July 18, 2007: Dubai construction floods
 

http://cellar.org/2007/infinitytower.jpg

DucksNuts was so happy to get a IotD about construction that she immediately comes back with another one!

You remember that Dubai is currently the construction capital of the world; it's been the feature of several IotDs including the indoor skiing area, the tallest hotel in the world, etc.

This tower being built in Dubai's Marina was supposed to look like this: 80 stories high, with a 90 degree twist. It would sit right on the edge of the Arabian sea. A website was developed for it and construction began. They dug the area for the foundation and built a wall to keep the sea out.

And then one day the workers heard a loud crack and felt movement.

http://cellar.org/2007/dubaiaccident1.jpg

And saw sand coming in, and then water.

http://cellar.org/2007/dubaiaccident2.jpg

The workers were told to evacuate immediately. And it was a good thing they did, because two minutes later, the entire retaining wall then collapsed.

http://cellar.org/2007/dubaiaccident3.jpg

And in four minutes, the entire dig was completely flooded.

http://cellar.org/2007/dubaiaccident4.jpg

Looks peaceful now.

They are going ahead with the project, but it will be delayed a year.

Wow. Dubai doesn't have OSHA does it? ;)

This is an amazing set of pictures. It's good somebody had a camera handy.

Why does this always happen in Dubai? I'm sure the picture below is somewhere else in the Cellar, but I couldn't find it, so I attached it. Here's a Dubai dry dock flooding because of a gate failure.

Apparently in Dubai they do buy real estate and they do buy construction equipment, but they do not buy the services of good geologists and engineers.

Just wow!

It's because of the outrageous ambition of their projects. Aren't these the people who are also building an island, the entire foundation of which is behind retaining walls designed to hold the (completely surrounding) ocean out? Apparently, they really like to challenge nature.

Islands. Plural.
 

Apparently, more than one:

http://guide.theemiratesnetwork.com/...ld_islands.php

I don't know about the rest of you - but I just wouldn't feel safe living or working or whatever in that building should it ever get finished. The 90 degree twist is suspicious enough, nevermind its proximity to the ocean and now tainted history.

No.

Thanks.

Yup

http://www.linternaute.com/savoir/di...alm-island.jpg

Yeah, the folks in Dubai really know about stupid shit to do with money.

Not very exotic. Haven't you ever heard of a cofferdam?

Now they have a really nice ground-floor, salt-water pool!

I concur.

What an epic idea, though.

The image in post #8 is not very exotic?

FOUR MINUTES???????????????????????????????????????????????

I think BigV was referring to the method of building the foundation, in a wet area. It's done all the time. The building design is certainly exotic, as are all the new skyscrapers they are building over there, including the next world's tallest building.