Late-century modernism

Observe a striking local style.

Many arrive in Abu Dhabi through the Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed Zayed International Airport. And while that is a perfect architectural ambassador for the modern-day city, it’s worth considering arriving by bus instead, if only for the chance to see the Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal. The mint-green complex, with its mix of striking zigzag canopies and rounded arches, is an exceptional example of late-century modernist architecture.

Structures such as this – along with the corncob-shaped Al Ibrahimi tower, the Obeid Al Mazru’i (known locally as the “Connect 4” building for its similarity to the game) and Zayed Sports City’s brutalist take on a Roman amphitheatre – were constructed during the first wave of rapid development in the late 1970s and 1980s, when architects and town planners envisioned geometric façades and retro-futuristic silhouettes as hallmarks of a forward-thinking city.

Although many of these original structures have since been replaced, Abu Dhabi is now rediscovering the appeal of the surviving examples, with the local government having granted heritage protection to more than 60 of them.

In turn, some are finding a second lease of life as community hubs: there are plans for parts of the Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal, for example, to be repurposed as a gallery, café and cinema for the city’s growing creative community.

Ahead of the curve
Fans of the late-century style should stay at Sheraton Abu Dhabi, a 1979 masterpiece by Rothermel Cooke.