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Project Description

The Makkah Clock Royal Tower, also known as the Abraj Al-Bait Towers, is a building complex in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The tallest tower in the complex stands as the tallest building in Saudi Arabia, and the tallest hotel in the world, with a height of 601 meters (1,972 feet). The hotel tower is topped by a four-faced clock, visible from more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) away, and is the largest clock in the world. The clock tower is topped by a 93 meter spire with a 23 meter high golden crescent at the top.

Scope of Services

In order to reduce the load on the cantilevered slabs on the upper floors of the tower, GFRC was chosen to replace the original pre-cast concrete design for the masonry panels. CDC was contracted to use their design expertise to design the GFRC skin, flex anchors, steel truss support frames, and the anchorage to the structure. The system had three main areas: vertical column covers, large ornamental corbels, and ornate fascia panels. CDC used 3-D design software and Ansys finite element modeling to design the complex 3-D corbel skins. These corbel skins hang off the side of the tower and are 15 feet tall, weighing in excess of 6,000 pounds.