With the striking Emirates Palace as an enviable reference in its regional project portfolio, Dorma, a German market leader in door technology products and systems, continues to secure some of the niche projects in the region, including in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

It is Dorma’s door operators and partitions that have been assisting smooth functionality within the grand Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi which opened its doors in 2005. The consultant for the project, KEO International Consultants, entrusted much of the door control equipment to Dorma, which is renowned for its innovative and versatile range of products.
"The inherent flexibility of our door technology products has come into its own in the construction of this exclusive hotel. A typical example is the ES 90 automatic sliding door operator – a modular drive system that can be adapted to even the most complicated security requirements. Or the IST 96 concealed door closer that offers unmatched performance, almost entirely out of view,” says a spokesperson for Dorma.
Keeping in mind the expected large inflow of guests and staff, around 7,000 doors have been built within the complex. The hotel’s ballroom has a capacity for 2,800 guests and it can also be used for smaller, concurrent events, thanks to a system of operable partitions supplied by Dorma.
“With their inherent design elegance and outstanding sound insulation values (Rw sound reduction rating = 67 decibels), the Variflex Top 100 system from Dorma Huppe provides the perfect business and conference ambiance of this exclusive property,” says the spokesman.
Another prestigious project for Dorma in Abu Dhabi is Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), the state-of-the-art exhibition-cum-conference centre opened earlier this year.
Work on the second phase of the project is scheduled for completion next year. When complete, the venue will be the largest exhibition centre in the Middle East with exhibition floor space of more than 55,000 sq m.
Given the enormous potential offered by Abu Dhabi’s construction sector, Dorma is planning to open a full-fledged office in the emirate which will also comprise a sophisticated service centre including installation and maintenance teams.
“Despite the fact that Dorma's regional office is located in Jebel Ali, just 100 miles away from Abu Dhabi, having an office in the emirate would be vital in serving the market exclusively,” says a spokesman for Dorma. “The element of proximity plays a pivotal role in serving the target clients closely and effectively. In this way, we would be able to work closely with our partners and create a value chain.
“The decision of setting up a permanent office in Abu Dhabi has been taken in response to the lasting stability and growth of the emirate, which has been booming over the past five years.”
A globally active supplier of door controls, movable walls, automatic door systems and glass fittings, Dorma is also a successful player in the security, time management and access control segment. The company, which is the leader in Germany for emergency exit control and escape route security systems, maintains major production plants in Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, China and North and South America. With an international workforce of around 6,200 employees, the group realised sales of around €767 million ($1 billion) in the fiscal year 2005-2006 (June 30). The company operates on an international scale with 66 wholly-owned companies in 45 different countries.