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We all know that buildings don't always turn out like the renderings. Last-minute changes and real-life materials can all cause discrepancies between the vision and reality of a project. In our weekly Flash Forward Friday feature, we take a look at how different projects stack up.
Sharing some immediate design similarities to The Index in Dubai, the 342-metre-tall Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Headquarters is a monument to the region's oil-producing economy. Situated in a prestigious area of Abu Dhabi, the supertall structure's enveloping white frame and slender profile are augmented by strategically placed plazas, courts, and landscaping that ensures the complex is just as impressive from below as it is afar.
Before construction on the HOK-designed tower began in 2009, artistic illustrations showcased to the public the type of tower they could expect. Holding 65 storeys of glass-sheathed office space within an acriform crown containment, the building would possess a series of horizontal protrusions, set against recessed portions of the facade, and bookending a smooth central volume.
Completed in 2015, the finished product seems to have done away with the accentuating fins, instead opting for a full and unadorned glass volume. But the signature archway — arguably its most unique design feature — remained intact. A revised rendering, pictured above, aligns with what was ultimately achieved.
The tower makes the most of its parallelogram-shaped site with a north-south orientation that minimizes its footprint, paving the way for a multitude of amenity spaces including conference rooms. The roof of the projecting three-storey podium — housing retail space, a heritage museum, and the main lobby — extends southward across the access road to link a new mosque. Its silhouette, massive from one angle and narrow from another, represents the company's importance in the ongoing urban and economic development of the United Arab Emirates.
We will return next Friday with another comparison!
