Timelapse: World’s longest cantilevered building, The Link, lifted into place

DUBAI: Watch this video showing the world’s longest cantilevered building, The Link, being lifted into place.

The Link, a 9,000-tonne horizontal steel structure once completed, connects the two towers of One Za’abeel development in the heart of Dubai, UAE. The timelapse video was taken over a period of several days.

The initial lift, on August 18, was a mere 10 centimetres — to check for cable stretching and the building’s reaction to the strain.

The Link connect the two towers of One Za’abeel in the heart of Dubai, UAE. The timelapse video was taken over a period of several days.

A further one metre lift took place a week later, followed by the main event, three days later – the final 100 metre lift into place, explained Dr. Fadi Jabri, Nikken’s Executive Officer.

The Japanese firm Nikken Sekkei, began work on the project in 2014 as lead consultancy. 

“Designing the world’s longest-occupied cantilevered building was an ambitious challenge in itself. However, designing an offset cantilever between two towers, 100 metres above a busy highway, was a challenge of ingenuity and imagination none of us had ever faced before,” said Dr Jabri.

The skyscraper building is a mixed-use two-tower project overlooking a total built-up area of over 470,000 square metres. Located at the heart of the city and near the Dubai Financial Center, the development incorporates luxury residences, a hotel and serviced apartments, and office spaces. It also has a retail podium, and a panoramic sky concourse.

The Link, aloft at 100 metres above the ground, will house a attractions, including restaurants, observation decks, and an infinity pool. A team of 1,200 experts from a variety of disciplines worked on the project.