A Distinctive Structural Expression

The design of Cayan Tower, a helical skyscraper that marks the Dubai skyline, is at once remarkable and subtle. The residential tower is a pure expression of the idea that a building’s form should directly follow its structural framework.

While the skyscraper’s floor plates are all identical, each is slightly rotated against the story below it, producing a full 90-degree twist over the course of the tower’s 307-meter rise. The benefits of this unique form, besides the aesthetic ones, are manifold. Wind load and solar heat gain are reduced compared to a rectilinear building of the same height, and a greater number of tenants are afforded desirable views of the nearby marina and gulf.

Positioned perpendicular to the sea, the tower is carefully configured to provide excellent views from every level, while preserving waterfront views for residents of neighboring buildings. It meets the marina at street level with retail and an arcade that is part of a continuous promenade along the waterfront.

Shaped by the Sun and Wind

Designed with Dubai’s arid desert climate and urban heat island effect in mind, prefabricated metal panels on cast-in-place concrete perimeter columns and repeating staggered screen panels filter direct sunlight to the units. Deep window sills also minimize direct light and provide a screen-like effect on the exterior of the building—shading both interior living spaces and terraces.

The structural engineering team used wind tunnel testing and three dimensional computer modeling to analyze the building’s stresses. The team also devised innovative construction techniques, including a “jump form” system—a unique construction formwork that takes advantage of the building’s repetitive form to make the process more efficient. A cylindrical concrete pillar at the center of the building strengthens the structure; the rotation at each floor occurs around this central mass.

A Residential Landmark On the Marina

The consistent floor plates are still flexible enough to accommodate a wide variety of apartment types — from studios to three bedrooms to six levels of half-floor and full-floor penthouses. Residential amenities include an outdoor infinity pool and whirlpool and mixed use amenity spaces for tenants, including a health spa with treatment rooms, an exercise facility, conference centers, lounges, and a child care center.

The tower—with its dynamic, twisting shape, waterfront views and first class amenities—redefines international luxury standards and challenges the conventions of residential high-rise architecture.