Capital Gate – Abu Dhabi
Landing in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, it is hard to miss the leaning tower in the skyline of Abu Dhabi. Mostly referred to as the ‘leaning tower of Abu Dhabi’, it is after all the most unique and the most important business centre of the plush city. With a height of 160 metres and a bent of 18 degrees towards the west, the Capital Gate stands next to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and is the tallest building in the city.
The Capital Gate also finds a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “World’s furthest leaning man-made tower” and is known to have a tilt four times more than the leaning tower of Pisa. The building has 35 floors and in order to maintain its leaning structure the core of the building has been given a slant in the direction opposite to the lean. This ambitious structure of the Capital Gate sits atop a foundation which is 7 foot deep and is filled with a web of steel.
The outer part of the Capital Gate is made of steel following a diagrid pattern which has its root in the 490 piles which lie 100 feet underground so that the building can cope with natural phenomenon like earthquakes, strong winds, and so on. Across the world, apart from Capital Gate, there are three more buildings which are made using the diagrid pattern. The creative genius behind the Capital Gate is RMJM which is an architectural company in Abu Dhabi.
Attracting the world with its shape, the Capital Gate is not only leaning but also resembles a funnel in appearance. The upper portion of the skyscraper is wider and it gives a spiral feel as you look at its towering height. Because of its unique appearance, the Capital Gate also accommodates a number of plush hotels like the Hyatt whose every room is different from the other and most of them have big windows which give a panoramic view of the city. Apart from hotels, it incorporates business centres, residential parts, commercial spaces and so on and thus has a mixed usage.
Taking a look at Abu Dhabi from the south western waterfront, the Capital Gate dominates the scene and stands as the landmark of Abu Dhabi. The biggest advantage of the Capital Gate is the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre which holds some of the world’s largest exhibitions and conference meets and therefore gets about 1 million visitors per year. As the skyscraper has all modern amenities and including some best restaurants thus, it is a highly favoured location for many tourists and business flyers. Thus, the Capital Gate is considered to be the most elite business centre in the whole of Abu Dhabi.