Architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) designed the flagship commercial development for Al Hilal Bank in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s Al Maryah Island, formerly known as Sowwah Island. The new office tower is located in the Emirate’s developing new central business district, with direct access to three main island roads and the nearby Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Sowwah Square, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange headquarters, and the Rosewood Abu Dhabi hotel.
The 24-story tower totals 87,570 square meters overall, including 49,110 square meters of office and retail space, and 1,000 parking spaces for tenants and visitors. The building will be serviced by a multi-tiered transportation infrastructure, which includes a planned light rail station.
The podium contains a retail banking facility as well as a dramatic three-story transparent lobby to the north, with pedestrian arcades on the east and west. Three cubical masses sit atop the podium, stacked like shifted blocks. Designed to set the building apart from other towers on Al Maryah Island while also providing optimally efficient, column-free spaces within, these forms derive their interest from a “push-and-pull” effect at the corners. In addition, the building’s façade changes at the created voids to accentuate the shifted aesthetic. The façade consists of an aluminum-and-glass curtain wall system with glass and notched metal-spandrel elements and vertical glass fins that enhance the building’s verticality while also providing shading.
A landscaped park and reflecting pool along the building’s western façade will draw traffic to the retail and main building entry by creating an inviting, shaded urban space. Café seating for tenants and visitors will further help activate the setting. Completion of the development is scheduled for the last quarter of 2013. +
Related Stories
| Aug 15, 2012
MBH Architects announces new appointments
MBH Architects continues to grow, take on new clients.
| Aug 15, 2012
Architects and designers challenged in Allsteel’s reality design competition
KITS mobile app offers flexibility in planning.
| Aug 14, 2012
Leo A Daly welcomes Carl Gentilcore
Gentilcore will be responsible for identifying, developing and managing client relations with key federal government agencies.
| Aug 14, 2012
SOM Foundation announces prize recipients for 2012
Submissions for the SOM Prize were received from students at 34 schools in the U.S.
| Aug 9, 2012
Slideshow: New renderings of 1 WTC
Upon its scheduled completion in early 2014, One World Trade Center will rise 1,776 feet to the top of its spire, making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
| Aug 9, 2012
Slideshow: New renderings of 1 WTC
Upon its scheduled completion in early 2014, One World Trade Center will rise 1,776 feet to the top of its spire, making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
| Aug 9, 2012
DSGW Architects welcomes new employees
Three new employees located in DSGW's Duluth office.
| Aug 9, 2012
DMR Architects converts bank building to municipal court
The project consisted of a $4 million renovation to a 2-story building totaling 13,000-sf.
| Aug 8, 2012
BD+C wins six B2B journalism awards
BD+C wins two national awards, three regional awards, and a regional Graphical Excellence award.
| Aug 8, 2012
BIM’s future up in the cloud
The AEC industry is on the cusp of a still more significant evolution with cloud computing.