The construction of the largest cantilever in history is almost finished: 230 meters of steel, glass and concrete that connect two skyscrapers over one of the main arteries of the city of Dubai, the six-lane highway that links the city with its airport.
The building—comprising two towers 305 and 235 meters tall—has a style completely different from the typical architecture of the UAE capital. It's more reminiscent of a sober, industrial science fiction aesthetic than the extravagant Dubai style, likely because its designers are the Japanese architectural firm Nikken Sekkei , headquartered in Tokyo. “Its elegant and iconic design marks a clear departure from the existing buildings around it,” they state.
According to its designers, “the plan for this mixed-use development consists of offices, hotels, residences and shops located at the gateway to the city center area, arriving from Dubai airport.”.
The complex features twin towers joined by the cantilever — which they have named 'The Link' — as well as four low-rise structures.
The cantilever is the largest in the world, they claim, far surpassing that of the Busan Cinema Center in South Korea with 85 meters or the famous observation deck with pool at the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore, which is "only" 66.5 meters.
But the most impressive thing isn't the record itself, but the fact that it's only five meters shorter than the second tallest skyscraper. It's as if someone took the vertical skyscraper and ran it through Photoshop's transformation tool to rotate the tower 90 degrees.
According to its promoters, the complex will be completed by the end of January 2024, becoming the official gateway to the most important city in the region until Saudi Arabia completes its pharaonic Neom project.
Source: https://www.elconfidencial.com/
