Work has concluded on the facade of a 79-floor skyscraper tipped to be the next famous building on Dubai’s skyline.
Uptown Tower will be available for handover late this year, said Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, the free zone behind the skyscraper.
More than 8,500 glass panels were installed on the “diamond tower” megaproject, which stands at 340 metres tall close to the Jumeirah Lakes Tower community.
“This is a new icon that will be the first thing people coming to Dubai from Abu Dhabi or Al Maktoum Airport will see,” Ahmed bin Sulayem, chief executive of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, told The National earlier this year.
The building, which will be the 14th tallest in Dubai once completed, will be mixed-use with residential units and offices, alongside a SO Sofitel five-star hotel.
More than 17 million man hours were spent working on the project, the developers said on Wednesday.
“The installation of the Uptown Tower facade system was completed with no lost time due to injury,” it said.
“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.”
More than 23,000 vehicles were involved in delivering close to 140,000 cubic metres of concrete to the Uptown Tower.
The skyscraper itself is reinforced by more than 30,000 tonnes of steel.
The ballroom will hold more than 1,500 people and there are more than 20 kitchens in the tower.
The project is also the first of two “supertall towers” at DMCC’s Uptown Dubai District.
“Uptown Tower was inspired by the shape of a diamond as DMCC does a lot of trade in diamonds and gold,” said Sanna Farooq, development director with Dubai Multi Commodities Centre.
“That’s why you see a cubic shape to it. People are already talking about how beautiful it is.”
