TWO of the tallest buildings in the Gate District on Reem Island – the Sun and Sky Towers – have been topped out 100 days ahead of schedule, according to the project developer Sorouh Real Estate.

The futuristic towers – two of the eight high-rises that make up the Gate District – are poised to offer spectacular panoramic views across the Gulf and Abu Dhabi island to their occupants when they are delivered early next year.
The 74-storey Sky Tower and 65-storey Sun Tower now stand at their full height and are expected to be delivered on time in the first quarter of 2010.
 “The towers are set to become the pinnacle of luxury for their residential and commercial occupants, combining unique architectural designs with prestigious space, quality finishes and innovative energy conservation and user-friendly features,” says a spokesperson for Sorouh.
Sky Tower, designed in a striking elliptical formation, combines 474 residential units and 800,000 sq ft of office space assembled vertically around a central core. At 300 m, the tower is currently the tallest structure in Abu Dhabi.
Sun Tower, a purely residential tower, is home to 673 spacious one, two, three and four-bedroom suites and penthouses.
The Sun and Sky towers will sit on a common podium featuring a shopping mall, fitness and leisure centre and a number of restaurants and cafes.
Currently, the ground floor slab, mezzanine, and levels one to four of the podium have been finished, with level five more than 60 per cent complete. Overall, construction work on the podium is 89 per cent complete. The internal fit-out of both buildings is also well under way, with meticulous attention being paid to the finishing of the interior partitioning, floor, ceiling and mechanical engineering.
The graceful towers will utilise innovative conservation techniques to maximise energy efficiency.
Curtain-walling works are under way on level 69 of Sky Tower and level 63 of Sun Tower. The sky pods are now 92 per cent complete on Sky Tower and 73 per cent complete on Sun Tower. The entire project is over 67 per cent accomplished and scheduled to meet the completion deadline of 2010.
Sorouh will be among the first occupants of the Sun and Sky towers as the company will be relocating its headquarters to the Sky Tower next year.
The Gate District is one of the five districts of Shams Abu Dhabi, the others being Garden, Central Park, Marina and Theatre.
Launched in September 2005 by Sorouh, Shams Abu Dhabi is one of the three project developments being built on Al Reem Island. Located a few hundred metres northeast of Abu Dhabi Island, the estimated Dh25 billion ($6.9 billion) project will occupy approximately 25 per cent of the island, and cover 1.75 million sq m. The development will include 147 towers to accommodate around 65,000 residents. The residents can go to the island via shuttle buses, water taxis, and taxis. The project will be connected to Abu Dhabi Island bridges and will also include a canal – 3.5 km long and 15 m wide.
Commenting on the project, the spokesperson says: “At the entrance to Shams Abu Dhabi, the Gate District will make a stunning impression on Al Reem Island’s skyline. A cluster of eight towers, the Gate District integrates luxury high-rise residences, contemporary office environments, unique shopping experiences, and world-class hotel accommodation, all seamlessly blended into a complete living experience.
Apart from the Sky and Sun towers, the Gate District also includes Gate Towers comprising three 65-storey residential towers, a 65-storey office tower, a 23-storey residential tower and an 800-room international hotel and serviced apartments tower.
W Armstrong and Associates is the consultant and Arabian Construction Company (ACC) the main contractor on the project.
The Gate Towers will offer a total of 3,400 residential units with a net 372,929 sq m floor area. They will include around 78,113 sq m of commercial and office space and 13,687 sq m of retail space that includes a day-care centre, swimming pools, water games area, gymnasium, sauna and Jacuzzi, recreation room, kids’ play area (indoor/outdoor), multi-purpose courts (tennis, basketball, football), indoor squash courts, billiards hall, table tennis, restaurants and cafes, prayer room, reception/cocktail area and a mini-golf course.
Work on the Gate Towers is well in progress with piling works complete on the three towers. Work is ongoing on the basement levels of two of the towers while the raft foundation is now being poured for the third tower.
Meanwhile, considerable infrastructural works have been completed on Shams Abu Dhabi. Work on the bridges continues with Nurol, the contractor, having completed 90 per cent of the overall project. Asphalt surfacing has commenced on five of the 13 bridges and construction of bridge four, which will span the Central Park block, across the park and lagoon area of the canal system, is now 50 per cent complete. The pedestrian footbridges around the canals have also started to take shape, with 35 per cent of the overall canal works finalised. All bridges are due to be completed by March next year.
The road and utility partner, Al Geemi and Partners, has completed 35 per cent of the main utilities on the development, with the areas around the Sky and Sun towers prioritised. All the utilities work is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The two district cooling providers have also installed the pipe network across the development and the district cooling plant for the Gate District area supplying Sky and Sun towers has been fast-tracked for completion early next year.
Other notable construction works completed include the dredging and reclamation contract (by PAL Technology), the earthworks and sewers contract (by Admac) and the marine works contract (by Athena SA).
In addition to Sorouh’s developments across Shams Abu Dhabi, sub-developers have started construction on 26 plots involving 2.5 million sq m in gross floor area (GFA), representing around 50 per cent of the total GFA for Shams Abu Dhabi.
Sorouh Real Estate, one of the largest property developer in Abu Dhabi, has more than Dh70 billion ($19 billion) worth of projects under development in the UAE and internationally.