Makkah Clock Royal Tower - Case Study Example

Makkah clock Royal Tower Name Institution Date Makkah clock Royal Tower Introduction The Makah clock royal tower is a building complex located in Saudi Arabia. The construction works of the building started in 2004 and it was completed in 2012. The project was an initiative by King Abdul-Aziz which was meant to empower and modernize the holy city. The building complex also holds the record of being the tallest clock tower in the world. On the other hand, the building also holds the record of having the largest floor area. The building complex is also ranked the second tallest in the world after Burj Khalifa which is located in Dubai. The location of the building complex is also strategic as it is located next to the largest mosque in the world. According to Winerman (2011), the building is also of importance as it also serves a hotel for the pilgrims who visit the holy city. The paper thus discusses the building concept in relation to its uniqueness and engineering concepts. Makkah clock royal tower is a building Design details The architectural height of the building is 601 meters high; this is an equivalent of 1972 feet. The height of the top floor is 558.7 meters or 1883 feet. The observatory height of the complex on the other hand is also equivalent to the height of the top floor. The building complex also has a floor count of 120. The total floor are of the tower is 310,638 square meters. On the other hand, the development floor is 1,575,815square meters. These dimensions make the building complex to hold the record of the building with the largest floor area. The prayer room of the area is also large and it was designed to hold a live weight of more than 10,000 people. The building was designed to accommodate 10, 000 people with the highest residential floor standing at 450 meters which is equivalent to 1480 feet. The face of the clock is quite large with a dimension of 43mx43m which is also equivalent to 141ftx141ft. The roof of the clock is also large and it is located at a height of 530 above the ground level. This is also an important feature as it is considered as the most elevated architectural clock in the world (Penprase, 2011). It is also important to note that the initial plan of the building was to ensure that it is 734 meters tall. However, the design was reached at 601 meters which is the current height of the building. Source: Extravaganzi.com The design of the building was carried out by Dar Al- Handasr Architects while Saudi Biladin Group was the main contractor. The clock is four faced and is visible from 25 kilometers away. The diameter of each face of the clock is 46 meters. The building also has a golden pillar that supports the dome. All the four clocks have court of arms of Saudi Arabia at the center. The minute hand of the clock is 22 meters in length which is also unique as compared to the other architectural clocks. The design of the building is thus considered unique. This is because of the weight that the building has to support together with other unique features of the building. A total of seven towers are also located in the building complex. However, it is important to note that the towers are located at different heights and at different floors of the building. Structural details Bottom of Foundation Below Frost Source: Civildesignhelp.info The construction of the building was done through the use of complex structural designs. The foundation of the complex building was build through the use of pile foundation. This is due to the strength that is associated with the foundation. The building was also designed to carry a heavy load composed of both the live and dead weight. The use of pile foundation involves deep excavation and the use of concrete in the foundation (Abdoun, 2002). The foundation of the complex building was also heavily reinforced for the purposes of strengthening it. The Makah clock Royal tower also has a high number of beams for the purposes of supporting the building. Most of the beams are a tall and have also been reinforced heavily. This is considering that the beams play and important role in absorbing the live weight. On the other hand, the number of beams is high as the building has a high number of floors. The columns that support the beams are also heavily reinforced. This is also considering that the building has several domes which require supports. The type of reinforcements used also depends on the load that the structure is supposed to carry. Heavy reinforcement bars like the Y32 are common throughout the structure of the building. The structural design of the building is also meant to ensure that the domes are well supported. The full structural details of the building are however contained in the architectural design that was used for the construction of the building. Materials used A variety of materials were used during the construction of the tower. The type of material used was also dependant on the section of the building. On the other hand, some materials were used for different purposes. Concrete is the main material that was used during the construction of the building. The foundation and the floor slab of the complex building was constructed using concrete. This is also the same for the walls of the building. The composition of the concrete was dependant on the specifications of the engineer. It is for this reason that different classes of concrete were used during the construction of the building. A high amount of sand, cement, aggregate and water was used during the construction of the building. Other materials like bricks were partly used during the construction of the building. However, this was mainly for the purposes of finishing. Steel is also an important material that was used during the construction of the tower. This was mainly in terms of reinforcements of the building. Both the round bars as well as the twisted steel bars were used during the construction of the building. Wood was also used in some sections of the building. However, this was mainly used inside the building. Most of the windows and doors of the building are also constructed using steel. Only a few doors of the building have been constructed using timber. Glass is also one of the materials that were used in the construction of the building. This mainly includes the windows as well as the doors. Various types of glass were used in different parts of the building. This was dependant on the section of the building as some required high density glass. Various materials were also used in the interior design of the tower. The decoration of the building was also done using gold and other glittery materials. The use of plastic was also for different purposes during the construction of the building. This was mainly for the purposes of electrical cables as well as other electrical installations. Porcelain materials were also used widely in the building for the purposes of finishing the washrooms. Some parts of the floor were also furnished through the use of ceramic tiles. It is also important to note that some hardcore and marrum was used in some sections of the foundation. Clay tiles were also used in some sections of the building. The uses of a variety of materials during the construction of the building were for the purposes of enhancing the quality of the building as well as satisfy the engineering requirements (Bisland, 2005). Uniqueness of the project The project was quite unique from other similar projects that have been carried out in different parts of the world. The features of the tower are quite unique as compared to any other structure in the world. A huge amount of materials was used during the construction of the tower. It is even more unique as the building was constructed using different types of materials in large quantities. The architectural design of the building was also quite unique. This is one of the reasons as to why the building was able to have a unique architectural clock in the world. The ability of the building to carry a heavy load is an important consideration. This is considering that the building has the ability of supporting more than 35,000 tones. Heavy machinery was also used during the construction of the building. This impacted on the time taken to complete the project. Most of the complex buildings always take a long time before the project is completed (Colloquium, 2012). However the construction of the tower lasted less than ten years. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the building was able to set several records and hence its importance. The construction of the building was also costly and hence its importance to the economy of Saudi Arabia. Unlike most of the complex projects, the construction was faced with little challenges which were overcome. The destruction by fire of he the nine storey of the building was the only major incident during the construction of the building. It is thus evident that the building is unique and of strategic importance to the country as well as the pilgrims visiting the holy city. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the Makka clock Royal Tower is unique from most of the complex buildings. The building has set various records in relation to the complex buildings in the world. The amount of materials used during the construction of the tower is also high. It is also evident that a wide range of materials was used during the construction of the building. It is also evident that the design of the tower is complex due to several structures in the building. However, it is also evident that the best engineering practices were used during the construction of the complex building. This is indicated by the fact that no serious challenges were reported in relation to engineering. References Winerman, A. (2011). Developing Mecca: A Case Study of the Royal Makah Clock Tower. Available at SSRN 1846593. Penprase, B. E. (2011). The Archaeoastronomy of Modern Civilization. In The Power of Stars (pp. 229-256). Springer New York. Bisland, B. (2005). Walls, Towers, and Sphinxes: Multicultural Concept Construction and Group Inquiry. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 17(4), 8-12. Abdoun, T. (2002). Evaluation of pile foundation response to lateral spreading. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 22(9), 1051-1058. Colloquium, S. (2012). 10th International Structural. Steel Construction, 5(1). Read More

A total of seven towers are also located in the building complex. However, it is important to note that the towers are located at different heights and at different floors of the building. Structural details Bottom of Foundation Below Frost Source: Civildesignhelp.info The construction of the building was done through the use of complex structural designs. The foundation of the complex building was build through the use of pile foundation. This is due to the strength that is associated with the foundation.

The building was also designed to carry a heavy load composed of both the live and dead weight. The use of pile foundation involves deep excavation and the use of concrete in the foundation (Abdoun, 2002). The foundation of the complex building was also heavily reinforced for the purposes of strengthening it. The Makah clock Royal tower also has a high number of beams for the purposes of supporting the building. Most of the beams are a tall and have also been reinforced heavily. This is considering that the beams play and important role in absorbing the live weight.

On the other hand, the number of beams is high as the building has a high number of floors. The columns that support the beams are also heavily reinforced. This is also considering that the building has several domes which require supports. The type of reinforcements used also depends on the load that the structure is supposed to carry. Heavy reinforcement bars like the Y32 are common throughout the structure of the building. The structural design of the building is also meant to ensure that the domes are well supported.

The full structural details of the building are however contained in the architectural design that was used for the construction of the building. Materials used A variety of materials were used during the construction of the tower. The type of material used was also dependant on the section of the building. On the other hand, some materials were used for different purposes. Concrete is the main material that was used during the construction of the building. The foundation and the floor slab of the complex building was constructed using concrete.

This is also the same for the walls of the building. The composition of the concrete was dependant on the specifications of the engineer. It is for this reason that different classes of concrete were used during the construction of the building. A high amount of sand, cement, aggregate and water was used during the construction of the building. Other materials like bricks were partly used during the construction of the building. However, this was mainly for the purposes of finishing. Steel is also an important material that was used during the construction of the tower.

This was mainly in terms of reinforcements of the building. Both the round bars as well as the twisted steel bars were used during the construction of the building. Wood was also used in some sections of the building. However, this was mainly used inside the building. Most of the windows and doors of the building are also constructed using steel. Only a few doors of the building have been constructed using timber. Glass is also one of the materials that were used in the construction of the building.

This mainly includes the windows as well as the doors. Various types of glass were used in different parts of the building. This was dependant on the section of the building as some required high density glass. Various materials were also used in the interior design of the tower. The decoration of the building was also done using gold and other glittery materials. The use of plastic was also for different purposes during the construction of the building. This was mainly for the purposes of electrical cables as well as other electrical installations.

Porcelain materials were also used widely in the building for the purposes of finishing the washrooms. Some parts of the floor were also furnished through the use of ceramic tiles.

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