The 39-storey Al Shatha Tower that is currently under construction in the Dubai Media City is among the latest projects to feature Alumco’s popular unitised curtain-walling system.

The engineering team of Alumco developed the design, based on the client’s requirement providing all the necessary attributes and more of a standard unitised system at an affordable cost. The system has been checked & certificated by CDC of the US, one of the industry’s leading designers.
The tower – for which National Engineering Bureau is the consultant and Al Shafar General Contracting is the contractor – will have 18,000 sq m of curtain wall area with a similar surface area covered with composite panels. The building – which has three basement levels – has an elliptical floor plan set at different degrees all around the building, says a spokesman for Alumco.
Alumco’s unitised system assembled double-glazed product featuring chamber pressure-equalised and drain-jointed thermally-broken systems. It also features a unique bracketing system that allows for greater tolerances which aids alignment.
This state-of-the-art system carries on the company’s tradition of bringing cutting edge technologies to the region.
Comparing it with the traditional stick curtain wall systems, the spokesperson says: “A unitised curtain wall has the same components as stick curtain wall system comprising aluminium mullions, an insulated glazing unit (IGU), and a spandrel panel mounted on a prefabricated aluminium frame. However, instead of assembling the glass and aluminium curtain wall on site, most of the system components are assembled within the factory under controlled working conditions. This promotes quality-controlled assembly and the rapid closure of the building.
“The system is assembled in the factory in units, with the mullions and transoms fabricated as half-sections instead of tubular sections. The panels are installed, starting from the bottom of the building and going around each floor and up the building in a systematic way.
 “The advantage of the unitised curtain wall is that it minimises site work, which leads to much greater precision and efficiency. The only on-site fabrication involves fixing some flashings; the panels themselves simply need to be “hung”.
“The unitised system helps the contractor to completely install and weatherproof an entire floor and make it ready for internal finishes within a week. Unitised curtain wall just needs to be installed on site and due to minimum manhandling of panels the chances of breakage becomes minimal. Different components are pre-assembled prior to site delivery.”
Established in mid-2003, Alumco has already handled a string of key contracts including the Jumeirah Beach Residence sector 6, The Residences at Burj Dubai, eight buildings in the Greens development for Emaar, Al Murooj Complex near junction one on the Sheikh Zayed Road and the new Dubai Police general headquarters in Al Qusais.
Its current portfolio also includes Golden Sands Tower and Marina Tower, which are still in the initial stages. Alumco’s prime business is the design, engineering, manufacture and installation of all types of facade systems, including advanced curtainwall and cladding systems offered anywhere in the world. 
Its scope of work covers skylights, cladding, doors and windows, double-glazing, tempering, powder coating and steel fabrication.