Pre-cast Concrete Facades Reaches Tenth Floor and Seventh Floor Enclosing Half of the Royal Towers
23 April 2007 - Dubai, UAE - Today saw the final installation of the steel trusses for the unique "Bridge Suite" at Atlantis, The Palm, positioned and secured. The two 75 tonne trusses extending over 42 metres were lifted by a 500 tonne crane, during a two week period and now connect the East and West Towers of the Royal Towers. The positioning of the Bridge Suite completes the steel structure of The Royal Towers whilst the building itself visually begins to resemble the final design.
The concrete superstructure is on the 16th level on the East Tower and the 14th level on the West Tower and is on schedule to meet its summer 2007 completion date. As the Royal Towers begin to take shape the interiors are positioned with the prefabricated bathroom pods installed into the rooms and suites upto the 10th floor and the precast concrete exterior faade with its glazing completed up to 9th floor. Each bathroom pod weighs 3.5 tonnes and consists of the marble sink, bath tube, shower, lavatory, bidet, taps and tiling and is swung by crane onto the slab and slid into place.
The complicated structural steel for the lobby is completed, and the interior fit-out works is evident in the public areas and restaurants.
"Watching the Bridge Suite trusses being lowered into position brought back some sweet memories of 10 years ago in the Bahamas. It is amazing how the Bridge Suite completes the picture of Atlantis, as it soars at 20 floors above the lobby dome - it really is breathtaking. The Royal Towers completely dominate the Crescent landscape right from the moment you drive or eventually ride the monorail up the Trunk of the Palm Jumeirah. The Bridge Suite trusses, even in their bare state really create a 'wow' impact and gives the visitor a taster of what is to come," said Jim Boocher, President Kerzner International.
"We are gearing up to see the exterior completion of much of the resort buildings by the end of this year, whilst some buildings such as the Conference Centre, where the faade is now complete, will begin to take on their final design elements in the summer when we begin installing the domes and turrets".
The internal structure of the resort is taking shape with the mechanical service corridor, situated on the lower level of the development completed and it will become the first air-conditioned area of the resort as of May 2007. The corridor runs for almost a kilometre from the Conference Centre, through the Royal Towers and terminates in the Entertainment Village and will be the service centre for back-of-house operations and logistics.
Throughout the resort development continues, the struts and track of the monorail on Atlantis, The Palm land have been finalised, whilst the steel support for the Atlantis Station where the monorail will terminate has also been completed, with the cladding and enclosing of the station expected to be finished by the end of the year.
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About Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai
Kerzner International Limited is a leading international developer and operator of destination resorts and luxury hotels. The Company's flagship brand is Atlantis, the first of which is a 2,317-room, ocean-themed destination resort is located on Paradise Island, The Bahamas. This unique property features three interconnected hotel towers built around a 34-acre waterscape with eleven million gallons of fresh and saltwater lagoons and pools. Known as the largest open-air marine habitat in the world - second only to Mother Nature - Atlantis is home to over 250 species and 70,000 marine animals ranging from giant sharks, rays and barracuda, to piranha, eels and multitudes of tiny tropical fish. The second Atlantis, Atlantis, The Palm, will be a 1,539 room, ocean-themed destination resort located at the crescent of the man-made Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Atlantis, The Palm is a US$1.5 billion joint venture project with Dubai Government owned, Istithmar. Opening in November 2008, the development will utilise the 112.5 acre site with 42 acres of water park amusement and further marine and entertainment attractions. The resort will offer an entertainment centre, an impressive collection of luxury boutiques and shops and extensive meeting and convention facilities. It will be home to one of the largest open-air marine habitats in the world, with some 65,000 marine animals in lagoons and displays including The Dig, a maze of underwater corridors and passageways providing a journey through ancient Atlantis.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Briony Peters
+9714 367 2001
Briony.Peters@Kerzner.com
© Press Release 2007
