The side wall will ascend the side of the podium and the ramps for parking will be in those cut outs of the floor levels.
The final podium level.
The moulds (surrounded by yellow) are in place, the supporting pillars for the last podium level. The moulds encase the steel rebar until the concrete is poured in. The rebar is what reinforces the concrete.
Three of the four podium floors are still supported to give the concrete more time to cure.
This picture shows the steel bars sticking out above the slip form. This shows preparation for the next slip, which will lift the core by around another 2 metres.
View from The Torch site towards Grosvenor House.
The side wall of the podium is under construction. The cut out section of the podium floors is where the ramps for each car park level will be created.
The Torch site from the Grosvenor House hotel terrace
The 4 podium levels that have been completed are clearly visible. The double height of the ground floor is for the Torch lobby and entrance of the building.
The core is already past the height that the podium level will be.
From the bottom left upwards: Marina pinnacle, marina 101, sulafa tower.
From the bottom right upwards: Mag 218, 2 empty plots, Pentominium, 23 Marina.
Infinity Tower. The water is still there but the situation is improving slowly but surely:
Damac Heights: Still nothing, just infinity stuff there. They mention a Feb 2008 start but I doubt it. Not until the infinity mess has been cleared up anyway:
There are no bulky supertalls in the marina since the plots are too small but there are bulky other towers though. Example, the tower next to the marina mall (still getting built).
Will there be any sort of retail at the bottom of some of these buildings? I know here in the states, alot of residential buildings have some sort of retail. Be it Starbucks or whatever else. I'm curious to know if Dubai does that.
^^ Yes there will be but not every tower will have it. If you want to know which ones do and which ones don't go to SSC and check the tower threads there
The important thing is this tower was found on the website of a developer who has built towers already so if this is announced soon it'll have a good chance of being built. Doesn't look like a very complicated design either.
Here's the website http://www.ggicouae.com/dubaimarinaprojects.php