Emaar Properties has announced the completion of advanced wind tunnel tests on The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour.
Emaar Properties has announced the completion of advanced wind tunnel tests on The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour. © Emmar Properties

Anyone who has stood atop a skyscraper, be it New York’s Empire State Building or Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, can attest to the power of nature at such heights.

Not only is the wind strong, it also behaves in complex ways when coming into contact with tall buildings, meaning there is more to building megastructures than just the aesthetic.

With this in mind, Emaar Properties, the Dubai developer, has confirmed that it has completed advanced wind tunnel tests on The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour, which is set to be 100 metres taller than the 828-metre Burj Khalifa when complete.

Emaar said the wind tests were crucial in defining the final height and design aspects, while the project’s Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava Valls added that they "were an important component in the structural design stage, and we have deployed innovative engineering techniques to confirm the strength of the new icon".

The tests involved 12 different analysis and testing methods to ensure that all possible ­cases were considered, according to Emaar. They were carried out for the entirety of the project using a scale model. As part of climate tests in the local area, measurements were taken at different heights, including data provided by the weather stations.

Seismic studies were also done on the local ground conditions  ....