Construction of DAMAC Tower, the 50-storey residential development at Nine Elms, has installed a sky bridge to joins its north and south towers at their 18th and 24th floors
Known as the ‘Jenga Tower’, due to its unique overhanging structures and distinctive stepped design, DAMAC Tower is being developed by Nine Elms Property Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of DAMAC International and constructed by Multiplex.
The project is part of the Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea (VNEB) Opportunity Area Planning Framework, a multi-billion pound regeneration scheme. It works in partnership with the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Wandsworth, the LDA, TfL and English Heritage.
The project will provide 450 new homes in total.
The North Tower will provide 360 residential units and will feature interiors by Versace Home. The apartments will offer winter gardens with panoramic views of the city.
Features of the sky bridge
The sky bridge will contain four storeys of office space, amenity space on the 23rd floor and an extensive roof garden to complete the South Tower on the 24th floor.
Design engineering for the sky bridge was delivered by WSP in conjunction with BG&E and the design architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates with installation undertaken by Bourne Engineering and Byrne Brothers.
The sky bridge is designed to float 18 storeys above the ground floor.
WSP integrated a four-storey diagonal steel hangar, which enabled the bridge to extend as far as 10 metres. Asymmetric beams have been used to make the structure economical with the more efficient use of steel as part of efforts to reduce the projects carbon footprint.
With the structural works completed on the sky bridge, the next major milestone at DAMAC Tower will be to fit-out of the amenity area on the top floor of the bridge.
This will contain a 20-metre pool, spa, steam room, sauna and experience shower, as well as a gym area. The project will also be celebrating its topping out milestone in November this year.
Paul Serkis, project director at Multiplex, said: “Successfully joining these two structural concrete frames with steel was an immense feat of engineering that combined many talents and an extraordinary effort from the project team.
“Making events like this happen safely and on time requires a continual focus on precision and collaboration.”
Andrew Pratt, project manager at WSP, said: “DAMAC Tower is an engineering triumph that uses every trick in the WSP book to achieve daring cantilevers in tight structural zones and maximising views to the Square Mile.
“The success of this project relied on early engagement with all teams involved as well as highly detailed 3D models which were essential to predicting future coordination issues and ensuring the final smooth delivery of the job.”
