Iconic buildings in Abu Dhabi

Masdar City
Based to the east of Abu Dhabi, Masdar City was conceived to be the first city in the world without cars or carbon emissions. The existing building that houses the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology is complete and proving to be eco-friendly. The terracotta walls give an earthy look and they have even employed traditional Arabian wind towers to pull cooler air from the sky and channel it down through the narrow streets.

Zayed Cricket Stadium
Spanning 140m in length the cricket stadium’s cantilevered crescent roof is the largest of its kind in the Middle East. Cunningly shaped like the peak of a cricket cap, it’s made of 9,000 tonnes of steel, clad on both the top and bottom and gives shade to 9,000 of the 22,000 seats in the stadium. Under the roof, three 45m towers are used as support, which are equally as cunning in their cricket-themed architecture because they represent the three stumps of a wicket.

Aldar HQ
Ranked as one of the World’s Most Spectacular Commercial Headquarters by building data firm Emporis, the circular Aldar HQ building in Al Raha Beach is a stunning piece of architecture. Catch the 23 floor, 110m tall disc at dusk and the glass building becomes almost magical. It’s the first upright circular building to be constructed in the UAE and uses a steel diagrid design that allows for minimal intrusion by support pillars inside.

Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Buildings shaped like animals are rarely going to work, but the clubhouse at Abu Dhabi Golf Club is a magnificent counter-argument. Designed to look like a falcon swooping down onto a golf ball, the outstretched wings harbour restaurants, meeting rooms and leisure facilities in one of the most eye-watering ways possible. Built in 1995 the building uses glass-fibre reinforced concrete to deliver the impressive shapes needed.

Al Bahar Towers
Housing the headquarters of the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, the twin towers can be likened to anything from pineapples to grenades due to their appearance. But the façades on the outsides of the towers actually have a functional form, actively opening and closing as they follow the movement of the sun to help keep the interiors cool. They’re a modern interpretation of Islamic ‘mashrabiya’, which are traditional wooden lattice screens used to block sun and add privacy, and they have been awarded by the architectural world for their innovation. Sustainable and highly contemporary, yet with a clear nod to tradition – the Al Bahar Towers are a masterpiece on the Abu Dhabi skyline.

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
The Frank Gehry designed 30,000sqm art gallery should be finished on Saadiyat Island by 2017. Taking inspiration from traditional Middle Eastern covered courtyards and wind towers, the design will offer a spectacularly complex architectural landmark that will play with the Arabian light and Arabian Gulf that surrounds it. It will be the largest of the four global Guggenheim galleries.

Etisalat Tower
‘It’s the one with the golf ball on the roof’ – that’s how most residents would describe this building. Designed by Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, the tower’s golf ball is actually a clever housing for transmitters and receivers providing satellite and mobile phone connections throughout the UAE. Being orb-shaped means the equipment has an unhindered 360 degree aspect, which is pretty smart if you ask us.

Louvre Abu Dhabi
The Louvre Abu Dhabi will transform Saadiyat into a cultural hub in 2015. The building will have a 180m wide, 7,000 tonne dome on four pillars. Built on a man-made platform to allow it to be constructed in the dry, the last stage will be a controlled flooding to let the water back in to the design.

The Landmark
The 324m high residential and office tower is visible from almost anywhere along the Corniche to the west of the city. The 72-story building was designed to be layered on the outside, like the petals on a flower, to help address the heat issues that Abu Dhabi poses. The stepped sides also hark back to the traditional use of screens in Arabic architecture. Even the plan of the building is based in tradition, with its geometry based on a 12-sided dodecagon, a shape frequently used in Islamic art. At 272m high there’s even a swimming pool!