United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi

ADNOC

Dynamic, striking, iconic
Rising to 342 metres in height, the innovative new headquarters of Abu Dhabi’s National Oil Company (ADNOC) offers a view of the city and the Arabian Gulf. It is also a LEED Gold certified environment for the firm’s 4,000 employees.

Elegance on the horizon

ADNOC made a bold statement with the design of its Abu Dhabi headquarters, which features glass and Bethel White granite as its façade materials. The honeycomb-shaped rain screen panels are both functional and aesthetic, while the building’s cutting-edge design led to unique construction challenges that required innovative solutions.

A feat of engineering

The ADNOC headquarters building was designed to be highly asymmetrical, which could cause the building to twist and lean forward over time. Furthermore, the original design was based on a steel structure to provide the extra stiffness necessary to protect against this natural motion - a structure that would be extremely difficult to fabricate and erect. Finally, the process of lifting the finished steel roof structure to a height of 342 metres would involve complex, daring and precise high-altitude engineering.

BESIX transformed a visionary inspiration into a reality. The elegant colour scheme, ground-breaking design, high-quality materials and beautiful finishes imbue the building with comfort and luxury.

A crowning achievement

BESIX engineers chose to implement a steel structure of circular tubes rather than square ones, as they are easier to fabricate, lighter and require less steel. Much of the stiffness necessary to keep the building from twisting and leaning was also achieved with high-strength concrete. These changes not only optimized the geometry of the building; they also saved 20% of the total cost of construction and simplified the construction schedule. Last but not least, the BESIX team successfully tackled the challenge of placing the steel roof structure upon the summit of the edifice without a single hitch.

Project details

Project nameADNOC
LocationAbu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
Building period2010 - 2016
CategoryHigh Rise
Stakeholder(s)Six Construct
ArchitectHOK Halcrow - Ch2m
Contract typeDesign & Build
ClientAbu Dhabi National Oil Company
Total Value Euro€ 476000000

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Philippe Dessoy

General Manager Business Development