One Za’abeel Two-Towers Connected by “THE LINK,” Breaking the World’s Longest Cantilever Record

Dubai's skyscrapers often amaze us in various ways: their innovations, scale, and records. The One Za’abeel Tower by Japanese architectural firm Nikken Sekkei, selected to design through an international competition in 2014, was no exception.

The One Za’abeel Tower in Dubai (cr: Koji Horiuchi)

The road separating the two towers (cr: Koji Horiuchi)

Applying the characteristics of simple and clean Japanese design, One Za’abeel enlivens the Dubai skyline with a linear and asymmetrical block configuration. The fascinating point about the design is how the two sites are separated by a main road so that the two towers have to stand apart from each other. Here, the architect succeeded in connecting the two by installing a third beam between them, forming a bridge that connects: THE LINK.

Overall composition diagram

Dubai skyline (cr: Koji Horiuchi)

THE LINK: horizontal bridge (cr: Koji Horiuchi)

THE LINK here becomes a visual feature through the truss structure organized in a diagrid pattern on all four sides. Such a structure frees the interior from columns, making the space program more flexible to organize. Designed at a height of 100 m from the ground, the team constructed THE LINK using the Incremental Launching Method, where the material is pre-assembled into blocks—to minimize work at high altitude—before being lifted into its position and connected to the two towers’ structure. The installation was divided into several stages, with each block weighing hundreds to thousands of tons.

Block-lifting process

The luxurious design (cr: Koji Horiuchi)

Apart from being a connecting element, THE LINK also functions as a pivot, increasing the stiffness of the two towers against the wind, a common horizontal force faced by every skyscraper. Structurally, THE LINK locks at two points, on the first and the second towers, and leaves a 67,5 m cantilever to the northwest, making it a new record for the longest cantilever in the world. Given the massive dimensions, THE LINK might appear to be a “third tower” arranged horizontally to complement the two vertical towers.

THE LINK as a pivot

The configuration of three “towers” (cr: Koji Horiuchi)

The building, with a shiny glass exterior, is located on the arterial Sheikh Zayed Road—at the gateway to central Dubai—parallel to other worldwide famous architecture such as the Burj Khalifa and the Emirates Tower. The prominent site makes the One Za’abeel one of the first buildings to greet tourists who are disembarking at Dubai International Airport, as well as the last sight as they leave.

A building that welcomes tourists to Dubai (cr: Koji Horiuchi)