Goettsch Partners, Chicago, has been commissioned by Mubadala Development Company of Abu Dhabi to design the 3.1-million-sf Sowwah Square in Abu Dhabi, recently dubbed by the city's framework plan as its future central business district.
Located on the city's Sowwah Island, the development will feature a four-story, glass-enclosed stock exchange building atop four 90-foot stone piers, as well as two 31-story and two 37-story office towers with transparent lobbies sitting beneath the first floors 110 feet up. The waterfront complex is connected by a landscaped plaza and two-story retail podium. Sustainable features include a ventilated, double-skin façade to assist building insulation; 27,500 sf of rooftop photovoltaic panels to supply power; and active and passive solar shading to control light and heat gain.
