Addax Tower

Energy efficiency, specially designed destination control characterize Toshiba project in U.A.E.

Toshiba Elevator Middle East LLC is proud of the 26-unit vertical-transportation system it designed and installed for the new 61-story Addax Tower in the City of Lights on Al Reem Island, a 1,250-acre mixed-use development taking shape just 1 km from downtown Abu Dhabi. Led by Project Manager Mohamed Ibrahim, the Toshiba Elevator team provided client M/S TAMOUH with the first 10-car destination-control system Toshiba Elevator has ever designed in the Middle East, along with a security system featuring card readers and closed-circuit TV cameras within the cabins.

Car-call transmission is done using optical cables. Toshiba Elevator Middle East Managing Director M.J. Mohamed Iqbal observes: “Response wise, this system is much faster than one using normal serial connections, which adds to the faster assignment of elevators among the 10 units for each hall/car call.”  This promises greater efficiency for office-tower tenants.

Efficiency and Accessibility

Ten elevators each serve the tower’s high and low zones. The building is designed to have a total population of 5,300. Each elevator has a capacity of 21 people, or 1600 kg. Each is outfitted with a pair of LCD-lit car-operating panels, one on each side, to enhance visibility and accessibility. A pair of escalators provides access between the elevator lobby and car-park lifts.

• Elevator models used in this project include:
• ELBRIGHT Model CL200 high-zone and service units
• ELBRIGHT Model CL300 low-zone units
• Machine-room-less Spacel Uni car-park units

A pair of machine rooms, at the 31st floor for low-zone elevators and 61st floor for the high-zone ones, house Toshiba gearless motors, control panels and power sources.

In addition to security, the project team made sure passenger safety was thoroughly covered, by including the following safety features:

• Two 2,000- X 2,800-mm, 1600-kg service/firefighter elevators that travel between basement and 61st floor at 6 mps
• On high-zone elevators, emergency exits through which passengers can move from a nonworking to working elevator.
• Per Abu Dhabi Civil Defense regulations, refuge floors between the low and high zones for tenants to stay and/or prepare to evacuate in the event of a fire. Floor 31 is the refuge for the low zone, and floor 31A is the refuge for the high zone. These floors are reinforced with fire-blocking material.
• Four out of 10 elevators in each group dedicated to evacuation of tenants from refuge floors; the building’s emergency plan calls for the elderly and physically disabled to be given priority.
• A fire-rated stair system that may be used by the able-bodied during evacuations.

Special System for a Special Building

This vertical-transportation system was designed for the first of what could eventually be six office towers in the City of Lights. Designed by DP Architects of Abu Dhabi, Addax Tower is built of reinforced, post-tensioned concrete with an aluminum and glass shell. Interiors are high end. According to Toshiba Elevator, Addax Tower “sets a precedent for commercial office space in the region” with expansive, column-free floor plates and marble and stainless-steel accents. The building has a total floor area of more than 240,000 m2. DP Architects opines:

 “The design responds to the site, taking advantage of the pleasant waterfront and providing unparalleled views of the water, with a podium seamlessly connected to a waterfront promenade. Inspired by waves, the curved footprint extrudes upward to create a sleek and elegant form, maximizing views from all office units. The exterior is wrapped in illuminated glass and steel, and is enhanced by alternating vertical mullions that provide shade to the office spaces. Drawing inspiration from the lantern of a lighthouse, a 35-m-tall niche is carved out of the crown of the tower, contributing to its unique identity.”

Planned as a “city within a city,” Al Reem Island is eventually intended to have a total of 215 million sq. ft. of office and residential space, hotels, marinas, schools, mosques, malls, hospitals and parks. Iqbal observes that many towers have already been completed or are under construction. Approximately 200,000 people are expected to eventually live or work on the island.

Addax Tower is one of many projects Toshiba Elevator is handling on Al Reem Island, including a trio of residential towers known as Hydra Avenue and a five-tower, mixed-use project, all scheduled to be handed over in the first part of 2015. Iqbal observes: “These projects are developed as the second phase of the City of Lights. In addition to these projects, Toshiba Elevator has secured many projects with Abu Dhabi real-estate development company Aabar Properties, two of which are ongoing residential projects on Al Reem Island.”