2

Capital Gate is certainly not the standard mirrored skyscraper that can be found in every city from Boston to Bangalore. The sinuous, shimmering tower – scheduled for completion in late 2010 – is poised to enter the record books as the world’s most inclined building at 18 degrees. Although the tower’s lean can be appreciated when approaching and leaving Abu Dhabi, its engineering excellence can only truly be grasped from the foot of the building; from this angle it’s difficult to comprehend how such a structure could stand up.

Developed by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company

(ADNEC), Capital Gate forms the centrepiece of the multi-phased US$2.3 billion Capital Centre project. Yet what made the developers request such an ambitious and challenging design? Paul Vincent, marketing manager for ADNEC, explains the

rationale behind the project. He says: “We were after a statement – something that was unique and that the world could focus on. We wanted to bring a tremendous amount of kudos to the exhibition centre. “We always required it to be iconic from the very beginning.

When people look at pictures of Emirates Palace they think of Abu Dhabi, and we want people to do the same with Capital Gate. On a clear day you can see it from Yas Island, so it becomes a landmark that symbolises both the exhibition centre and the city. And so the search began for a remarkable design.”

He points out that many of the world’s most famous buildings are

linked to exhibitions. “The best examples are the Eiffel Tower and The Atomium in Brussels which were built for world fairs. Of course another famous example is London’s 19th

century Crystal Palace which was built for the first real international exhibition.” ➔

apr-may 2010

/

/ 49 Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68