Fire Damaged Tower Still Standing

The news accounts for this fire do not indicate whether this is a steel superstructure or not. However, I'm guessing from its height and from the fact that it's still standing that it has a steel framework.

Tower After the Blaze

 

http://gulfbusiness.com/2012/11/tamweel-fire-at-jlt-the-day-after/#.UKuE44dX2K4

Findinganythingedness....

Neologism: Findinganythingedness....

Use: 9/11 research has enhanced my findinganythingedness. The ability to find arcane information.

Unfortunately, for the sake of argument, the building appears to be made of concrete. This now seems, along with composites, to be the go to material in construction.

"Steel was the structural material of choice for skyscrapers in America for much of the last century, but the advent of the Falzur’s tube frame system and a desire to build more elaborate buildings with better working spaces led to a shift in thinking during the latter half of the millennium." Construction Week Online

Tamweel Towers Specs (I had to dig and dig for this):

http://www.emporis.com/building/tamweeltower-dubai-unitedarabemirates

Thank you!

Peter, thanks for the digging and the resulting clarification!!

Sure thing

Sure thing, glad to help. I really wished this was steel. However, the fire still goes towards showing how obdurate materials, in this case concrete, naturally resist fires. This fire, it seems, was fueled by cheap "brassy" ornamentation on the outside of the building. Rather than using cladding, a thin veneer of aluminum is formed around some plastic material as a cost cutting measure. From what I understand the solid aluminum is not that much more expensive and cheap when you consider these results.