UAE sweeps board in best-engineered buildings contest

The Burj Khalifa, the UAE pavilion at the Shanghai Expo and the bridge over the F1 circuit on Yas Island won the international section at a US-run engineering awards.

The UAE pavilion in Shanghai is among three UAE buildings that made a clean sweep of the international category in the US National Council of Structural Engineers Association awards.

BEIJING // UAE buildings have scooped all three awards in a competition to find the world's best-engineered buildings.

The Burj Khalifa, the UAE pavilion at the Shanghai Expo and the bridge over the Formula One circuit on Yas Island between them managed a clean sweep of the international category at the recent US National Council of Structural Engineers Association awards.

The 828m Burj Khalifa, which opened in January and which is the world's tallest building by 319 metres, took top place.

It impressed the judges with its buttressed core and shape that disrupts air flow, making it more resistant to high winds.

Second place went to the UAE pavilion in Shanghai, designed to resemble sand dunes.

The pavilion, 60m in diameter, was built to be dismantled so it can be sent to Abu Dhabi and reassembled after the expo finishes at the end of this month.

The third award went to the link bridge at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Hotel, which was built in 17 months as a vantage point for watching the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Yas Marina Circuit, which hosts the finale to this year's Formula One season on November 14, passes beneath the bridge.

On the domestic side of the awards, the US engineers chose Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas as the outstanding new building costing more than US$100 million.