Is the top of the Cayan Tower in Dubai supposed to look unfinished?

October 3, 2014 7:11 AM

Is the top of the Cayan Tower in Dubai really supposed to look 6-stories unfinished? Or why else aren't there any photos of the finished version of the twisted skyscraper anywhere to be found on the Internet?

Construction on a 90-degree twisted skyscraper, the Cayan Tower, has already been completed, yet I cannot find a single picture online showing the building without what looks to be construction of the final six stories at the top. Is it just supposed to look that way normally? If so, why? If not, why can't I find any photos of the completed building?

posted by purefusion to Grab Bag (6 answers total)

Best answer: Yes, it is supposed to have that look. This thread at SkyScraperCity forums chronicles the construction, and the first post shows the pre-construction model with that partially covered outer wall on the crown. There are close up photos of the final crown near the end of that thread, for instance here. The remaining cranes on top are permanent.
posted by smackfu at 7:28 AM on October 3, 2014

It's called the "Infinity Tower", so I would think that the unfinished look with the cranes and all is intentional (to give the impression that the tower will keep rising forever).

It's also not a bad way to hide the mechanical works/antennae that inhabit the top of most skyscrapers.
posted by sparklemotion at 7:53 AM on October 3, 2014

Response by poster: Interesting. But MAN does it look ugly on my desktop background! Major OCD kicking in...
posted by purefusion at 8:13 AM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

The cranes might be part of a window washing rig, although I'm not sure how to do a window washing rig on a twisting skyscraper.
posted by ckape at 11:53 AM on October 3, 2014

Best answer: This type of "screen" structure is becoming common on tall buildings right now. It's a way of both architecturally defining the top as well as softening the transition from building to sky. Nina Towers, Hong Kong, for example. The Walkie Talkie Tower in London seems to have an actual enclosed garden up there? Same general principle. I'm sure the cranes are there for cleaning/maintenance.

In the past western skycraper design tended to create a very strongly defined top, with a wide, even blank, cornice feature, but that looks a bit dated now.
posted by dhartung at 2:07 PM on October 3, 2014

Response by poster: Those look much more elegant and finished though.
posted by purefusion at 2:27 PM on October 3, 2014