Abu Dhabi marks two key development moments this month, one with a bang and the other with a quiet nod to a decade ago.
The sound and the fury will be heard on the Corniche this weekend when the Mina Plaza Towers are finally demolished on Friday to make way for redevelopment. Long-term residents will be familiar with much of the story of the towers: construction on the site began in 2007 but was halted several times over the years.
In February, it was announced they would be demolished to make way for a redevelopment of the neighbourhood’s souqs and a regeneration of the seafront area.
The towers have stood for years as concrete reminders of a future not quite realised and serve as a brooding bookend at one end of the Corniche, far away from the glasswork statement made by the Etihad Towers at the opposite end of the popular coastal road.
If redevelopment should broadly aim to balance preservation and progress, the demolition of the Mina Plaza Towers represents a step forward. Few will mourn the passing of a construction project that never came close to fruition.
The demolition of the Mina Plaza Towers represents a step forward. Few will mourn the passing of a construction project that never came close to fruition. Victor Besa / The National
The new fish market is being built beside the old one. Courtesy: Department of Municipalities / Modon
The entrance to Mina Zayed's new fish market. Courtesy: Department of Municipalities / Modon
Construction is underway to transform Mina Zayed into a top tourist and commercial destination. Courtesy: Department of Municipalities / Modon
Construction is underway to transform Mina Zayed into a top tourist and commercial destination. Courtesy: Department of Municipalities / Modon
At the other end of Abu Dhabi island, the Sheikh Zayed Bridge, a monument of form and function, marks its 10th anniversary this month.
The late Zaha Hadid’s shape-shifting, wave-inspired work was years in the making and opened to traffic in November 2010, the same month Queen Elizabeth II arrived in the UAE on a state visit from the UK.
At a ceremony during her trip, the UK monarch and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, went on to unveil the plans for the Zayed National Museum, designed by Foster and Partners.
Ten years later, that "starchitect" moment – the inelegant portmanteau that is used to describe the world’s most famous architects – framed by the realisation of Hadid’s vision and the announcement of another piece of the huge Saadiyat puzzle, still seems breathtaking.
The bridge was one of the great works of Abu Dhabi’s early 21st-century development, as the city transformed into a destination city, economic powerhouse and cultural hub.
It is easy to underplay the bridge’s agile, weightless beauty now that Hadid’s signature piece is such a regular part of our lives.
Viewed from the roadway it offers commanding views of the channel that runs between Abu Dhabi island and the mainland, leaving most of its workings unseen. The perspective from Maqta Bridge tells another story, revealing Hadid’s futuristic swoops and sculptured curves that stretch over hundred of metres of land, air and water.
Rene Padirayon on top of the main arch in autumn 2009. Work on the Sheikh Zayed Bridge helped thousands of employees build better lives for the families they had left behind to go to work. Courtesy Roy Lengweiler
Construction of Sheikh Zayed Bridge in progress. Roy Lengweiler
Construction of Sheikh Zayed Bridge in progress. Roy Lengweiler
Roy Lengweiler was one of the first employees on site when the project began to be brought to life in January 2003. An engineer by trade, he was there when it opened, too. A career bridge builder, he would always say he was only one part of a much bigger effort to bring Hadid’s drawings into reality. He would, however, end up playing a unique role in the build.
Mr Lengweiler spent around 2,000 days on site, taking a camera with him most of the time to record work in progress, so that he could use those images in meetings convened to discuss this project of intense detail.
By the time I met him in late 2010 he had amassed thousands of images, which detailed every part of the construction process from start to finish. It took a few rounds of cajoling and pleading to persuade him to let us tell his story and to publish his pictures, which were later the subject of a temporary exhibition at a gallery in the city. The images are now held by Akkasah, the New York University Abu Dhabi's collection of regional photographs.
Swiss civil engineer and photographer Roy Lengweiler's 2012 photo exhibition at the Ghaf Gallery in Abu Dhabi was titled 'Sheikh Zayed Bridge – The Human Angle'. Silvia Razgova for The National
If redevelopment should broadly aim to balance preservation and progress, the demolition of the Mina Plaza Towers represents a step forward. Few will mourn the passing of a construction project that never came close to fruition
Looking back, it is not hard to see why his pictures struck a chord. Mr Lengweiler’s images weren’t just snapshots of a work in progress, they also painted a picture of vast human endeavour.
The process of bridge-building became an altogether more lyrical narrative in those frames. As thousands of workers toiled away on a project that was designed to connect people and build a literal pathway between communities, the work itself also helped those same employees build better lives for the families they had left behind to go to work. Each part of the bridge’s structure seemed to support and enhance the next one, just like the photographs themselves.
A call to Mr Lengweiler this week at his home in Switzerland to speak about the bridge and his photographs offered a chance for both of us to catch up. We hadn’t spoken in years. Even today he says Hadid’s work is “unparalleled in complexity”.
Our conversation also served as a chance to reflect and think about the scale of the Sheikh Zayed Bridge and the transformational power of development and progress.
Abu Dhabi residents will be reminded of that power once again on Friday when the Mina Zayed Towers are levelled to make way for the start of another new chapter in the city’s story.
Nick March is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany - At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people - Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed - Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest - He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s) Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year Sarina Wiegman (England)
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
