Capital Gate Abu Dhabi: visitor guide

What to expect at Capital Gate

Capital Gate holds the Guinness World Record as the world's furthest inclined man-made tower, leaning 18 degrees to the west, more than four times the lean of the Tower of Pisa. Unlike Pisa's accidental subsidence lean, the site's extreme inclination was intentional and designed from the outset, a deliberate structural and architectural statement that required the development of new engineering techniques to achieve safely. The tower houses the Hyatt the site hotel and sits adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

The Engineering Achievement

The site's 18-degree westward lean was not simply a matter of building a tower that points diagonally. The entire structural system was redesigned around the lean, a diagrid structural skin of 12,500 unique steel members arranged in a diamond pattern forms the building's primary structural system, transferring the forces from the lean through the diagonal members to the foundation. The concrete core of the tower was built intentionally pre-cambered (out of plumb by several degrees in the opposite direction), then pulled into its final position by the installation of the steel diagrid. The floor plates of 35 upper storeys are consequently tilted, giving hotel guests rooms that lean perceptibly.

Also, the foundation required 490 piles driven to 30 metres depth and a 12,000-tonne concrete basement slab to resist the overturning forces created by the lean. The engineering firm Halcrow's solution, since adopted and cited in structural engineering literature, is innovative and represents a real advance in tall building engineering.

The Hyatt Capital Gate Hotel

In general, the tower's upper storeys house the Hyatt the site, a luxury hotel whose rooms are tilted by the building's lean. Guests on upper floors can perceive the inclination when standing and looking at the floor or wall edges. The hotel's Sky Pool and terrace offer views across Abu Dhabi from one of the city's most architecturally distinctive buildings. Non-guests can access the hotel's restaurants and bar, providing a way to experience the building's interior without an overnight stay.

Viewing and Photography

This site is free to photograph from the exterior and the best viewing positions are from the ADNEC grounds to the north and east, where the full drama of the 18-degree lean is most apparent. The building's steel diagrid surface changes character dramatically depending on the angle and quality of light, morning light from the east, catching the diagonal members in relief, is the most visually interesting. The site is also clearly visible from the Abu Dhabi Corniche as part of the wider city skyline, though at the distance required to see the lean against the background of other buildings.

Context: Abu Dhabi's Architectural Ambitions

This site sits within a broader pattern of architectural experimentation in Abu Dhabi, the Aldar Headquarters (the world's first circular commercial skyscraper) and the Etihad Towers complex are nearby examples of the same willingness to commission architecturally adventurous buildings. Together they form one of the most interesting collections of structurally distinctive contemporary architecture in the Gulf.