The Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi — Capital Gate Building

Capital Gate is an iconic leaning skyscraper located in Abu Dhabi adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. At 160 meter (520 ft) and 35 stories, it is one of the tallest buildings in the city and leans at an astounding 18 degrees to the west, four times than the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. In June 2010, the Guinness Book of World Records certified Capital Gate as the "World’s furthest leaning man-made tower."

To make this possible, the central core of the building slants in the opposite direction to the lean of the structure, and it straightens as it grows. The building sits on top of a 7-foot-deep concrete base with a dense mesh of reinforced steel. The steel exoskeleton known as the diagrid sits above an extensive distribution of 490 piles that have been drilled 100 feet underground to accommodate the gravitational, wind and seismic pressures caused by the lean of the building.

Photo Via — Flicker

The ground-breaking form of Capital Gate is due not only to its lean, but also to its funnel shape. The tower widens as it spirals upwards and outwards. Due to its strange design each hotel room is unique in size and shape, with floor-to-ceiling windows that let guests soak up the best of the sweeping views of the city below.

Capital Gate forms the focal point of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre complex and the Capital Centre master development, a connected group of 23 towers including branded hotels, commercial buildings, residential and serviced apartment complexes and developments for mixed use. These facilities are built overlooking an urban highway along the south-western shore of Abu Dhabi, with Capital Gate dominating the waterfront from its position at the western edge.

The 35-storey tower, which opened less just a year ago after five years of construction, is fast becoming one of Abu Dhabi's most famous landmarks.

Photo Via — Flicker

Photo Via — Flicker

Photo Via — Flicker

Photo Via — Flicker

Photo Via — Flicker

Photo — Flicker

Photo Via — Flicker

Photo Via — Flicker

Photo Via — Flicker 

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Blanket of fog hangs over the Dubai

Dubai-based German photographer Sebastian Opitz captures the surreal and mystical look of his adopted city as fog rolls in and out at sunrise. The photographer renames the cityscape as Cloud City for the brief moments when the mist takes over and fills the empty space between the towering buildings. Optiz's images offer a serene and dreamy view of a bustling city, re-imagining it as a heavenly metropolis in the sky.

The photographer says, "I've been living in Dubai for over four years now and always dreamed of taking one of those rare shots from above the fog. This only happens on 4 - 6 days per year and when it happens it will be over by 9 AM. So one has to make sure to be up on the roof of a tower before sunrise and hope for the best." Luckily, Opitz was there to catch the magical event from high above the city on the 85th floor of the Princess Tower.

Opitz also took a time lapse video that covers a little over four hours in less than two minutes.

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