AL DAR HEADQUARTERS
MZ Architects
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Year: 2010
Total built area: 123.500 sq m Cost: AED 1.000.000.000 (201.700.000 €)
Owner: Al Dar Properties
Text from Archdaily.com:
The concept:
The AlDar Headquarters designed by MZ Architects has a distinctive and
innovative design: a semispherical building comprising two circular
convex shaped facades linked by a narrow band of indented glazing. This
iconic fully glazed structure is completely circular in elevation and
curved in all other directions.
The circular shape in architecture:
The Circle symbolizes unity, stability, rationality. It is also the
symbol of infinity, without beginning or end, perfection, the ultimate
geometric symbol. It represents a completeness which encompasses all
space and Time.
The Sphere, the 2-dimentional circle, is hailed by Boullée as the
ideal and perfect form since no trick of perspective can alter its
appearance. Inspired by the symbolism of the Circle and the Sphere, architects
have used the geometric round shape in their building designs since the
beginning of time. The circular shape of the tholos, the greek temple
with a round ground plan rather than a square or rectangular one, is not
unusual in Greek architecture and has also been used later on in the
Roman building typology.
In 1784, Boullée conceived his most emblematic project: the Cenotaph
for Isaac Newton which would have taken the form of an immense sphere
150 m high, mirroring the universe, and embedded in a circular base.
This structure remained however a sketch and was never built.
Throughout the modern history of architecture, architects have also
been designing and realizing circular-based buildings, round towers as
well as domes and spheres used notably in the development of planetaria
and theatres. The circular shape has always been used in the ground and
floor plans with the traditional building elevation and roof. However,
no one has attempted to build a structure completely circular in
elevation. Such an idea would normally be left on sketches.
The birth of the AlDar HQ shape:
Aldar HQ designed by MZ Architects has a distinctive and innovative
design of this kind; its circular convex shaped façade gives it an
outstanding and unique frontal altitude. This iconic fully glazed
structure is completely circular in elevation and curved in all other
directions. When challenged to create an iconic structure on Al Raha beach,
Marwan Zgheib decided to create a simple building that would possess the
calm, ideal beauty of classical architecture while also having
considerable expressive power, a building that would compete with the
iconic architecture of the UAE and create a sense of place and identity
for the area.
To attain this end, Zgheib first had to select from natural forms,
under the guidance of a concept of regularity. Accordingly, he was
inspired by the clam shell which has deep meaning for Abu Dhabi with its
seafaring heritage, as well as the symbolism of the geometric round
shape, and imagined two giant circular curved walls of glass mirroring
an open clam shell.
An extremely pure geometrical but daring design was born: a round
skyscraper with a curved glass skin covering the area of four football
fields.
The harmonic proportions:
To bring the massive circular concept to life, the issues of visual
stability, harmony and dynamism proved to be crucial. The real challenge
of the façade was to find the two points where the building should pose
on the ground – and for that, the development of the volume began by
using one of the oldest rules in architecture: the rule of proportion
based on the Golden Section.
The golden section is not merely an aesthetic proportion important to
artists, but an omnipresent cosmic principle that induces structural
differentiation. Indeed, this ratio appears in the works of nature (such
as the human body, the bodies of animals, plants and crystals) and is
naturally preferred by the human mind and eye. The proportions of the
Greek temple reflect the pleasing aesthetic ratio of the golden section. When applying the golden section ratio to the circular façade of the
building, the circle was divided into a pentagram, on which the Human
Body is juxtaposed with head and four limbs at the five points of the
pentagram. Accordingly, the architects were able to locate the two
points of stability of the circular facade; the two points of the circle
where the building will meet the earth thus creating the perfect
balance. These guidelines created the initial massing and dynamic shape of the building.
Fusion of the façade and the roof:
Unlike the conventional four sided buildings, the circular building
challenges the approach to construction by questioning the typical roof
structure. This three faceted building relies on its zipper-like
element, a continuous glass and structural band that stitches the two
main facets together, creating a slim continuous surface that is both
vertical and horizontal, side and face, window and roof. This lateral
element, the structural ‘backbone’ of the project, brilliantly creates
the fusion between façade and roof and allows for the monolithic shape
of the object.
The façade curvature:
The striking shape of this building is achieved through the use of an
external structural triangular diagrid – a diagonal grid of steel. The
first of its kind in the UAE, it allowed the creation of structural
efficiency and stability appropriate to the circular building with
greater flexibility than a conventional rectangular form. The system not
only helped minimize the impact of the steel frame on the façade but
also served as an architectural element that blurred all sense of scale
and inflated the structure, moving away from the typical horizontal
stratification of the facades that influenced most high rises in the
area. This diagrid system eliminates the need for internal columns which
would compromise the aesthetic appeal as well as the views from within.
This improved the building’s efficiency, providing layout flexibility
for tenants. Although there are just 23 floors, the building has the
same floor area as a typical 40-storey tower.
The curved glass skin became one of its most complex components to be
executed. In order to solve the challenge of the façade curvature,
triangular pieces of flat glass combined into diamond like shapes, came
together like a puzzle working with the diagrid and the highly complex
geometry of the skin. As part of the master plan, the circular building faces the road on a
west-east elevation, allowing both the sunset and sunrise to be visible
in the glass. The glass facades do not only reflect the project’s
surrounding and the vibrant new city in which it was born but also allow
one to face his own reflection and image in the much larger universe.
The building’s sustainable strategies:
The project was developed in line with the US Green Building Council
LEED rating system. It is one of the first eco-friendly official
buildings in Abu Dhabi, which is made up of recyclable kind of materials
like steel, concrete and glass, and includes a district cooling plant,
as well as efficient lighting and water systems. The building maximizes
natural light, with meeting areas and offices spread around the
perimeter of each floor. A subterranean automated vacuum waste
collection system is also incorporated to reuse all the waste products
of the building. The first of its kind in Abu Dhabi, the system sucks
rubbish directly to a local waste transfer station for recycling and
compacting.
This construction was completed by keeping the environmental factors
in mind, now it is capable to achieve the lowest LEED silver rating
award by US Green Building Council. The building’s efficiency is classed
as 82%, making it the most efficient design for the floor area.
All images are property of MZ Architects.
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