Project Spotlight: Infinity Tower, Dubai

LATICRETE lends expertise for swimming pools in Dubai’s breathtaking Infinity Tower 

The first thought is, WOW. That’s the impression you get when you see the Infinity Tower in Dubai, which many are calling the new face of 21st Century architecture. The first structure in the Dubai Marina development, the tower – designed and built under the motto, “Nothing is impossible” – is a marvel of modern design. 

With 80 stories seemingly rising endless into the sky, the development’s groundbreaking architectural design is an ideal complement to a region that features some of the world’s most state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities. Dubai, with its unique blend of ultra-modern malls and skyscrapers, has become a leading tourist attraction and major international business hub at the crossroads between the East and West cultures. 

At first glance, the 80-story residential apartment development (there are 73 floors) arcs upward in a 90-degree spiral, creating the shape of a helix that helps shield the building’s interior from the desert sun. Designed by noted architectural firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill, it is the world’s tallest tower to feature a 90-degree twist. 

There isn’t a single structural pillar anywhere inside the building. Instead, it is supported by a complex concrete column structure that holds it up from the outside (a central service core remains). The exterior façade is defined by pre-finish metal panels with repetitive staggered screen panels that filter direct sunlight to the residential units. 

“I would rate this project as one of the best we’ve ever worked on because it is such a unique design,” says Jose Gembell, senior sales manager for LATICRETE RAK CO. LLC., who worked closely with the subcontractor, ASCON LEISURE & GRC, Dubai. ASCON was subcontracted to install the swimming pools. 

For more than three years, Gembell worked closely with Richard Yap of ASCON, providing drawing plan details and training the ASCON installation team on proper application methods. Together, Gembrell and the ASCON team helped fortify the tower’s swimming pools, located on podium floors 4, 67, 68, 69, 70 and 72. 

At the core of the pools’ design can be found LATICRETE® products, which were used to waterproof each of the pools’ surfaces, from the walls, to the floor, and the grouting on the joints of the mosaic tiles. The slate of products included 3701 FORTIFIED MORTAR BED (for screeding and patching); 9235 WATERPROOFING MEMBRANE (waterproofing); 4237 LATEX ADDITIVE and 211 FILLER POWDER (tile adhesion); SPECTRALOCK® PRO Premium Grout^ (tile grout) and LATAPOXY® 310 ADHESIVE (pipe penetration). 

“It was about defining, and then incorporating the right LATICRETE systems for the swimming pool applications,” Gembell says. 

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