![]() Professor Dr Christian Bartenbach, Electrical Engineer With every answer, you get five new questions.” “When you analyse the issue as per usual, in research and development, you often just come to more questions. Even then, quality was not compromised only completely flawless mosaic tiles were picked. Thus, the decision to turn to automation whereby the ancient traditional handicraft was then propelled to meet state-of-the-art 21st century technology. ![]() However, to solely rely on traditional manufacturing methods was not feasible. The millions of mosaic tiles took a year to produce in the city of Venice, Italy, which has centuries of experience in the field. As such height would only be made possible using a highly efficient steel construction. Interestingly, the Eiffel Tower served as a model to the German engineers due to the challenge in weight distribution. Simply: Religion meets science at the intersection of beauty overlapping Islamic aesthetics. It was a monumental task working within a very tight schedule a four-year deadline. In 2006, Saudi Arabia decided to include a clock tower on an already existing tower, that effectively increased its height from 450 metres to 600 metres. The intricacies and attention to detail at every stage were astounding. One of the world’s best calligraphers, Efdaluddin Kilic, from Istanbul, Turkey, was tasked with creating the drafts on paper for the huge monument that was then replicated a hundred times bigger on the faces of the clock tower. As the saying goes, two heads are better than one.”Ī German firm pitched a total of 107 design ideas to choose from! Its aesthetics combined traditional forms and modern designs. “The entire design came about in close collaboration with the clients. In addition to over two million LEDs (light-emitting diode) adorning the outer facade. Ultimately, it is teamwork on an immense scale, crossing geographical boundaries with the involvement of construction firms from 10 countries.Īt a dizzying height of 600 metres, the clock tower is embellished with 98 million mosaic tiles with nearly one third covered in 24 karat gold leaf. Most importantly, it demands the best of the best in terms of expertise and materials on top of careful and meticulous coordination. We were in completely new territory.”Īn architectural masterpiece is not built overnight. ![]() “This clock is by far the tallest in the whole world.
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