Toby speaks about The Index in Dubai which is the 2011 Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa winner. He speaks about the inspirations and...

25 April 2019

Tall Building's in Numbers: World's Tallest Offset-Core Buildings

CTBUH Research

There has long been an interest in separating the service cores of tall buildings from the main programmed areas – to create more column-free, easily-configured...

20 October 2018

Residential High-Rises in Dubai: Typologies, Tendencies and Development Prospects

Elena M. Generalova & Viktor P. Generalov, Samara State Technical University

This study discusses the current typologies of high-rise housing prevalent in Dubai. The uniqueness, trends and prospects of Dubai tall, residential development are analyzed. The...

31 December 2010

Tallest Buildings Completed in 2010

CTBUH Research

In a year dominated by news coverage of the new “World’s Tallest Building” – Burj Khalifa, Dubai – one may be surprised to learn that,...

1 September 2012

The Index Chosen as Featured Building

The Index is a model for developing sustainable built environments in the Middle East region, as well as other similar climatic environments elsewhere in the world.

31 December 2010

CTBUH Releases Tallest Buildings Completed in 2010

In a year dominated by news coverage of the new “World’s Tallest Building” – Burj Khalifa, Dubai – one may be surprised to learn that, besides being the year in which a building first surpassed the 600, 700, and 800-meter thresholds, 2010 has seen the completion of more skyscrapers than any previous year in history.

4 March 2008

Technical Tours, CTBUH 8th World Congress

Tours to experience five seminal projects in Dubai including the Burj Dubai, the Emirates Towers, the Index Tower, the Burj Al Arab and Palm Jumeirah.