The city changes all the time. At the rate that projects get finished over here it's insane. Every time we're away for a couple of weeks something new pops up on the cities skyline.
The latest updates are;
The monumental Shaikh Zayed Bridge has finally been finished & is open. This project was way over due but now that it's done it's beautiful to look at. As one web site puts it "the bridge has the prospect of becoming a destination in itself and potential catalyst in the future urban growth of Abu Dhabi." I totally agree with this as the other 2 bridges in Abu Dhabi are really nothing special to look at.
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Here's what the final project looks like! |
Next on the update list is Steve's new office. Not a surprise but they are behind schedule & will only be moving into the new space June 2012 if I'm not mistaken. The structure is up along the Easter Ring road but it really doesn't look like it will be finished any time soon. Steve & I watched a documentary on the buildings on the Discover channel. It is pretty amazing! The new Abu Dhabi Investment Council offices will be the first in the region!!! They are using original Islamic architecture to block out the direct sunlight entering through the windows. Unlike, all of the buildings in Abu Dhabi, the Council's offices will not have tinted windows as it won't need them & in turn will use natural sun light indoors. To block the sun the architects are using movable Mashrabiya screens which will open as the sun light hits the building. The same way they will close when the sun moves to the other side of the building. This will allow for less energy consumption in terms of less AC & less indoor lights. It is pretty impressive what they are building & I'm sure it will be just as impressive if not more to be working in these offices.
Here are some pictures I found on the web of how the buildings will look like once finished.
The Souk is now open with a variety of stores & restaurants. This Souk is rebuilt on the sight of the original Souk in Abu Dhabi, which unfortunately burned down a couple of years ago. A Souk for those of you who don't know is a market place. I couldn't find any pictures of it so next time we're there I'll have to take my own.
Ferrari world is now open. It is the largest indoor them park in the world with the fastest roller coaster in the world! I tell ya they don't do it small here :-)
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A bird's eye view of Ferrari World.
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The public beach extension is still in progress, that project has been on for over a year. Makes me wonder how great the public beach will be. The Municipality of Abu Dhabi has decided to build 120 new parks for children to help battle the high obesity & diabetes numbers in children here. The new parks are great! Most of them are fully shaded & they all have cork on the ground which means a lot less boo boos' for Lea when she falls & Amelia can can crawl around easily.
That's it for now, I'm sure I forgot about other new developments here so when I think of any I'll post about them here.