Emirates Palace Hotel, the hotel that introduced Abu Dhabi to the world

They are just some of the buildings that define the UAE. But what’s the story behind them? In part five of our summer series celebrating the country’s architecture, we’ll learn about the history behind the Palace of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

This Hilton used to be Abu Dhabi The first five-star hotel and Corniche landmark, ushering in a new era of internationalism for the city.

When it opened in 1973, Hilton announced the arrival of the emirate to the world with delicacies such as smoked salmon.

As the city grew in the 1980s and 1990s, new hotel openings challenged Hilton’s dominance.

But by the early 2000s, a new hotel was planned that would overshadow them.

In a room at the old Hilton Hotel in the early 2000s, a team from one of the world’s top architectural firms is overseeing the exceptional construction just a stone’s throw away.

This red building, which has been erected on the Corniche, will become a global landmark and a major tourist attraction, no less than a top hotel.

Almost 20 years later, an architect at the Emirates Palace Hotel reflects on how they designed one of the world’s most exclusive hotels.

“Interesting new project”

Jeremy Heyes of global construction firm Wimberly, Allison, Tong and Goo (WATG) remembers a call from Abu Dhabi about an interesting new project that had to be ready by December 2005.

“Abu Dhabi has been chosen to host the next GCC summit,” Mr Hayes told National. “It’s very important and has a lot of ambition to get it done as soon as possible. Not only did we win [the design brief], there is a ton of agreement on how this place is organized. “

WATG sends a team to Abu Dhabi to oversee the project as it rises from the site ras al ahdarAt its peak, the company had 80 design professionals working on site, including interior designers, architects and engineers.

Mr Hayes, from the UK, said he spent 70 per cent of his time in Abu Dhabi during the project, working under lead architect John Elliott. died in 2010. About 20,000 construction workers achieved this goal.

WATG’s design comes into play even before guests enter the main building. The hotel is in an elevated position and can be seen from a few kilometers away, and the drive to the entrance slowly leads people through gardens, fountains and under arches. “It’s clearly meant to be inspirational,” Mr Hayes said. “The order of arrival is to raise expectations.”

From there, guests are brought to the reception area and greeted under the imposing 72.6-meter dome. “From floor to ceiling, it’s one of the largest interior spaces in the world. It’s bigger than St Paul’s Cathedral. It’s absolutely massive, but it feels like a sanctuary,” Mr Hayes said. “It’s beautiful and peaceful.”

The Emirates Palace has 114 domes, 1,002 crystal chandeliers, more than 92,900 square meters of marble, 200 fountains, a triumphal arch and pristine white sand imported from Algeria for beach use.

The design expresses a classic regional architectural language through the use of domes, columns, arches and lighting. Mr Hayes said it was important that it did not imitate other styles or rebuild buildings such as Mughal palaces. One of the reasons the hotel feels so peaceful, he said, is that modern laser cutting technology allows them to use larger granite blocks than before in places like the floor.

“Emirates Palace was designed to be more composed because we oversized it,” Mr Hayes said. “Look at the floor of the main space: that’s oversized jet-cut granite. That’s why I think technology has influenced the way we design.”

The interior incorporates natural stone, antique gold and mother-of-pearl, while the stone exterior of the hotel reflects Al Ain’s crimson sandy beaches.

“As the sun goes down, it hits the sand and the color turns pink. That’s the inspiration. It’s also practical, meaning if there’s a sandstorm, we’re not white and don’t have to take out the jet washer.”

One of the most interesting aspects of the project is the relative rarity of palaces located on the waterfront. “The beach is about swimming and people wearing bathing suits, and the palace is about big royal events,” Mr Hayes said. “It was an extraordinary site choice, very visionary.”

In addition to private rooms and rooms for the royals attending the 2005 GCC summit, it also has a large theatre the size of any West End facility and a ballroom that seats 2,500. There are secret doors and floors so guests can’t see what’s going on.

“You’ll never see things delivered to restaurants,” Mr Hayes said. “There is a two-lane driveway below the entire hotel for the conference facilities with guest services. Everything is done like magic.”

The Emirates Palace has 394 rooms, including 92 suites and 22 residential suites for the Head of State. It has 7,000 doors, 128 kitchens, a marina, four helipads, and is adorned with 26,247 meters of 22-carat gold leaf inside (it even has its own in-house gold leaf specialist). Outside are verdant gardens with 8,000 trees that attract more than 150 species of birds, while staff harvest 20 tons of dates from the palm trees each year. The hotel said the Emirates Palace was built on 1,000,000 square meters of reclaimed land, half the size of Monaco.

After 15 years of opening, the hotel is now looking to the future.Mandarin Oriental take over As an operator, another new era in 2020 has begun.

Mr Hayes has worked on other landmark projects such as the refurbishment of the Claridge Hotel in London, but the Emirates Palace remains a highlight of his career.

“We used to stay at the Hilton and walk up to the site and see this beautiful palace rising from the ground,” he said of the early design stages.

“It was obviously a career-defining moment for me. Even today, when I walk up to the main drive and get out of the car, I’m like, ‘Wow! “I’m very proud of that.”

Updated: August 14, 2022 5:00AM