Site visit: Trust Tower, Abu Dhabi

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On track for a 2012 completion, the Trust Tower in the Central Market is one of the largest office towers in Abu Dhabi, with a third more space than the landmark Aldar headquarters.

The Trust Tower, with its angular shape, has been dubbed one of the tallest office towers in Abu Dhabi. In an effort to make the area the business hub of the capital, it sets a new benchmark in terms of office-building design. Floor-to-ceiling windows and oval-shaped spaces give the building an airy feel.

This high-rise tower has been designed by Foster + Partner’s UK-based architect Lord Norman Foster specifically with sustainability in mind. It is part of three planned towers featuring smooth reflective façades intended to require little maintenance despite the dusty climate.

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While the towers are grouped together, they have different appearances and sizes according to their respective functions, whether office, residential or hotel.

The development was designed with layers of internal shading on the towers to minimise glare and utilise the abundant solar energy. The roofs of the lower buildings will have terraced gardens. The three towers will have public access routes between them, which can be covered by mobile roofs during peak summer temperatures.

Trust Tower also boasts the latest in building technology, including an ‘intelligent’ façade that controls light levels into the building for cooling purposes. Three double-deck lifts provide high-speed access occupants to all levels of the building. There is also flexibility in the ceiling height, adding to the design flexibility so tenants have the freedom to customise their office space.

The building offers 59 levels and 72,000m2 of office space. “The Trust Tower has been designed with efficiency and flexibility in mind to meet the needs of today’s enterprise,” says Rami Nasser, director of sales and commercial leasing at al Aldar.

“Occupants of the office spaces will be able to start their fit-out on a phased basis from November, before the official opening of the building in mid-2012,” says Claire Hughes Munro, Aldar's senior manager of commercial leasing.

ACC is the main contractor of the project, which is set for construction completion in the second quarter of 2012.

“Construction is proceeding. The Trust Tower will be completed in Q2 2012 and the Emporium shopping mall in Q3 2012. The residential component, comprising 474 premium residential units, will be completed later that year,” adds Nasser. “The entire project will be finished by 2014, including the four-star Marriot Courtyard Hotel and the five-star Marriot Renaissance hotel.”

Imad Bordkani, ACC’s project manager at the Trust Tower, elaborates on the timeframe: “Originally the time-frame was 39 months, from 15 October 2007 to 31 January 2011; now the timeframe has been revised to 54 months, from the same initial commencement date.

Construction completion is anticipated by the end of May 2012. The project is currently 5% behind schedule.” However, Bordkani points out that this is a fractional lag that is unlikely to impact on the final completion date.

The high-profile Trust Tower has not been without its challenges, says Bordkani. “The upper superstructure of the building and its ring beam posed a challenge.”