Mapei19   Dicembre   2013

The Mecca clock tower

This challenging project features a record-breaking tower, an oversized clock and a custom-designed adhesive

Mapei has contributed to this ambitious project by supplying products for fixing and grouting the mosaics produced by Vicenza-based company Trend Group. Trend supplied 98 million pieces of glass mosaic, including a sizeable portion in 24-carat gold leaf, for installation on a 40,000 square metre area of the clock tower façade.

The solution chosen for gluing the tiles to the tower façade had to take account of constant exposure to bright sunlight. The recommended products therefore not only needed to guarantee high bonding performance but also had to be able to withstand high temperatures. With this in mind, Mapei formulated a special product for fixing and grouting the mosaic called KERAPOXY ADHESIVE FR, which is resistant to high temperatures and has excellent fire resistance.
The new product was developed in Mapei’s R&D laboratories in Milan based on the formula for KERAPOXY ADHESIVE, a two-part adhesive with zero vertical sag for ceramic tiles and natural stone. The mosaics were fixed and grouted on panels in Dubai under the supervision of the Technical Support team of IBS Mapei (Innovative Building Solutions), Mapei’s subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates.

The panels were then transported with the utmost care to Saudi Arabia. The joints were sealed directly on site. Mapei also supplied KERAPOXY, an acid-resistant two-part epoxy mortar available in 26 colours.

The project
Following the example of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Saudi Arabia can now also boast one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers: the Abraj Al-Bait Tower complex, also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower. Opened last year in the holy city of Mecca, its purpose is to offer high-quality accommodation and recreational services to visitors to the nearby Masjid al-Haram mosque, the largest mosque in the world with capacity for up to a million worshippers.
Designed by the firm Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners, the complex extends over a total surface area of 1,500,000 sq.m and consists of seven towers for residential and hotel use emerging from a low 15-floor volume. It has numerous shops, two helipads and a large car park and can accommodate up to 100,000 people.

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