Overseas AST reputedly covered the Clock Tower in a fibreglass reinforced skin
The basic problem and concrete cancer was not dealt with
Dubai's Clock Tower continued to deteriorate
Dubai's Clock Tower 1980
The Clock Tower is an instantly recognisable Dubai Icon yet its history has been obscure.
Slowly details have emerged as to why and how the Clock Tower was built and who was involved.
This page adds more detail to that history
New information has been provided by people who lived in Dubai at the time the Clock Tower was built
© L Hejze
Sheikh Rashid did not know what to do with a large clock presented to him by his son-in-law, Sheikh Ahmed of Qatar.
Eng. Otto Bulart had just completed building Zabeel Palace for Sheikh Rashid so Sheikh Rashid asked for Eng. Bulart's advice. Eng Bulart drew up a design which he passed to his Partner and Structural Engineer Ziki Homsi to calculate the structural design.
Eng. Bulart later moved on to other things and Ziki Homsi built Dubai's Clock Tower using Eng. Bulart's design.
Ziki Homsi constructed the Clock Tower using very basic construction methods due to lack of suitable resources.
He used unwashed beach sand for the concrete mix, then a common practice in Dubai. Unwashed beach sand is highly saline which causes the steel strengthening rods forming the Clock Tower's supporting structure to corrode and weaken.
Over time that situation worsened until, in 1972, Overseas AST carried out a major refurbishment to the Clock Tower rectify its concrete cancer.
Dubai's Clock Tower circa early 1970s © L Hejze
Dubai's Clock Tower after Refurbishment 1972 © L Hejze
Overseas AST's repairs were not effective. Dubai's Clock Tower continued to deteriorate.
Around 1988 the Clock Tower was hidden behind scaffolding and tarpaulins while further repair was carried out.
At one point, a storm blew away the tarpaulins revealing the Clock Tower under repair. Tarpaulins were replaced and Dubai's Clock Tower again hidden from view
There was never any public announcement as to how the Clock Tower had been repaired.
Private conversations with those closely involved with the project said Clock Tower's deterioration was unrepairable, necessitating demolition and a complete rebuild.
Dubai's Clock Tower that exists today is (in all probability) not the Clock Tower Otto Bulart designed and Ziki Homsi built.
In 1988, Dubai's Clock Tower was enclosed by scaffolding and hidden from view by tarpaulins.
Behind this tarpaulin screen, Dubai's Clock Tower was apparently demolished and rebuilt as new.