Abu Dhabi skylines and views
Downtown, Al Reem Island, Yas Island, East part

Abu Dhabi has a very modern and impressive skyline, fastly growing with only new buildings. Only Dubai has a more impressive skyline in the UAE. In the late 1990s the tallest building in AD was only 164m tall, in 2005 only 185m, today the city has four buildings over 300m tall, 24 over 200m! Many new skyscrapers are also under construction, both in the city center and in the outskirts, making the skyline grow even more. The largest clusters are in the North and South parts of Downtown, where you can find the tallest ones clustered along the seashore, and the brand new skyscrapers of Al Reem Island, many still under construction. There are also skyscrapers on different places in the outskirts, like the Hyatt Capitol Gate in Eastern AD, that is the world's most leaning tower!

The 88-storey World Trade Center Residences is the tallest buildings, completed the same year as my visit (2014), the second tallest, ADNOC Towers almost completed, The Landmark, 3rd tallest completed in 2013 and Etihad Towers, consisiting of five glass towers with a shape of an open hand, that are the 4th tallest, was completed in 2011.

 

DOWNTOWN ABU DHABI

The skyline of Downtown Abu Dhabi seen from Heritage Village, from the left: Capital Plaza (complex in the distance), ADIA Tower (185m, tallest 2006, The Landmark (324m, 2013), World Trade Center Residences (381m, 2014), Baynunah Hilton Tower (165m, tallest 1994), WTC Trust Tower (278m, 2013). To the far right is Al Ain Tower (49 floors, 2011). In the front is Corniche Road and the beachfront.

Downtown Abu Dhabi and Corniche Lake, from the left: ADIA Tower (185m, tallest 2006, The Landmark (324m, 2013), World Trade Center Residences (381m, 2014), Baynunah Hilton Tower (165m, tallest 1994-2002), WTC Trust Tower (278m, 2013)

 

ADNOC Headquarters (342m, u/c, expected completion in 2014) Etihad Towers (five towers from 2011 up to 305m)

  


Etihad Towers

Nation Towers (268m, 2011) has the world's highest skybridge, taller then Petronas Towers

 

The Marina Mall Tower is the tallest structure in the Marina area (100m)
Downtown skyline  

Nation Towers with the world's highest pedestrian bridge and ADNOC Headquarters (u/c) that has a hole on the top

  


 

Corniche Road shoreline and Capital Plaza in the middle


Capital Plaza from 2011 is a mixed use complex with offices, hotel (Sofitel) and residences. The postmodern/art deco architecture of the tallest tower resembles Empire State Building in New York.

 


Le Royal Meridien, a hotel that was the city's tallest building 1993-94 and has a revolving restaurant.

Capital Plaza, Abu Dhabi's Manhattan

 

 
Nation Towers   Downtown
  West of downtown

 
Downtown   Downtown
  Downtown from Heritage Village

 

SKYLINE VIEWS FROM CORNICHE PARK AND CORNICHE ROAD:

 
Capital Plaza and Le Royal Meridien   Corniche Park, Downtown
  Outskirts of Downtown, Corniche Park

Corniche Park, The Landmark (324m, 2013), WTC (background), Baynunah Hilton Tower (165m, tallest 1994-2002), seen from Corniche Road.

The new Presidential Palace that is under construction (2014) and planned to be the world's largest residential mansion.

 

 

EASTERN OUTSKIRTS:

Approaching from the East   Yas Island

Sheikh Zayed Mosque, UAE:s largest mosque and a big tourist attraction, creates a skyline of its own in Southeast Abu Dhabi.


Hyatt Capital Gate is the world's most leaning tower (even more then the one in Pisa!). This deconstructivist mixed use skyscraper was built in 2010 and is 160m tall. It has a diagrid design, diagonal triangular structures.

  


Capital Gate is situated in the Southeastern outskirts just next to the race track on Yas Island.

Capital Gate, the leaning tower of Abu Dhabi, seen from the highway

 

 

AL REEM ISLAND:

Al Reem Island in Northeastern Abu Dhabi is an area with many skyscrapers under contruction, creating the second most dense skyline in the city. From the left: Sun and Sky Towers, The Gate, Tameer Towers.

 
Al Reem Island   The Gate with Sun Tower in front, Al Reem Island
   Al Reem Island: The Gate, Sun and Sky Towers, Marina Square Towers

 
Al Reem Island   Al Reem Island
   Al Reem Island

View of Al Reem Island from Downtown: Tameer Towers to the left is expected to be 300m tall, part of 2 skyscrapers u/c. The building in the middle is the 65-storey Sun Tower, with the 74-storey Sky Tower (292m) from 2010 hidden behind Tameer Tower, the glass scraper u/c and to the right is the wide and 240m tall structural expressionist complex The Gate from 2013, consisiting of 3 curved towers connected by a roof level on top.

Sowwah Island's four towers from 2012.