Jordan Gate

Jordan Gate
Jordan Gate, June 2024.
Alternative names	6th Circle Towers
General information
Status	Completed
Type	High-class hotel, residential apartments, and shopping mall.
Town or city	Amman
Country	Jordan
Coordinates	31°57′45″N35°52′8″E
Elevation	Ground: 985 metres (3,232 ft); Roof: 1,165 metres (3,822 ft)
Groundbreaking	29 May 2005
Construction started	2006
Topped-out	2008
Completed	June 6th 2024
Cost	$300 million
Owner	Jordan Gate For Real Estate Commercial & Tourism Investment Co.
Height
Height	North Tower: 162 metres (531 ft); South Tower: 145 metres (476 ft)
Top floor	38
Technical details
Floor count	38 (+ 5 underground parking storeys)
Floor area	220,000 m2(2,400,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Ja'afar Tuqan
Main contractor	Anas Anani & Partners Contracting Co., and the sub-contractor for aluminum and glass is Turn Up Al-Faisal Co.
Other information
Parking	1550 passenger vehicles

Jordan Gate(Arabic:بوابة الأردن) is a high-class commercial and residential project currently located in the Wadi Al-Seer district ofAmman,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 the2007-2008 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

The project is located on an elevated area of land about 985 metres (3,232 ft) above meansea level,in the Umm Uthainah Al-Gharbi neighbourhood of West Amman near the 6th intersection onZahranStreet.The total cost is about $300 million, was designed by late Palestinian-Jordanian architectJa'afar Tuqan,owned by Jordan Gate Company, consulted byalnasser + partners,managed byALNOUR Construction Management LLC.The main contractor is Anas Anani & Partners Contracting Company, and the sub-contractor foraluminumandglassis Turn Up Al-Faisal Company.

The total building area is about 220,000 m²(2,400,000 sq ft), and contains 20,000tonnesofsteelreinforcement. 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 fiveundergroundparkingstoreys, with an area of 71,000 m²(760,000 sq ft), that have a capacity for 1550passenger vehicles.

The North Tower will 215 host residentialapartments,the South Tower will host ahoteland serviced apartments, and the podium will host ashopping mallwith 72brands.Since they are unobstructed by any topography or other buildings, the towers are visible from almost all neighbourhoods of Amman and many otherJordanian governorates,and when the horizon is clear, they can be observed by thenaked eyefrom theWest Banktens of kilometers away.

History

The area of land where the project currently stands used to beprivate property,and was sold to the Greater Amman Municipality in 1959.

In 2005, the site was a public park called "Amrah", with an area of 28,500 m²(307,000 sq ft), and was sold toGFH Financial Housefor 5.9 millionJordanian Dinars.On 29 May,King Abdullah IIlaid the foundation stone for the Jordan Gate Project.Excavationworks started shortly thereafter, and in Novemberfoundationworks had begun.

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.

By January 2007, Greater Amman Municipality held a share of 10% in the project'scapitalbut 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 themunicipality'sshare. That year, progress gained momentum and the buildings were rising rapidly by one storey per week, thanks to theslip formingmethod. In August, the structures broke record for thetallest buildings in Amman(since 2013, theRotana Ammanhas held this title). A brief fire broke out on 10 October on the 35th storey of the North Tower.

In 2008, progress reached 80% with the towers topping-out andglazingworks beginning.

During 2009 and 2010, construction was slow and intermittent due tofinancialhardship between thecontractor(Al-Hamad) and theowner(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.

In 2011, the financial hardship causedconstructionto halt, and the site was abandoned for years, leading toweatheringandcorrosionof the buildings.

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 againstseismic loads,steel jacketing,formworkandcasting,scaffolding,coringandanchoring,androofinsulation.However, the contractor later withdrew from the project, causing another halt.

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 thecapitalof 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.

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.

Incidents

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

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.

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.

Storey Collapse

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 twoEgyptianworkers 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.

Tower Crane Collapse

On 16 May 2009, thecraneof 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 ofsandandpolystyreneplates were put at ground level to absorb the kinetic energy if the dismantled crane fell during the process.

Criticism

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

• The project started without gaining abuilding permit.
• Its conflict with theskylineof Amman.
• Noise pollutionthat comes from construction works around the clock.
• Revealing many surrounding houses and the lack ofprivacy.
• The weakinfrastructuresuch aselectrical,water supply,andwastewaternetworks, in the neighbourhood. Moreover,traffic congestionis on top of all concerns, especially that surrounding streets are already crowded.

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Amman
• List of twin buildings and structures
• Jordan portal