AS LEAD consultant on Aldar’s prestigious HQ project, Arup has been providing full multi-disciplinary and specialist engineering services for the stunning landmark.

“The building presents the world an image that is novel, blessed with mature monumentality and enhancing the Abu Dhabi landscape with a refreshing modern structure,” says a spokesman for Arup.
The project was delivered on a super fast-track programme, according to him. Piling commenced less than three months into the design programme and the concrete core construction was complete less than one year after commencement of the design concept, the spokesman says.

“In keeping with the intentions of Aldar, HQ is a shining beacon, a fusion of tradition and modernity. The geometric shape symbolises unity, stability and rationality,” he continues. “The design is distinguished by the sensitive decisions in the shaping of its volume, the quality of its interior spaces, the treatment of its surfaces, the refinement of its workspaces, and many other aspects that make the resulting building an evolution.”
The use of a structural diagrid on the perimeter of the building, which embraces the architectural concept for the elevation, allows a natural integration of the architecture and structure, and largely eliminates the need for internal columns which would otherwise compromise the visuals of the elevation and views from within the building.
“The steel diagrid is among first of its nature in the UAE and represents Arup’s leading-edge approach to structural design in the region. The project is also developed in line with the US Green Building Council’s (US GBC) Leed rating system,” he says.

Founded in 1946 with an initial focus on structural engineering, Arup first came to the world’s attention with the structural design of the Sydney Opera House in Australia followed by its work on the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France. Arup has since grown into a truly multidisciplinary organisation. Its work for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing has reaffirmed its reputation for delivering innovative and sustainable designs that reinvent the built environment.
“Our commitment to sustainability informs our approach and is at the heart of every project. The firm is acutely aware of the responsibility it has in designing and influencing the built environment, to do the best possible work for current and future generations. The result is solutions that work for clients and for the people who use them and live or work in and around them,” says the spokesman.

Arup in the Gulf
Arup has been working in the Middle East since the early 1970s and has registered offices in Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The company has worked with many major clients and alongside some of the world’s most influential architects, to deliver creative and high-value technical solutions in the Gulf. Arup says it employs the full spectrum of engineers, managers, financial experts, contract specialists and environmental professionals. The Gulf teams work closely with other Arup teams worldwide, giving clients access to the full range of global skills and experience.
Arup is involved in an array of world-class projects in the region including the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) headquarters, which will occupy a prominent site on the Eastern Coastal Road of Abu Dhabi Island, and provided ORAT (operational readiness activation and transition) services for the new Emirates Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport, which has the capacity to serve 43 million passengers each year.
“The opening of Terminal 3 was described as flawless and a model for airports all over the world to emulate,” says the spokesman, quoting the local media and Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports who had, during the opening, said that Dubai Airports had derived enormous value from the consultancy services provided by Arup as ORAT advisers.
Other projects in the region that Arup has been involved with include specialist lighting and bridge design for the Yas Hotel, Abu Dhabi, a 15,000-seat sports complex and transportation studies in Dubai, and Education City and the Heart of Doha (now known as Musheireb) masterplan, Qatar.
Arup is a founding member of the Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC). Members of the Gulf team are also involved in World Green Buildings Council (WGBC) proceedings and are instrumental in negotiations between the EGBC and the US GBC for the localisation of Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for the UAE.