Capital Gate construction proceeding on schedule

The latest stage of the construction is the pouring of over 6,000 cubic metres of concrete to create the base of the 160m, 35-storey iconic tower.

850 trucks are arriving on the site adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre over a 30-hour period and the concrete will be pushed through five huge pumps which will work simultaneously and non-stop throughout the entire period.

The concrete will be pumped onto an incredibly dense mesh of reinforced steel which has been designed to be especially strong due to the unique posture of Capital Gate.

The mesh sits above a complex distribution of 490 piles which have been drilled 30 metres underground to accommodate the gravitational, wind and seismic pressures on the building caused by the distinctive lean of the building.

Simon Horgan, CEO of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, the Master Developer of Capital Gate, said: 'This is a landmark occasion in the construction of Capital Gate. The unique nature of this building has meant that the teams responsible for delivering Capital Gate have experienced some immense challenges, which they have overcome through vision, ingenuity and cooperation.

There is nothing standard about this tower. Each room is different, each pane of glazing is different and every angle is different.

It was designed to provide no symmetry to inspire both visitors and observers, yet the delivery team, comprised of ADNEC, Al Habtoor Construction, MACE and RMJM, is consistently hitting target dates for delivery'.

Capital Gate is scheduled for completion in autumn 2009.

When complete it will house the executive 5 star hotel 'Hyatt at Capital Centre', Abu Dhabi's first Hyatt hotel.

Additionally, it will provide the most exclusive office space in the UAE capital city.

Capital Gate forms a key part of the Capital Centre development, the Dhs8bn business and residential micro city being constructed around the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.