«The riches are worth nothing if they don’t serve people, and one of the topmost priorities of the state
should be taking proper care of people’s welfare and promoting public spirit».

Sheikh Zayed

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the creator and multiyear president of the United Arab Emirates, the ruler of Abu Dhabi. His name stands for “multiplying” in Arabic, and that is exactly what the sheikh’s descendants aim to do: working hard to multiply the state founder’s rich heritage. One of the numerous projects of the Al Nahyan family was Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, which our company was honoured to create.

The university campus in Abu Dhabi is a fusion of the most contemporary innovative technologies channeled within the course of the traditional Arab values. A bird’s eye view of the complex resembles a spread eagle – one of the symbols of the United Arab Emirates. Single-sex education is one of the old-time local traditions. For that reason, the left wing of the building complex in intended for women, while facilities on the right side of the main building are the domain of men.

The shape of the main building was prompted by the silhouette of the dhow - a lateen-rigged coastal Arab sailing vessel with one or two masts, which was used by ancestors of present-day UAE residents for fishing and trading with the neighouring states.

All the way from wooden vessels and fishing villages to ultramodern cities the Emirates made in an extremely short period - just a few decades. Chosen as a prototype of the university building, the dhow – a boat sailing to wisdom and knowledge - points to the nation’s historical roots and the ambition to reach their goals, while the eagle silhouette elevates the campus above the clouds in that ambition.

Actually, everyone is free to interpret in their own way the symbolism hidden in the university’s architectural style, however for us it will suffice to note that the architectural forms chosen offer unconditional functional advantages in the area of ergonomics and contribute to a comfortable microclimate.

The main building comes with a common area, although there is an original mechanism to separate the territory in men’s and women’s halves. In the centre of the building there is an open-air plaza with the so-called Infinity Pool with water lilies in it. If necessary, a two-metre-high slow water fountain can divide the entire plaza into two equal parts.  Straight under the pool there is a spacey multifunctional facility with a glass ceiling, with sunrays penetrating through the mass of water to create a unique play of light.

Under hot climatic conditions glazing options were either reduced to a minimum or hidden in the courtyards. Nevertheless, the library’s reading hall with an access to the plaza boasts a considerable degree of solid glazing to ensure maximum insulation. Here the problem of direct sunlight is resolved with the help of contemporary materials – the glass with a special coating lets though less than half of solar energy.

Also prompted by climatic conditions was the idea to position conference halls inside the “nose” of the main building: there are special access ramps to allow cars in straight under roof and dodge direct sunlight. The cone-like shape of the nose is speckled with ventilation openings to ensure the building retains a maximum of its natural cool. A lot of buildings in the campus are connected with roofed mall streets to facilitate transition from one building to another without being exposed to the burning sun of Arabia. The malls are there not only to ensure protection, but also to channel student streams and offer room for recreational activities.

All specialties and architectural novelties of the project (of which there are many) are pegged to a single concept and are intended to ensure maximum comfort for the teaching staff and students, as well as Abu Dhabi residents and guests, who opt to visit the university. Here traditions are closely interwoven with modernity, and so is the scale of the general concept with elaborated details. All that sets new development priorities for the infrastructure of the city that faces the future.

The project designed in collaboration with AECOM