Haseeb Haider / 16 January 2014
Al Nadi tower is located at the gateway to the culturally significant Saadiyat Island, within the premises of The Club, a private members club. Abu Dhabi’s skyline on its eastern shores has got a new massive sculpture facing the newly developed Al Mariya Island and Al Reem Island.
Nadi Tower at The Club in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. — KT photo by Nezar Balout
Painted in red and white, Al Nadi tower is located at the gateway to the culturally significant Saadiyat Island, within the premises of The Club, a private members club.The iconic structure has been built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Club and to pay tribute to Abu Dhabi and its residents.
At the opening ceremony that witnessed a large public attendance, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, inaugurated the art-piece by pressing a button to illuminate the tower, on Tuesday evening. Present on the occasion were British ambassador to the UAE Dominic Jermey CVO OBE and dozens of other members.
Jermey, termed the tower as a “fantastic addition” to Abu Dhabi’s amazing skyline.
Al Nadi tower has been designed by a Dubai-based Swiss architect Andre Meyerhans, who is known for building tea kiosks and other art-pieces on the Marina Walk in Dubai.
The contemporary structure, which is inspired by Arabic designs was conceived out of several ideas presented to a high-level committee of The Club, said Hamish F Macdonald, chairman of The Club, which has 4,500 members from 85 nationalities. The shape of the tower follows oscillating movements as that of the Foucault pendulum. The motions are noted in real time intervals and recorded in three dimensions thus defining the shape of the tower.
A skin of tiles in the form of a traditional Islamic pattern clads the tower and gaps between the tiles allow visual contact between the inside and the outside. A common spiral staircase provides access to the viewing platform at the top. During the night the tower will be illuminated from within.
In November 2011, Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG, visited Abu Dhabi and unveiled the conceptual drawings of the structure, and it took two years to built the complete tower, Macdonald said.
“The tower itself is a project that evolved around the concept of a lighthouse. The design was based on ideas of an organic shape referring to the characteristics of contemporary, Arabic architecture and traditional patterns that anchor it in the rich, local culture,’’ Macdonald said.
The building marks The Club’s contribution to the iconic Abu Dhabi skyline while supporting the cultural element of the government’s vision as expressed in its Urban Structure Framework Plan: Abu Dhabi 2030, he said.
haseeb@khaleejtimes.com
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