Aldar Headquarters: Abu Dhabi
This iconic commercial building of height 121m headquarters property developer Aldar of Abu Dhabi. Designed in Qatar by MZ & Partners in 2005, Arup became the senior advisor to the project and got the cores were completed at 12 months to project the first building engineering concept. The project was developed following the principles of the American system of classification of U.S. Green Building Council LEED, and offers 62,000 m2 of office space over 23 floors. The building Aldar Headquater received several awards and recognitions, including the “Best Futuristic Design” award by The Building Exchange (BEX), and Silver LEED as green building Green Building Council (USA). Aldar Headquarters has a distinctive design and innovative building facades hemispherical comprising two circular shaped convex, joined by a narrow strip of corrugated glass. This iconic structure is completely circular fully glazed elevation and curve in all other respects.
The Aldar HQ building is located in Al Raha Beach, a new city on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, capital of the emirate of the same name. This is the first part of a venture that once completed and occupied house more than 120,000 people. The building is visible from the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway and enjoys a privileged location, surrounded by the city, the sea and the canal.
The original concept dates back to 2005. Following the construction boom of Abu Dhabi and in an effort to put the area on the map, the study MZ Architects undertook the design of Aldar HQ, a building that changed and expanded the Abu Dhabi skyline forever. This icon of architecture was designed to shine in the center of real estate development for Al Raha Beach, Aldar also a draft for a new microcosm that bring life and activity to the coast of Abu Dhabi. The headquarters of the company was on the rise from the sea and becomes a reference point for the area of the city, as well as for the group behind its creation.
For the architect Marwan Zgheib, the power of the monument is in its simplicity. His enthusiasm for the project led to a clear goal: to create a simple object, bold and powerful presence that was able to compete with the iconic architecture of the United Arab Emirates and create a sense of belonging and identity of the area. Inspired by the clam shell that has a deep meaning for Abu Dhabi with its maritime heritage and the symbolism of the geometric round shape, the architect imagined two giant circular curved walls of glass that evoke an open shell. This thinking was born a pure, geometric but extremely ambitious: a skyscraper round with a curved glass skin. The circle symbolizes unity, stability, rationality. It is also the symbol of infinity, without beginning or end, the perfection, the ultimate geometric symbol. Represents an integrity that encompasses all space and time. The sphere, the two-dimensional circle is Boullée acclaimed as the ideal and perfect, as no trick of perspective can alter your appearance.
Photogrpahy & Article by: En.wikiarquitectura