The contract to build the Frank Gehry clubhouse will be floated later in 2010.
Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) – master developer of Saadiyat Island and its Saadiyat Beach Golf Club – has commissioned Frank Gehry to design the golf course’s new clubhouse.
TDIC will put the project out to tender in late 2010.
The centrepiece for the Gary Player-designed Saadiyat Beach Golf Course, the 18,000 m² clubhouse has been designed to meet Estidama guidelines and is scheduled to be completed in 2013.
“We wanted someone who could push design boundaries to create visual architecture that makes bold statements,” said Ahmed Hussein, COO of TDIC and deputy director general of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.
Careful consideration was given to blending indoor and outdoor space throughout the project – a design style that Gehry chose to emphasise through large terraces with sweeping glass canopies. The clubhouse, which overlooks the Arabian coastline, will include a boutique hotel with 26 deluxe rooms, two restaurants, a spa and a pro-shop.
“We are just at the beginning of the detailed design of the clubhouse and are very pleased with the progress thus far. The design is intended to be an ephemeral mirage floating above the greens,” explained the Pritzker Prize-winning architect.
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