Torch Tower Fire

Analysis

The recent fire at the Torch tower located in Dubai Marina raises several important concerns as to the safety of many of Dubai's buildings, whether any measures can be taken to improve these structures' safety, the costs thereof, and who would be responsible for bearing these costs. While there are immediate concerns, like relocating those whose homes have been damaged, there are longer term wider considerations which should now be addressed.

The Torch is a “super-tall” structure; an 86 storey, 352 metre high tower. When it opened in 2011, it was the tallest residential building in the world, but soon lost that title to, among other buildings, the Princess Tower directly opposite the street. Located in an area of the Marina known as “the tallest block in the world” due to its tightly clustered group of super-tall skyscrapers, the Torch and its neighboring towers are considered to be engineering marvels and are in many ways symbolic of Dubai's rapid rise in international status.