The Link (skyscraper)

2024: Completion of construction

At the end of January 2024, it became known that the world's longest horizontal skyscraper was built in Dubai. The Link structure, which connects the two towers of the One Za'abeel high-rise complex, is approximately 225 meters long.

The Link project was developed by the Japanese architectural studio Nikken Sekkei. The horizontal skyscraper serves as a bridge between two One Za'abeel buildings, one of which is 241 metres (57 storeys) high and the other 304 metres (67 storeys) high. The Link console itself, assembled from glass and steel, is located at an altitude of 100 meters. The structure weighs approximately 9,000 tons. A section of this bridge more than 60 meters long extends beyond the towers into the open sky. The total cost of the project is estimated at $1 billion.

Inside the horizontal skyscraper are restaurants, a roundabout viewing platform, a swimming pool, a spa complex, various shopping pavilions and hotel rooms. The console is located above the six-lane highway. At various stages of The Link's construction, traffic on this transport highway had to be restricted, which is noted to have required significant planning and alignment efforts with Dubai Municipality and the Roads and Transport Authority.

To ensure effective coordination of dozens of individual contractors, engineers used so-called 4D simulations to plan construction. This process involves a comprehensive 3D simulation of each aspect of the structure, including the steel frame and mechanical systems. The fourth dimension is the time that allows specialists to effectively distribute certain works and anticipate potential problems even before the construction of the structure begins. Engineers also used drones, comparing the images they received with digital simulations.^[1]

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