CTBUH dates both the proposal and the start of construction to 2005. During construction Construction Week reported that the main contractor was Dubai Civil Engineering, with Züblin carrying out the piling and National Engineering Bureau as consultant, and that piling had begun in February 2006. The magazine described an 11,000 m³ foundation raft poured in just over 28 hours. CTBUH lists the tower as completed in 2011.
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HEIGHT
352 m
CTBUH
FLOORS
86
+4 BELOW GROUND
APARTMENTS
676
+6 RETAIL UNITS
According to CTBUH, The Torch is 352 m tall, with 86 floors above ground and 4 below, 676 apartments and six retail units. Its all-concrete structure carries a glass curtain wall, and a crown with a twisting glass element surrounds the spire. Select Group credits the design to Khatib & Alami; CTBUH lists National Engineering Bureau as architect and engineer. Dezeen reported that it was the world's tallest residential building when completed in 2011 and was overtaken the following year.
Early on 21 February 2015 a fire that began around the 50th floor spread across the facade. Dezeen reported that more than a thousand people were evacuated and no major casualties were reported. Gulf News later reported that 101 of the 676 apartments were initially inaccessible, 79 of them declared unfit for habitation.
On 4 August 2017 a second major fire broke out shortly after midnight; no injuries were reported, and Dubai's government media office said the building was evacuated safely. The National later reported that this fire damaged 38 floors. On 5 January 2019 a minor fire in the fifth-floor gym sauna led to an evacuation; residents returned early the next morning.