LX5 - World’s furthest leaning man-made tower

Pauls Pixels · May 15, 2012

Hi there,

Inspired by Gajanan’s recent “A Twist in the Tower!’ post, I was able yesterday to go out and photograph one of Abu Dhabi’s equivalent architectural offerings – the Hyatt Capital Gate, part of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre complex.

The Hyatt Capital Gate is a 160-metre tall, 35-storey skyscraper that has been built to lean 18 degrees westwards:- four times more than the Tower of Pisa, in Italy.

They do like their superlatives here, and this tower doesn’t disappoint in that regard, as in June 2010, the Guinness Book of World Records certified Capital Gate as the “World’s furthest leaning man-made tower.”

1#

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3#

I quite like the quirkiness of this building, and that it sign-posts the fact that I’m nearly “home”. I hope that my wonky photography does it justice….The focus on top of the tower in the first image is soft (at best) - I think that the focus slider may have been shifted to macro, and focus may well have locked on the traffic sign. Oops - we live and learn...

Best regards – and thanks for looking,

Paul

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Paul
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls_pixels/sets/

geoffmalter · May 15, 2012

Paul, interesting shots and subject. You refer to this as a skyscraper...is the structure a functional building or a work of art?

Pauls Pixels · May 15, 2012

Geoff,

I understand that it will be a 5-star hotel, with additional prestigious office space. The tower itself forms part of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and the area in the immediate vicinity is currently being intensively developed with new (smaller) towers undergoing construction. These are all in various stages of completion; some plush hotels & offices are being fitted out, while some others just seem to be skeletal steel-work, cranes and hoardings. The transport infrastructure is a bit chaotic to say the least.

So in (long-winded) answer to your question, it will be functional.

Best regards,

Paul
--
Paul
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls_pixels/sets/

joyclick · May 15, 2012

Superb !

Best regards
Gajanan
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student4ever

in_focus · May 15, 2012

Good set, Paul.. the images are perfectly composed and exposed, even the first picture with top of the building slightly out of focus works for me, creates a fine feeling of the skyscraper's size

.. well seen and taken, thanks for sharing

..

Cheers,
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Bruno

Jack Brandt217 · May 15, 2012

They must have paid a premium to build such an unuual building. Oil money to burn.

Jack
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http://www.pbase.com/jbrandt

L Bradford · May 15, 2012

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Olympus E-510 DSLR with 14-42 mm & 40-150 mm Lens

Lumix FZ 150, FZ 35, FZ 50, FZ 20, FZ 3, TZ10 (ZS7) TZ5, TZ3, TZ1, FX 07, TCON 17, MCON 35, RDS, Sunpak 383, Bower SED 9260.

Fuji F-20.

snap · May 15, 2012

Great shots of a really cool looking building. I like how you've included the blue traffic sign with arrows in one of the shot.

Rick

danielsonkin · May 15, 2012

Wow, what an interesting building. You captured it really well, Paul.
Daniel
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http://danielsonkin.smugmug.com/

ryan2007 · May 15, 2012

This may be the same building used in the new mission impossible movie, the location and look of it I think add up

Pauls Pixels · May 16, 2012

Many thanks Gajanan - I like this tower at night-time also, in that it 'twinkles' with a pattern of small lights.

Paul
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Paul
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls_pixels/sets/

Pauls Pixels · May 16, 2012

You are too kind Bruno! That they constructed a building at an angle like this is strange enough, but on sand?? A new way to look down on your neighbours is found!

Paul
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Paul
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls_pixels/sets/

Pauls Pixels · May 16, 2012

Jack Brandt217 said:
They must have paid a premium to build such an unuual building. Oil money to burn.

I'm sure that you are right Jack, I'm guessing that this cost a fortune.

Oil money to 'spend and invest', I think, rather than to 'burn'; there are very ambitious plans here (the 'Abu Dhabi 2030 Master Plan) for the city to be one of the world's 'top 5' cities by 2030. I don't know against which criteria this will be measured, but they are investing in an infrastructure that will support commercial activity and tourism, gradually decreasing reliance on the oil-money (inshallah!).

Paul
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Paul
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls_pixels/sets/

Pauls Pixels · May 16, 2012

Many thanks!

Paul
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Paul
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls_pixels/sets/

Pauls Pixels · May 16, 2012

Thanks Daniel - I'm glad you liked it!

Paul
--
Paul
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls_pixels/sets/

Pauls Pixels · May 16, 2012

ryan2007 said:
This may be the same building used in the new mission impossible movie, the location and look of it I think add up

Hi Ryan,

No, that was the Burg Khalifa in Dubai - currently the world's tallest building (not the leaniest ;-) )

Here's a (not very good) photo of that one:

Best regards,

Paul
--
Paul
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls_pixels/sets/

bondiblue · Jun 20, 2012

The leaning tower of Pisa was close to tourists when i saw it.
Thanks, but I'm not going up that.

Tell me when it has fallen over, will you ?

johnson W Ng · Jun 21, 2012

ENTHRALLING !!!!

Have you tried taking it at close range looking up? I think it will provide a different perspective in that angle. Thank you for sharing.

Rgds,
Johnson

photoKinetic · Jun 21, 2012

Interesting design, yes. But unlike the tower of Pisa which has a base that IS actually leaning this structure has a base that is perpendicular to the ground. Thus it isn't really leaning.

It is more of an optical allusion design that suggests a lean but is more closely related to a partial spiral.

It is still a beautiful sight to behold but I think the "Official" designation of it being the most leaning manmade structure is a minomer.

Regardless, your pics are superb.

vK

LX5 - World’s furthest leaning man-made tower

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