Dubai Architecture- Al Seef Tower

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	Essential Architecture- Dubai Al Seef Tower
architect	DAR Consult
location	Dubai Marina in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
date	2005
style	Postmodern
construction	215 m Contractor Vakson Real Estate Developer Emaar
type	residential


The Al Seef Tower is a 44-floor residential tower in the Dubai Marina in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tower has a total structural height of 215 m (705 ft). Construction the Al Seef Tower was completed in 2005.

The latest luxury apartment building in Dubai Marina is nearing completion as Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises puts the finishing touches to Al Seef Tower ahead of its future residents moving in to their brand new homes. In just 21 months, a patch of wasteland on the edge of the stunning marine development has been transformed into a 215 metre high residential tower that combines elegance and architectural beauty fitting for one of the most prestigious residential addresses in Dubai. For project director Suheil Al Rayes, the achievement is capped by the fact that in almost two years, and with up to 3,000 people working on the site at any one time, not a single accident has occurred – a record which has won the project no fewer than six safety awards during the construction period. “Constructing a high-rise building always comes with risks, but we are proud to say we have not had a single accident,” he said. “It is difficult and costly to maintain this sort of safety record, but we have the highest standards as a company and safety will never be compromised - everybody working on the site is valued and important to us.” Al Seef Tower was designed by M/S Dar Consult and built by Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises on behalf of Deyaar – a subsidiary company of Dubai Islamic Bank. Comprising 47 two-bedroom apartments, 96 three-bedroom apartments and 16 penthouses, as well as car parking, leisure and service facilities, the residential components of the building sold out before Suheil and his team even started work on site in June 2003. “The project has progressed perfectly,” he said. “We finished on time which nobody really expected for such a huge construction, especially as there were some changes to the design along the way. Normally a job like this would take 24 months, so to do it in 21 months was quite an achievement. There are other towers being built around here that started before us but haven’t finished yet.” Suheil attributes the successful completion of the building on time to meticulous planning and a dedicated team of contractors and subcontractors rising to the challenge. “The team were very professional - both our in-house team and the subcontractors,” he said. “Without good subcontractors you cannot succeed, and we had very good people working on this project. This also helped make it an enjoyable project to work on. There were areas of difficulty with particular floors, but we overcame them and are very happy with the result.” Al Seef Tower comprises two bedroom apartments from floors 4-11, three bedroom apartments from levels 12-35 and then penthouse apartments up to the 43rd floor. There is also car parking within the building, service areas for lifts and air conditioning coolers, as well as leisure facilities such as a swimming pool, gym, Jacuzzi, steamer and sauna. “With different sized apartments on different floors there are more complex architectural and structural aspects involved than if you are building a tower with the same sized apartments throughout,” Suheil explained. “We had to include a cantilever above the two bedroom apartments and a larger cantilever on the 36th floor above the three bedroom apartments. “The cantilever on the 36th floor was particularly challenging. When the job was first awarded to us we recognised this would be a difficult aspect of the construction and began thinking then about how we would do it. Rather than running the risk of delaying the project, it was studied well in advance and by the time we actually reached that level we knew precisely how we were going to do it and it was a piece of cake.” As Suheil and his team prepare to pack up their tools and move on to whichever major project is next assigned for them, they can’t help feel an immense sense of satisfaction. “You are always proud to see the completed project, especially when it is finished on time and with high quality like this,” Suheil said. “When you look at the building from a distance and re-live how every square foot was built you feel a real sense of achievement.”
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