Award

Al Hamra Lauded by Institution of Structural Engineers

Rising to a height of 413m, the AI Hamra Tower dominates the skyline of Kuwait City as the second tallest building in the Middle East region. The geometry expresses a remarkable visual dynamism which responds to its environmental context and the Client’s leasing strategy. The resultant twisted form demanded complex analysis to identify dominant load combinations and structural behaviour.
 
Innovations included developing a pre-construction program to offset subsequent creep twisting. Hydraulic actuators were used to install an opposite twist by warping the climbing formwork system prior to casting each core level, with precision monitoring using GPS.