Abu Dhabi Media Company Headquarters, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Both a headquarters complex and a public, media-immersive, multi-sensory experience, this development blends ideas derived from traditional Arab culture with models for new media environments. Equivalent in size to three New York City blocks, the complex is broken down into a series of program-based frames. The plan distributes the various subsidiaries of the Abu Dhabi Media Company, ranging from print media to radio to television to film, throughout the complex, in addition to other program elements such as executive offices and prayer rooms. The careful weaving together of these frames creates a variety of interstitial spaces, including an interior pedestrian street that recalls the experience of the souk, or traditional Arab marketplace.