HQ

Abu Dhabi
Height
1
To Tip:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
113 m / 371 ft
2
Architectural:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
110.1 m / 361 ft
3
Occupied:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
98.9 m / 324 ft
  Floors
Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
25
Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
3
1 2 3 HQ
Height 110.1 m / 361 ft
Floors 25
Official Name
The current legal building name.

HQ

Other Names
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.

Aldar HQ Building, HQ - Al Raha Beach Development

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed

Completion

2010

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

United Arab Emirates

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Abu Dhabi

Address

Al Raha Beach

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

Office

Structural Material
All-Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered an “all-steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

All-Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars and/or steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

All-Timber
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from timber. An all-timber structure may include the use of localized non-timber connections between timber elements. Note that a building of timber construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of timber beams is still considered an “all-timber” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. all-steel, all-concrete, all-timber), one on top of the other. For example, a Steel Over Concrete indicates an all-steel structural system located on top of an all-concrete structural system, with the opposite true of Concrete Over Steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used within a composite building’s primary structural elements.

Concrete-Steel Composite

Official Website

Aldar HQ Aldar Headquarters

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

110.1 m / 361 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
113 m / 371 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
98.9 m / 324 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

25

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

3

# of Parking Spaces
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.

1184

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

14

Top Elevator Speed
Top Elevator Speed refers to the top speed capable of being achieved by an elevator within a particular building, measured in meters per second.

6 m/s

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

69,300 m² / 745,939 ft²

Rankings

  • By Location
#
66
Tallest in Abu Dhabi

Construction Schedule

2005

Proposed

2007

Construction Start

2010

Completed

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Arup
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Arup
Project Manager

The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.
Laing O'Rourke
Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.
Laing O'Rourke
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.
Arup; Permasteelisa Group
Wind
Cermak Peterka Petersen (CPP), Inc.
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Elevator
KONE
Façade Maintenance Equipment
CoxGomyl
Owner/Developer
Aldar Properties
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
MZ Architects
Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Arup
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Arup
Project Manager

The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.
Laing O'Rourke
Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.
Laing O'Rourke
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.
Arup; Permasteelisa Group
Wind
Cermak Peterka Petersen (CPP), Inc.
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Elevator
KONE
Façade Maintenance Equipment
CoxGomyl
Steel
William Hare Group Limited

CTBUH Initiatives

CTBUH Representatives Accompany Saudi Visit to Qatar, UAE

14 October 2014 - Event

CTBUH, EMI Lead Emirates Tall-Building Study Trip

23 March 2014 - Event

See more

Videos

01 January 2017 | Abu Dhabi

Aldar HQ, Abu Dhabi

This video previews the Aldar HQ, Abu Dhabi, the first circular disc-shaped building in the Middle East.

See more

Research

01 December 2016

An Overview of Structural & Aesthetic Developments in Tall Buildings Using Exterior Bracing & Diagrid Systems

Kheir Al-Kodmany, University of Illinois; Mir M. Ali, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

There is much architectural and engineering literature which discusses the virtues of exterior bracing and diagrid systems in regards to sustainability - two systems which...

See more

About HQ

Intended to create a sculptural iconic landmark through a novel architectural form, the geometric shape of the Aldar Headquarters building symbolizes unity, stability and rationality. The site is part of the Al Raha Beach Development in a central location within the development as a whole, with views to the marina and the canal. Significant effort went into the creation of efficient internal spaces and an effective structural system within the simple geometric form. A complex structural analysis of the podium and tower superstructure was undertaken using the 3D finite element analysis program, Strand 7.

The client requirement to have two separate lift cores each serving all levels posed some unusual challenges for the lift system. As all lifts in each core serve all floors, the travel times for each lift can be high as they travel the full vertical rise of the building. To overcome the resultant impact to the passenger waiting interval time, greater lifting capacity was required. To achieve this, all lifts operate a Destination Control Service from a common lobby area incorporating multiple control stations.

Videos

Filter by

01 January 2017 | Abu Dhabi

Aldar HQ, Abu Dhabi

This video previews the Aldar HQ, Abu Dhabi, the first circular disc-shaped building in the Middle East.

11 June 2013 | Abu Dhabi

Session 2: What Contributes Most to Sustainability in Tall Buildings?

The next generation of tall buildings will be judged on more than sheer height or aesthetic appearance. In the context of sustainability, they will also...

Research

01 December 2016

An Overview of Structural & Aesthetic Developments in Tall Buildings Using Exterior Bracing & Diagrid Systems

Kheir Al-Kodmany, University of Illinois; Mir M. Ali, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

There is much architectural and engineering literature which discusses the virtues of exterior bracing and diagrid systems in regards to sustainability - two systems which...

01 December 2016

The Emergence of the Diagrid - It’s All About the Node

Terri Meyer Boake, University of Waterloo

The diagrid structural system for constructing tall buildings is a recent invention. Debuting in 2004 with the construction of the Swiss Re Tower in London,...

CTBUH Initiatives

Filter by

14 October 2014

CTBUH Representatives Accompany Saudi Visit to Qatar, UAE

Henning Larsen Architects have been commissioned to design a sizable new headquarters building for a key Saudi organization and visited similar projects in Qatar and UAE.

27 March 2014

CTBUH, EMI Lead Emirates Tall-Building Study Trip

Georges Binder, Belgium Country Leader, recently joined with Executive Master Immobilier to conduct a study trip on tall buildings to the United Arab Emirates.

27 March 2014

CTBUH, EMI Lead Emirates Tall-Building Study Trip

Georges Binder, Belgium Country Leader, recently joined with Executive Master Immobilier to conduct a study trip on tall buildings to the United Arab Emirates.

1 May 2012

Aldar Headquarters Chosen as Featured Building

A perfect circle at the water's edge, Aldar's new headquarters is the centrepiece of Al Raha Beach, an exclusive new city on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.