One of the landmark projects currently reaching for the skies on Shaikh Zayed Road is Tower No. 1. Work on the building, which is in the shape of an inverted Y, is scheduled for completion by November this year.

Structural work on the building is almost finished.

Furnished and unfurnished apartments will occupy the two legs of the building, while a five-star hotel will house the main body.

Located close to the Defence Roundabout, The 150-m building has 40 floors (ground-plus-mezzanine and 36 levels with two basements), with a swimming pool located on the roof. There will be 84 unfurnished apartments in one leg (42 two-bedroom and 42 three bedroom apartments), 147 furnished apartments (84 one-bedroom and 63 two-bedroom apartments) in the other, and 174 rooms in the luxury hotel.

The project has two separate towers rising up to Level 23 where they link. Above Level 23 is the five-star hotel.

"This building has provided us with an exceptional challenge, but Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises has risen to that challenge and we are now well on the way to completing the project on schedule," says Osama Al Taher, the senior project manager representing the main contractor Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises (HEE).

"The building will have a total of 60,300 sq m of space with parking for 300 cars. 50,000 cu m of concrete were used along with 9,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement in the construction. The foundation is 2,500 sq m and 2.8-m deep. We poured in 6,000 cu m of concrete into it in a record time of 31 hours. It was astonishing work and took five pumps connected to mixers to achieve it," he says.

One of the major challenges faced by the construction team was how to support the main central body of the building with two legs standing several metres apart.

"This was achieved by connecting the two legs at the 24th floor by a transfer slab. The 14-m slab carries the load of the central third of the building. This is made up from four major concrete beams, consisting of 70 cu m of suspended concrete and equal to 175 tonnes each. These are suspended 86 m from the ground. It is a one-off job," Al Taher says.

The transfer slab was designed by HEE engineering manager Dr Nabeel Shahood and fabricated by Al Habtoor steel workshop.

The Tower 1 will boast some of the best residential and hotel facilities in the city. Two basement levels will contain a banquet hall and services area, while the 24th floor will consist of Thai, Lebanese and Italian restaurants.

The hotel will be complemented with the sort of business and leisure facilities expected of a modern five-star hotel.

The Tower No 1 project construction team on this new development brings together experienced professional personnel from a multitude of nations and disciplines.

The client's office is represented by the Engineers Office Projects Department, which with its senior management, project management, commercial and quality assurance staff, oversees the overall project before and during the construction period and ensures exacting quality standards are achieved to the expectations of the ultimate occupants and in accordance with the best industry practices.

The function of the project architects and consultants for the Tower No. 1 project is being undertaken by Khatib and Alami with key representatives in all disciplines available both on site and at its head office with a vast number of previous successes in its repertoire from which it can draw its expertise and experience.

The Design Division has been appointed by the client as the chosen interior designer for the Tower No. 1 furnished apartments and hotel interior fit-out.

Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises has ensured that the project is now well on track for a completion later this year, the current key issues adopted by all concerned in the project being safety, quality, progress and budgetary control.