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Jordan Gate

Coordinates: 31°57′45″N 35°52′8″E / 31.96250°N 35.86889°E / 31.96250; 35.86889
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Jordan Gate
Jordan Gate, June 2024.
Map
Alternative names6th Circle Towers
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeHigh-class hotel, residential apartments, and shopping mall.
Town or cityAmman
CountryJordan
Coordinates31°57′45″N 35°52′8″E / 31.96250°N 35.86889°E / 31.96250; 35.86889
ElevationGround: 985 metres (3,232 ft); Roof: 1,165 metres (3,822 ft)
Groundbreaking29 May 2005
Construction started2006
Topped-out2008
CompletedJune 6th 2024
Cost$300 million
OwnerJordan Gate For Real Estate Commercial & Tourism Investment Co.
Height
HeightNorth Tower: 162 metres (531 ft); South Tower: 145 metres (476 ft)
Top floor38
Technical details
Floor count38 (+ 5 underground parking storeys)
Floor area220,000 m2 (2,400,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Ja'afar Tuqan
Main contractorAnas Anani & Partners Contracting Co., and the sub-contractor for aluminum and glass is Turn Up Al-Faisal Co.
Other information
Parking1550 passenger vehicles

Jordan Gate (Arabic: بوابة الأردن) is a high-class commercial and residential project currently located in the Wadi Al-Seer district of Amman, Jordan. It consists of two high-rise buildings connected by a multi-story podium.

Since its start in 2005, the project has gone through years of suspension due to financial issues between the owner and contractor following the 2007-2008 financial crisis, in addition to many incidents. Construction works resumed in January 2023, and as of June 2024, the external facades of the buildings have been completed, with tower cranes dismantled. Internal finishing works, including electromechanical maintenance, are about to commence later in 2024.

Overview

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The project is located on an elevated area of land about 985 metres (3,232 ft) above mean sea level, in the Umm Uthainah Al-Gharbi neighbourhood of West Amman near the 6th intersection on Zahran Street.The total cost is about $300 million, was designed by late Palestinian-Jordanian architect Ja'afar Tuqan, owned by Jordan Gate Company, consulted by alnasser + partners, managed by ALNOUR Construction Management LLC. The main contractor is Anas Anani & Partners Contracting Company, and the sub-contractor for aluminum and glass is Turn Up Al-Faisal Company.[1][2]

The total building area is about 220,000 m2 (2,400,000 sq ft), and contains 20,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement. It is divided into three parts: two 38 storey high-rises, North and South, at a height of 162 and 145 meters, respectively, and with an area of 135,000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft). The third part is a three-storey podium, with an area of 14,000 m2 (150,000 sq ft). There are five underground parking storeys, with an area of 71,000 m2 (760,000 sq ft), that have a capacity for 1550 passenger vehicles.[3][4][5][6]

The North Tower will 215 host residential apartments, the South Tower will host a hotel and serviced apartments, and the podium will host a shopping mall with 72 brands.Since they are unobstructed by any topography or other buildings, the towers are visible from almost all neighbourhoods of Amman and many other Jordanian governorates, and when the horizon is clear, they can be observed by the naked eye from the West Bank tens of kilometers away.[7][8][9][10]

History

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The area of land where the project currently stands used to be private property, and was sold to the Greater Amman Municipality in 1959.[11]

In 2005, the site was a public park called "Amrah", with an area of 28,500 m2 (307,000 sq ft), and was sold to GFH Financial House for 5.9 million Jordanian Dinars. On 29 May, King Abdullah II laid the foundation stone for the Jordan Gate Project.Excavation works started shortly thereafter, and in November foundation works had begun.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

The structures began rising above ground level in 2006, but were interrupted by two major incidents: a fire on 25 August and a storey collapse on 12 September.[17][18][19]

By January 2007, Greater Amman Municipality held a share of 10% in the project's capital but decided to sell it because the project hadn't secured a building license. The Jordan Gate Company paid the municipality a total of $40 million, with $25 million earmarked for traffic and infrastructure improvements around the site, and the remaining $15 million for the municipality's share. That year, progress gained momentum and the buildings were rising rapidly by one storey per week, thanks to the slip forming method. In August, the structures broke record for the tallest buildings in Amman(since 2013, the Rotana Amman has held this title). A brief fire broke out on 10 October on the 35th storey of the North Tower.[20][21][22][23][24][25]

In 2008, progress reached 80% with the towers topping-out and glazing works beginning.[26][27]

During 2009 and 2010, construction was slow and intermittent due to financial hardship between the contractor (Al-Hamad) and the owner (Al-Bayan Holding) following the financial crisis of 2007–2008, and also due to the North Tower's crane collapse, which stalled works for several weeks.[15][28][29]

In 2011, the financial hardship caused construction to halt, and the site was abandoned for years, leading to weathering and corrosion of the buildings.[30][31]

In May 2016, after many failed negotiations, the conflict between the owner and the contractor reached a settlement. From March till September 2017, construction works resumed temporarily, including external façade cleaning, bracing against seismic loads, steel jacketing, formwork and casting, scaffolding, coring and anchoring, and roof insulation. However, the contractor later withdrew from the project, causing another halt.[32][33][34]

In February 2022, Greater Amman Municipality announced that it re-entered the project as a partner, acquiring 31% (amounting to 50 million Jordanian Dinars) of the capital of the Jordan Gate Company to put an end to the "investment failure" in the heart of the city. The bid referral for the first package of works related to the implementation of the buildings' external façade took place in December.[35][36][37]

Finally, in January 2023, construction works resumed. Later that year in December, the glazing works on the North Tower were completed, and its tower crane was dismantled. Five months later, in May 2024, the glazing works on the South Tower were also finished, and its tower crane was removed.[37][38][39]

Incidents

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There were four major incidents during the project's construction between 2006 and 2009, including two fires, a storey collapse, and a tower crane collapse:

Fires

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See also: Fire

In the early morning hours of 25 August 2006, a huge fire broke out on the eighth storey of the North Tower. No injuries were reported.[18]

On 10 October 2007, due to an electrical surge that reached the wood of the scaffolding, a brief fire broke out at about 3 o'clock in the morning on the 35th storey of the North Tower. No injuries were reported.[25]

Storey Collapse

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At around 8 o'clock in the evening on 12 September 2006, less than three weeks after the fire of August, part of the 3rd storey's slab of the South Tower collapsed due to a failure in the scaffolding, killing two Egyptian workers and injuring 25 others. Works on the project were halted for several months following a decision by Greater Amman Municipality, in order to gain a building license.[19][40]

Tower Crane Collapse

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On 16 May 2009, the crane of the North Tower collapsed after it was overloaded. An Egyptian worker was hospitalized, and 15 surrounding houses were evacuated to nearby hotels. The dismantling process started in June and took 3 days and required three additional cranes that were imported from abroad. It was a complex procedure due to the height of the crane, 220 meters, and because it was surrounded by a crowded neighbourhood. Bags of sand and polystyrene plates were put at ground level to absorb the kinetic energy if the dismantled crane fell during the process.[41][42][43]

Criticism

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The project drew a lot of criticism since even before its construction, mainly due to:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "الخصاونة ينتقد التباطؤ في إنجاز مشروع أبراج السادس". رؤيا الأخباري (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  2. ^ "الحمد للانشاء والتطويرتلتقي المقاولين وتشرح فرص التعاون فـي مشروع بوابة الاردن". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  3. ^ "استئناف العمل بمشروع أبراج السادس منتصف تموز المقبل | الأردن اليوم | وكالة أنباء سرايا الإخبارية - حرية سقفها السماء". www.sarayanews.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  4. ^ "اتفاقية بين "الحمد للإنشاء والتطوير" و"حديد الأردن"". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  5. ^ "Jordan Gate Tower 1 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  6. ^ "الخصاونة ينتقد التباطؤ في إنجاز مشروع أبراج السادس". رؤيا الأخباري (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  7. ^ "مجمع تجاري وفندق وشقق فندقية في ابراج السادس". وكالة عمون الاخبارية. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  8. ^ "بوابة الأردن: 215 شقة في البرج الشمالي بمشروع "السادس" بعد تحويله لسكني". قناة المملكة (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  9. ^ "عالبرج العالي .. عمان مرحلة جديدة!". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  10. ^ Pinnick, Avital (2009-08-06), Sunrise over Amman, retrieved 2023-04-28
  11. ^ a b "أبراج بوابة الأردن..الحكاية والمصير". royanews.tv. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  12. ^ الخليجي, عمان-بيت التمويل. "بيت التمويل الخليجي يعلن عن مشروع بوابة الأردن والقرية الملكية في الأردن". صحيفة الوسط البحرينية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  13. ^ "تفويض أمين عمان و"عناب" ببيع حصة الامانة لشركة بيان الكويتية". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  14. ^ "Jordan king lays foundation stone for US$ 1 billion Royal Metropolis project". Al Bawaba. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  15. ^ a b "بوابة الأردن .. بوابة الاستثمار". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  16. ^ ""بوابة الاردن" تنهي مرحلة الحفر وتبدأ بوضع القواعد والأساسات". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  17. ^ "فاخوري يؤكد أن العمل فـي مشروع "بوابة الاردن" يسير وفق البرنامج الزمني". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  18. ^ a b "إخماد حريق فـي بناية مشروع بوابة الأردن بمنطقة الدوار السادس". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  19. ^ a b "قتيلان و25 جريحا فـي انهيار بمبنى "بوابة الاردن" على الدوار السادس". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  20. ^ "Jordan Gate". Amman Voice. 2007-08-28. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  21. ^ "أمين عمان يحمل على "من يشوهون الحقائق"". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  22. ^ ""الامانة" توقع اتفاقية بيع حصتها فـي "بوابة الاردن"". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  23. ^ "عالبرج العالي .. عمان مرحلة جديدة!". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  24. ^ "صحيفة عمون : أطول برج في الأردن عام 2013 م ." وكالة عمون الاخبارية. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  25. ^ a b "صحيفة عمون : حريق في احد ابراج بوابة الاردن". وكالة عمون الاخبارية. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  26. ^ "إنجاز 80 % من بوابة الأردن واهتمام خليجي بالسوق الأردنية". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  27. ^ "Skyscraper in the context of Amman, Jordan" (PDF).
  28. ^ Abu-Ragheb, Laith (2016-08-11). "Resurrecting Jordan Gate". Venture Magazine. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  29. ^ "Collapsed crane 'no longer safety threat' | The Jordan Times". 2015-05-18. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  30. ^ "بعد تعثره منذ 2011 .. مشروع "أبراج السادس" يعود للعمل". جفرا نيوز. 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  31. ^ "رافعات السادس تتأرجح ولجنة كشف بعد حادثتي مكة وتل أبيب (فيديو)". جريدة الغد (in Arabic). 2015-10-27. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  32. ^ "Construction of Jordan Gate twin towers to resume after years of suspension". Jordan Times. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  33. ^ "Al Ofoq ECE". www.al-ofoq.com. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  34. ^ أخبار, هلا. "البدء بأعمال تنفيذ مشروع أبراج السادس بعد انقطاع". klydum.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  35. ^ "GAM resumes construction of Jordan Gate twin towers". Jordan Times. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  36. ^ "الأمانة: أبراج السادس صورة للتعثر الاستثماري بالأردن". الأمانة: أبراج السادس صورة للتعثر الاستثماري بالأردن (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  37. ^ a b "البدء بأعمال التنفيذ للحزمة الأولى لمشروع أبراج السادس". جريدة الغد (in Arabic). 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  38. ^ "خبرني : إلى أين وصل مشروع (أبراج السادس)؟". خبرني (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  39. ^ "أبراج السادس تتزين بألوان العلم الأردني وشعار اليوبيل الفضي". القلعة نيوز (in Arabic). 2024-06-06. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  40. ^ "الامانة توقف العمل بمشروع "بوابة الاردن"". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  41. ^ "Accident halts work on Jordan Gate Towers". Ammon News. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  42. ^ Wiebe, Gerry (2009-06-13). "Amman Jordan Dismantling Collapsed Tower Crane". All Things Cranes. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  43. ^ "صحيفة عمون : استيراد 3 رافعات انشائية لتفكيك وتنزيل الرافعة المحطمة في ابراج السادس". وكالة عمون الاخبارية. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  44. ^ "عمال بوابة الأردن يضربون ويهددون بالاستمرار". موقع عمان نت (in Arabic). 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  45. ^ a b c d فايق, علاء الدين (2023-02-01). "أبراج السادس في عمّان .. "بوابة الأردن" التي لم تر النور بعد". شبكة رؤية الإخبارية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
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