Spiralling out of the ground on one of the main roads into the capital, a new tower aims to be the iconic structure of Abu Dhabi. Helena Frith Powell takes a tour of the rapidly rising building
Every major city has a landmark building, instantly recognisable: in Paris, it's the Eiffel Tower; in London, the Houses of Parliament; New York has the Empire State Building; Dubai, the Burj Dubai. As yet, Abu Dhabi has no iconic structure, but the Capital Gate Tower taking shape by the Adnec Centre is its strongest contender so far. It will be tall, gleaming, irresistibly shaped and leaning at a seemingly dangerous angle - a Leaning Tower of Pisa for the 21st century.
Though Robin Gibson, the project director with RMJM, the tower's architects and engineers, and his colleague Irfan Ahmed, the senior structural engineer, talk admiringly about their "baby", the building has not got to where it is today (18 floors with 17 to go) without its challenges. The design is based on its surroundings: the sea, the sand and the way the wind plays upon them. The building rises out of the earth, twisting and turning as it goes, and then inclining at an 18 degree angle. A splash runs up one side of it, imitating the movement of a wave. The incline of 30 metres is 14 degrees greater than Pisa's tower.
"There is no way it can fall over," says Tony Archibold, the lead architect. "We have worked on every eventuality."
And there have been many eventualities. "Every time you change something to make one joint secure that has an effect on all the others," says Ahmed.
As we enter the building, a crane lifts a huge piece of steel. Close up you can see just how big the diamond-shaped panels of solar-reflecting glass that make up the exterior are. There are more than 700 of them and they are all slightly different due to the shape of the building. Each panel takes a week to make.
A makeshift lift takes us up to the 16th floor, and we walk up the remaining two floors. Eventually there will be 35 floors, but even halfway up, the view is stunning. You can see all the way to the Corniche.
Eleven hundred construction workers are working around the clock on the tower. "We are going up at a rate of a floor a week," says Gibson. The deadline for the core and shell is the end of October, in time for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Not only that but a rooftop helipad now needs to be added. By the time the entire building (interior and exterior) is completed in the summer of next year, it is estimated that it will have taken over nine million man hours to build.
I walk to the edge of the 18th floor. It doesn't yet have much of a lean on it, but it soon will. The vertigo I imagined does not set in.
"It is going to be an incredible gateway to Abu Dhabi," says Gibson. "It is iconic, unique and graceful." .
Archibold agrees. "I think it is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity to work on a project like this," he says. "It is not only defined by its engineering but also defined by a will to make something new. Which is why it could only have been built in a young vibrant country."
The building is an engineer's fantasy. It is the first time, for example, that a pre-cambered core has been used. Simply put, this means that the core - which is made up of approximately 16,000 cubic metres of concrete - is built at a very slight angle but will straighten when the building is complete due to the weight of the incline. It is also the first time a diagrid structure has been used on a building in the UAE. It was used in the Gherkin building (30 St Mary Axe) in London. The idea is comparable to an eggshell in structure: the diagrid evenly distributes the weight of the building and everything in it.
"The diagrid is necessary because this building rotates and twists as it goes up and it is built at an angle," explains Archibold. "These factors make it extremely dynamic so the weight needs to be distributed evenly to support that evolution."
When completed, the tower will be 160 metres tall. The building will house a five-star Hyatt Hotel on the ground level and floors 18 to 33. The remainder (two to 17) will be offices and service floors. The top floors may house presidential suites. The "splash" with a swimming pool on top will be 80 metres tall. There was a plan to make the swimming pool glass, but as Paul Vincent, the marketing and communications director of Adnec, explains, "We were worried people with vertigo would find swimming and looking down 80 metres a little disconcerting. After all, we want people to enjoy the building."
Ahmed and the whole team are looking forward to the day they can show off the tower to the rest of the world. "We will all be extremely proud," he says. "It is like our own baby and we have seen that baby grow up."
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Scores
Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool
Arsenal 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Burnley 1-0 Brighton
Manchester United 4-1 Fulham
West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace
Saturday fixtures:
Chelsea v Manchester City, 9.30pm (UAE)
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur, 11.45pm (UAE)
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
%E2%80%98White%20Elephant%E2%80%99
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jesse%20V%20Johnson%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Rooker%2C%20Bruce%20Willis%2C%20John%20Malkovich%2C%20Olga%20Kurylenko%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Naga
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMeshal%20Al%20Jaser%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdwa%20Bader%2C%20Yazeed%20Almajyul%2C%20Khalid%20Bin%20Shaddad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ramy%3A%20Season%203%2C%20Episode%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAri%20Katcher%2C%20Ryan%20Welch%2C%20Ramy%20Youssef%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERamy%20Youssef%2C%20Amr%20Waked%2C%20Mohammed%20Amer%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
More on Quran memorisation:
MATCH INFO
Who: France v Italy
When: Friday, 11pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
More on Quran memorisation:
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
