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This document compares and contrasts the Capital Gates of Abu Dhabi and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It discusses the structures, functions, and materials of each building. The Capital Gates is a 160-meter, 35-story building designed with a cone-shaped atrium. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a 60-meter bell tower built in a Romanesque style. Both landmarks have unique designs and serve different purposes - the Capital Gates is a famous Abu Dhabi landmark while the Leaning Tower was historically used as an observation tower. The materials also differ based on the eras - the modern Capital Gates uses steel and concrete, while the medieval Leaning Tower used limestone, marble, and mortar

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74 views5 pages

Completed

This document compares and contrasts the Capital Gates of Abu Dhabi and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It discusses the structures, functions, and materials of each building. The Capital Gates is a 160-meter, 35-story building designed with a cone-shaped atrium. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a 60-meter bell tower built in a Romanesque style. Both landmarks have unique designs and serve different purposes - the Capital Gates is a famous Abu Dhabi landmark while the Leaning Tower was historically used as an observation tower. The materials also differ based on the eras - the modern Capital Gates uses steel and concrete, while the medieval Leaning Tower used limestone, marble, and mortar

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api-293166786
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© © All Rights Reserved
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ENGLISH

ELG 30505
Foundation in Natural and Built Environment
August 2015 Intake

Tee Wan Nee


0325074

Design of twolayered concept

Built in the
Romansque
style

60 meters
high

Structure

160 meters and


35-storeys

Designed by
director of RMJM ,
Neil Van Der Veen

Circular bell
tower which is
about 185 feet
in height

Leaning Tower
of Pisa

Capital Gates
of Abu Dhabi
Cone shaped
atrium is built
approximately
80 meters long
through the
upper floors of
the building

Consists of 16
arches and 297
spiral-shaped
staircases

Comparing
Capital Gates of
Abu Dhabi and
The Leaning
Tower of Pisa

Capital Gates
of Abu Dhabi

Leaning Tower
of Pisa

Reinforced
steel

Concretes

Foundation:
Lime and
marble

Materials

Leaning Tower
of Pisa

Capital Gates
of Abu Dhabi

Lightweight
metal mesh
is hung at the
18th and 19th
floor acts as
sunshading

Observation
tower during
World War II

Piles

Exterior of
Building:
Marble,
limestone
and mortar

Landmark
of Abu
Dhabi

Represents
the wealth of
people in
Pisa

Function
Bell tower
for the
cathedral in
Pisa

Two unique buildings


Unique building is a building whereby its physical structure is built differently
as compared to other normal buildings. There are a lot of buildings that we use to
can make comparison, so, the two buildings that I am comparing are Capital Gate of
Abu Dhabi and Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy. These two buildings can be further
compared through the structure, function of the building and also the materials used.
The structure of Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi is designed by the director of
RMJM, Neil Van Der Veen. The Capital Gate is a design of two-layered concept. This
building is of 160 meters high whereby it consists of 35-storeys. The Capital Gate is
built on a thorough distribution of 490 piles and 13, 000 tonnes of steel. A cone
shaped atrium is built approximately 80 meters long through the upper floors of the
building. On the other hand, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is designed by 4 designers
whom are Bonanno Pisano and Gherardo bin Gherardo, Giovani di Simone and
Tommaso Pisano within three generations. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is built in the
style of Romansque of a medieval city concept. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is of 60
meters high. Comparing to the Capital Gate, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is 100
meters shorter. Other than that, white marbles are being used to construct the
Leaning Tower of Pisas circular bell tower which is about 185 feet in height. The
Leaning Tower of Pisa consists of 16 arches and 297 spiral-shaped staircases.
The Capital Gate is a famous landmark of Abu Dhabi. Branded-name hotels,
housing area and commercial buildings are connected together forming a group of
23 towers in Capital Gate for a variety of purpose. A lightweight metal mesh is hung
from the terraces at the 18th and 19th floor which acts as a sun-shading for the tower.
Compared to The Capital Gate which is a famous landmark, the Leaning Tower of

Pisa was used as observation tower during World War II under German control. It
was also a bell tower for the cathedral in Pisa with 7 bells in the tower with each bell
having a unique musical note. Not only functioned as a bell tower, the Leaning Tower
of Pisa also represent the wealth of people in Pisa. The uniqueness of this building
attracts the attention of tourist.
The materials that are used to build the Capital Gate are reinforced steels,
concretes, and piles. The reinforced steels are fused with glass facade a striking
modern image of the Capital Gate. Concretes are used to straighten the building as it
is slightly off centre. The materials used at the external diagrid are welded steel
plates while the internal diagrid is made up of round steel whereas the material used
in the internal diagrid is round steel profile. On the other hand, the Leaning Tower of
Pisa is built in a medieval concept. During ancient times, steel and concretes are
lesser used as compared to the modern building like the Capital Gate, so, the
Leaning Tower of Pisa was mainly made up of marble and lime as the foundation.
Marble is also used at the centre plaza. As the exterior of the building is covered with
marble, limestone and mortar are used to build the tower which is why the tower has
not cracked or broken after a long duration of time.
In conclusion, buildings can be compared by their structure, function and
materials used to build the building. As for me, between the two buildings that were
being compared, Capital Gate located in Abu Dhabi is my favourite choice because
of its beautiful and modern physical structure. Not only that, Capital Gate is also in
my wishlist of place to visit since small which is why I choose Capital Gate as my
favorite building.

References
Tourist in Romania : http://touristinromania.net/2014/01/19/palace-of-parliamentbucharest-huge-construction-built-great-sacrifices-hauntings-impressive-buildingromania-secret-passages/
The Architects Perspective : The Capital Gate : http://www.rmjm.com/thearchitects-perspective-the-capital-gate/
Designbuild-network.comhttp://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/capitalgate/
Leaning Tower of Pisa : http://www.towerofpisa.org/tower-of-pisa-historical-facts/
The Guardian : http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/24/leaningtower-pisa-restoration-architecture
The Leaning Tower Of Pisa : http://www.leaningtowerofpisa.net/tower-of-pisaconstruction.html
Tower of Pisa : The Leaning Tower of Pisa :
http://construction.about.com/od/Benchmark-Projects/a/The-Tower-Of-Pisa-WhatWe-Learned.htm
Amusing Planet : http://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/03/capital-gate-buildingleaning-tower-of.html
The Skyscraper Centre : http://skyscrapercenter.com/building/capital-gatetower/3172
Facts Land : http://landoffacts.blogspot.my/2012/10/capital-gate-tower-abudhabi.html
History by Zim : http://www.historybyzim.com/2013/07/leaning-tower-of-pisawwii/

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