Architects: Dubarch
Role: Structural, MEP, geotechnical, infrastructure and construction supervision
The client, Tourism Development Investment Company (TDIC), identified a unique opportunity to develop a world-class retreat and tourist destination at the edge of the Rub al Khali which, literally translated, means the Quarter of Emptiness. This area is the world’s largest sand sea at more than 580,000km2. It takes up a substantial portion of Saudi Arabia, as well as parts of Oman, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates, and creates an arid wilderness with a vast trackless expanse of towering sand dunes. The proposed development will contribute to the preservation of this area of Abu Dhabi’s natural environment.
The project comprises a 160-room main hotel block with full front and back-of-house facilities, 15 hotel blocks, 60 villas and ten VIP villas, a royal pavilion, a spa, a desert experience and staff accommodation.
One of the first challenges on this project was to design and construct the extensive retaining walls up to ten metres in height. These would provide platforms for the individual villas and hotel blocks, as well as for the central hotel structure. The design solution of earth retaining walls, never used before in this type of situation, allowed the contractor to fast track this section of the work while still mobilising for the traditional construction activities. The time saved on this design solution alone saved four to six months on the programme.
With an opening day deadline which could not be adjusted, the client, designers and contractor work collaboratively, and sometimes out of sequence, to provide a truly flexible approach to the design process and to provide the critical elements needed to achieve the aggressive target dates.