Capital Gate / RMJM

Curated by María Francisca González

Architects: RMJM
Area: 53100 m²
Year: 2011
Photographs:Edgard EI, Serge Bystro, CC 3.0
Manufacturers: GKD Metal Fabrics, Pentair, Ejot, Traxon Technologies
Landscaping Consultant: Al Khatib Crackneli
Lightning Services: DPA Lightng Consultants
MEP: ETA
Quantity Surveyor: Hanscomb Ltd.
Hotel Interior Design Consultant: RPW
Ground Floor Interior Design Consultant: U+A Architects

Text description provided by the architects. The Capital Gate ‘Feature Tower’ is an iconic development located on the exhibition site of the greater ADNEC masterplan. The tower is distinguished by a dramatic steel and glass facade with a striking organic form. With its cantilevered tea lounge and open air pool deck, it provides a unique presence on the skyline of Abu Dhabi and creates a memorable identity to the exhibition centre. A sculptural stainless steel ‘splash’ flows down the front and at low level forms the hotel entrance canopy, flowing over the existing grandstand and acting as a solar shading device for both the building and the grandstand seating.

A free form internal atrium with a dynamic glass roof brings natural light and space deep into the tower. External lighting is designed to minimise both light pollution and energy consumption, based on a combination of low-level landscape lighting with façade lighting comprising a net of compact LED clusters integrated into the design of the steel glazing system. At over 160m tall, the building stands 35 storeys high and offers over 16,000 sqm of high quality office space, as well as Abu Dhabi’s first Hyatt hotel, ‘The Hyatt@Capital Centre’.

Structurally, this challenging building sits on an intensive distribution of 490 piles which were drilled 30 metres underground to accommodate the gravitational, wind and seismic forces caused by the distinctive lean of the building. The Feature Tower is an exemplary example of RMJM’s design and in-house engineering capabilities. In January 2010 Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi was recognised as the world’s furthest leaning manmade tower by the Guinness Book of World Records.