Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi

The Burj al Arab in Dubai has only had a few years to enjoy its undisputed standing as the most luxurious hotel in the United Arab Emirates. Since 2005, Abu Dhabi has also been blessed with the Emirates Palace, an edifice offering similarly spectacular lines, albeit combined in a completely different language of shape. Located in a park landscape measuring 100 hectares and extending one kilometre around the bay at the west end of the corniche, this enormous fairy-tale Arabian palace was built within just three years. The architecture of the 243,000 m2 complex reflects the colours of the desert and makes the most of some typical style elements of the region: a 60 metre high main dome and 114 smaller domes impart to the luxury hotel an appearance of mythical splendour. Inside, marble is the order of the day: 13 different kinds and 110,000 cubic metres of this noble material have been installed in the building. The flow of pedestrian traffic is regulated by 140 lifts and 7,000 doors. KEO International Consultans (KEOIC), the contractors for the project, entrusted much of the door control equipment to DORMA and the inherent flexibility of its products. A typical example is the ES 90 automatic sliding door operator—a modular drive system that can be adapted to even the most complicated security requirements. Or the IST 96 concealed door closer, the unmatched “invisible force” among its peers.

Prominent Features

The Emirates Palace is destined to become the leading conference hotel in the region. Aside from 394 truly de-luxe rooms and up to 1,200 square metres of large suite accommodation, it also offers an ultra-modern conference centre. Measuring 7,000 m2, this boasts a state-of-the-art auditorium for 1,200 people, 40 meeting rooms and a hightech media centre. The Palace also has its own ballroom with capacity for 2,800 guests. However, it can also be used for smaller, concurrent events thanks to a system of operable partitions. With their inherent design elegance and outstanding sound insulation values (Rw sound reduction rating = 67 decibels), the Variflex Top 100 system from DORMA Hüppe provides the perfect complement to the exclusive ambience.