Aspire Tower

Aspire Tower ("The Torch Doha")
General information
Type	Hotel
Location	Doha, Qatar
Coordinates	25°15′44.9″N 51°26′41.4″E / 25.262472°N 51.444833°E / 25.262472; 51.444833Coordinates: 25°15′44.9″N 51°26′41.4″E / 25.262472°N 51.444833°E / 25.262472; 51.444833
Construction started	2005
Completed	2007
Cost	€133,395,000
Height
Architectural	300 m (980 ft)[1]
Top floor	238 m (781 ft)[1]
Observatory	238 m (781 ft)[1]
Technical details
Structural system	Reinforced concrete core, steel skin
Floor count	36[1]
Floor area	35,000 m2 (380,000 sq ft)[1]
Lifts/elevators	17[1]
Design and construction
Architect	Hadi Simaan
Structural engineer	Arup
References
www.thetorchdoha.com

Aspire Tower, also known as The Torch Doha, is a 300-metre-tall (980 ft) skyscraper hotel located in the Aspire Zone complex in Doha, Qatar. Designed by architect Hadi Simaan and AREP and engineer Ove Arup and Partners,^[2] the tower served as the focal point for the 15th Asian Games hosted by Qatar in December 2006.

The tower is currently the tallest structure and building in Doha and Qatar, but it is expected to be surpassed by the Dubai Towers Doha, which is set for completion late 2014 and the Barwa Tower. The tower has also been known as Khalifa Sports Tower or Doha Olympic Tower.

Construction and use

The tower was a landmark of the 2006 Asian Games due to its size and proximity to the main venue, the Khalifa International Stadium. The tower housed the Asian Games flame during the games and holds the record for tallest ever games flame and highest positioning of a games flame, which was visible throughout Doha for the duration of the games. The design employs a concrete core which acts as the primary support. The remainder of the building is a steel structure that cantilevers out from the concrete core. The exterior of the building is covered in a steel mesh which, during the Asian Games, was festively illuminated by vibrant LED lights.

The final form consists of a 1-to-1.8-metre-thick, reinforced-concrete cylinder (the core), varying from 12 to 18 metres in diameter, encircled with radiating networks of cantilevered steel beams on each floor of its building modules. The modules themselves are composed of steel columns, metal decking, concrete slabs, and outer tension and compression ring beams, which support glass-paneled outer walls. The bottom of each module is covered with glass fiber reinforced concrete. Beams, as well as steel struts tying all the structural components together, are bolted through the concrete core and hence are anchored into place, transferring vertical loads from perimeter columns and ring beams to the core.^[3]

The designer, Simaan, has described the structure as "a celebration of earth and sky" adding that, "the structural steel struts that brace the structure back to the core also act as visual forces which create energy radiating from the center in a centrifugal rise." One of the most interesting features of the tower is the broadcast of videos which was carried out around an 8 metre section of the tower; this was done through the use of Philips technology.

The building was completed in November 2007 at a final cost of €133,395,000.

See also

• Hyperboloid structure
• List of towers

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aspire Tower (category)

• Aspire Tower on CTBUH Skyscraper Center
• Hadi Simaan website
• The Torch Doha
• Building profile on Skyscraperpage.com
• The Aspire Tower: a case study on Constructalia
• Haver & Boecker - Information about the tower
• Emporis.com