Cayan Tower

Infinity Tower

Cayan Tower
Cyan Tower
Cayan Tower

In Dubai, a Twisting Tower Merges Form with Function

Project Facts
  • Status Construction Complete
  • Completion Year 2013
  • Design Finish Year 2006
  • Size Site Area: 3,026.50 square meters Building Height: 307 meters Number of Stories: 75 Building Gross Area: 114,500 square meters
  • Rentable Area 68,400.00 sq m
  • Condo Units 492
  • Collaborators
    Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Research Laboratory Rja Group Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc. (RWDI) Van Deusen & Associates Fisher Marantz Stone Dewar Partnership Sako & Associates Inc. (Sako) Vda Khatib & Alami Palma Real Estate Swa Group Shen Milsom & Wilke LLC - Chicago Valli & Valli Hyder Consulting Aqua Fountains Opening Solutions, Inc. Citadel Consulting Cerami & Associates
Project Facts
  • Status Construction Complete
  • Completion Year 2013
  • Design Finish Year 2006
  • Size Site Area: 3,026.50 square meters Building Height: 307 meters Number of Stories: 75 Building Gross Area: 114,500 square meters
  • Rentable Area 68,400.00 sq m
  • Condo Units 492
  • Collaborators
    Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Research Laboratory Rja Group Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc. (RWDI) Van Deusen & Associates Fisher Marantz Stone Dewar Partnership Sako & Associates Inc. (Sako) Vda Khatib & Alami Palma Real Estate Swa Group Shen Milsom & Wilke LLC - Chicago Valli & Valli Hyder Consulting Aqua Fountains Opening Solutions, Inc. Citadel Consulting Cerami & Associates

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.

Cyan Tower under construction
Cyan Tower under construction © SOM
Cayan Tower Topping Out
Cayan Tower Topping Out © SOM

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.

Structural Diagram
Structural Diagram © SOM

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.