Aldar Headquarter Building

“Architecture is not based on concrete and steel, and the elements of soil. It’s based on wonder!” - Daniel Libeskind

The iconic semi-spherical structural building located in Al Raha Beach, a new city on the outskirts of  Abu Dhabi; Aldar HQ Building is an extremely pure geometrical and a daring design: a round skyscraper with a curved glass skin. Surrounded with many noteworthy buildings, an ambitious effort to define ‘a new extraordinary’ was made with this project.

Al Dar group, one of the largest developers in Middle East and North Africa region together with Abu Dhabi government and aligned their business with the Emirate’s ‘Vision 2030’ strategy of economic diversification and social infrastructure development.

Al Raha Beach was to be put on the world map and attract businesses by creating an identity for itself ultimately giving rise to an idea of building a signature iconic skyscraper.

Project in charge - Muhammad Al Mubaraq quoted, “Vision of Aldar was to create almost a mini city where people can live, study, play and work in one destination” and Lebanese Architect - Marwan Zgheib was chosen to execute the design.

Concept And Design
In the wake of the construction boom of Abu Dhabi and in an effort to put the area on the map, MZ Architects were appointed the design of the Aldar HQ, a building expected to change and expand the Abu Dhabi skyline therefore. The Aldar Headquarters has a distinctive and innovative design with a semi-spherical building comprising two circular convex shaped facades joined by a narrow band of indented glazing. This iconic fully glazed structure is completely circular in elevation and curved in all other directions.

The building, as foreseen, was to rise from the sea and become an inconic landmark for its place, the city and the people behind its creation. For the architect Marwan Zgheib, the power of the monument and the icon lies in its simplicity, purity and learning from nature and the reliance on one of the oldest rules of architecture - that of proportion.

Inspired by the clam shell which has a deeped meaning for Abu Dhabi owing to its seafaring heritage, as well as the symbolism of the geometric round shape, the architect imagined two giant circular curved walls glass mirroring an open clam shell. A beautiful concept with future forward thinking, gave birth to this spectacle of a building.

The architects took the challenge and raised it by looking back at the idea of the cosmic body of the man in the circle and by carving the pentagram into the circular façade, they were able to locate the two points of stability where the building will meet the earth. The complexities of simplicity indeed proved to be many, and the design of the HQ could only be a holistic one, merging architecture and structure.

Just as identical as many of nature’s creations, the building comes together by allowing each one of its elements to play a crucial role in its existence and construction. The Headquarter’s morphology amalgamated the concept of shape, sculpture and pattern of a seashell into one solid and eloquent ensamble. One of the first used in UAE, the Diagrid System allowed the creation of structural efficiency and stability appropriate to the circular building. The system not only helped minimize the impact of the steel frame on the façade but also served as a design element that blurred all sense of scale and expanded the structure, moving away from the typical horizontal stratum of the facades that influenced most highrises in the area.

Facade Geometry
The main facades were defined using a toroidal geometry cut by a cylinder to create the perfect circle in elevation. By using this way, each horizontal section through the facade is described by a circle of varying radii at different heights, all with their centers along the same vertical axis. All on a single floor panels are then exactly the same size, the same change in the angle of each joint, due to the equal lengths along chord line circular in plan. The rate of change of size of the panels increases as the eye moves away from Ecuador construction, with the top and bottom of the building exact mirror image of each other.

To increase the repeatability in the sizes of the panels were measured joints, so that the same panel could be used on different floors without being visible change in the width of the board. This exercise allowed the initial architectural vision that was created about ten sizes of panels instead of the 10,000 that would have been theoretically required before the geometric refinement.

Construction
Finalised to cover the inauguration of the Formula One Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi and with 30 months to cover the implementation program, architects, engineers and many experts on board worked with a collaborative effort, helping to direct intelligently minute overlapping design and construction with its new challenges and complexities. Durante Aldar HQ was adopted an innovative method of Analysis and Writing. Engineering data and modeling were used in the early stages of the project to maximize advance contracting and optimize the use of materials. Structural analysis was performed on the podium and superstructure of the tower using the program 3D finite element analysis, Stand 7. The advanced 3D models developed by Arup are shared among engineers, architects, steel contractor, the contractor and the consultant MEP facades, each of which matter to the 3D modeling software. Within three months after the appointment of the design team, work had begun on the ground. Foundation work began a month after the design was sketched and with planes not yet completed by the engineers. The concrete cores were made in the period of one year. At 14 months into the project, steel structure erected to the fourth floor. Concrete elements, such as stairs, columns and even the bathrooms were prefabricated.

The Skin
Like a snail, HQ morphology merged the idea of form, sculpture and drawing into a unified and expressive. The curved glass skin became one of its most complex to be executed in record time.

To the outside of the building structure, which has a cantilevered design of 25 m in each longitudinal direction, the concrete could not be considered as a construction material. A concrete structure would have required internal supports both unwanted and costly long led construction work. Therefore, the team developed a complex external structure of diamond-shaped steel, called “diagrid”, which achieves the striking shape of the building, the first of its kind in the UAE. This structure allowed efficient creation and structural stability needed to the circular building.

The system not only helped minimize the impact of the steel structure in the facade, but also served as an architectural element that softened any sense of the scale and structure structural imperfections away from the typical horizontal layering of the facades. The diagrid system eliminates the need for internal columns to support the construction that would endanger the aesthetic appeal and the view from within while improving building efficiency and providing design flexibility for tenants.

The Zipper
Unlike existing four facades conventional buildings, the project challenges the construction approach by questioning the typical structure of the roof. This building based on three sides “zipper element” as a third hand, a continuous structural glass band connecting the two main fronts creating a thin, continuous surface that is both horizontal and vertical front and side windows and roof. This lateral element, the “backbone” project structure creates a brilliant fusion between façade and roof, allowing monolithic and powerful form of the structure.

Materials Used
The materials used to construct the spherical building of Aldar HQ are mostly recycled glass, steel and concrete. During the construction of prefabricated elements were used to reduce waste, such as stairs, bathrooms and pillars. Are used for facades tubular steel diagonal beams that are woven into the entire surface creating regular prisms where glasses are inserted. The whole is coated by this facade glass wall.

In the building were placed 4,000 boxes and 8,000 electric utility power transmitters meters underground. As key architectural environment, lighting is used to highlight the other design elements. Being able to see through the glass facades of the building determined the choice of lighting. In order to leave the interior clean and well ventilated while providing full flexibility recessed were chosen. Interior lighting and exterior works at night, adding extra volume to The system not only helped minimize the impact of the steel the disk shape of the building, making it a brilliant globe.

The 14 lifts in the building has developed a speed of m/sec. The project also adopts a system of underground vacuum waste collection waste that transfers directly to a waste transfer station for recycling and compaction, eliminating the need for collection vehicles. This system is the rst of its kind in Abu Dhabi.

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. The building’s efficiency is classed as 82%, making it the most efficient design for the floor area.

• Architect

  MZ & Partners Architects - Marwan Zgheib

• Designed in

  2005

• Built in

  2007-2010

• Height

  124 m

• Floors

  23

• Elevators

  14

• Built-up Area

  123.000 m2, 61.900 m2 offices space

• Cost

  AED 1,000,000,000 | Engineer Arup Ingenieros

• Construction Company

  ALOR (Aldar Laing O’rourke)

• Location

  Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates, Al Raha Beach.

Awards
» Best Futuristic Design - The Building Exchange Conference
» Best Office Development – Arabian Property Awards
» Tekla Middle East BIM Awards – Canopy
» Highly Commended, Building and Structures Category – Engineers Australia NSW Excellence Awards
» Silver LEED rating – Green Building Council (USA)

Reference

1. https://www.archdaily.com/240524/al-dar-headquarters-mz-architects#:~:text=The%20 AlDar%20Headquarters%20designed%20by,curved%20in%20all%20other%20directions.

2. https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/aldar-headquarters-building/

3. https://archello.com/project/aldar-headquarters 4. https://worldarchitecture.org/architecture-projects/ nzhf/aldar-headquarters-project-pages.html

4. https://www.arch2o.com/al-dar-headquarters-mz-architect

   By -
   Tuhina Chatterjee, Associate Editor Civil Engineering and Construction Review