Whilst the formal inauguration of the Founder’s Memorial took place on 26 February in Abu Dhabi, the newly completed project which celebrates the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding father of the United Arab Emirates, was fully opened to the public on 22 April.
The opening marks another celebration in the Year of Zayed, and is one of a series of events planned throughout 2018 to commemorate the centenary of his birth.
Located at the western end of Abu Dhabi’s world famous Corniche, this spectacular 3.3 hectare project comprising a visitor centre and sensitively landscaped public plaza has, as its centrepiece, a unique public artwork comprising stainless steel geometic shapes, suspended on tensioned cables, providing visitors with a 30 metre high, three dimensional representation of Sheikh Zayed.
Thomas & Adamson International Ltd were originally appointed in 2015 as cost consultants during the pre-construction phase of the project and later engaged to provide project management services throughout the two year construction phase. Designed by American sculptor and public artist, Ralph Helmick, the 30 metre high artwork includes more than 1,300 geometric shapes of varying size. Known as platonic solids, shimmering tetrahedrons, cubes, octahedrons, dodecahedrons and icosahedrons are suspended on over 1,000 steel cables in a precise arrangement, providing visitors with a three-dimensional portrait of Sheikh Zayed which can be viewed day and night from a variety of perspectives.
Zander Muego, Partner at Thomas & Adamson explains: “We are thrilled to have been involved in a project of this stature and national importance. We are equally proud to have contributed to such an iconic project as the Founder’s Memorial in the Year of Zayed and to have supported the esteemed UAE leadership in realising their vision for the project.”
“This has been a challenging yet exciting project for Thomas & Adamson due to the bespoke nature of the artwork, it’s very scale and the level of precision required to ensure the accuracy of the installation. From the outset of the project on site, it was incumbent upon us as the project manager to lead by example and abide by the core project values of integrity, honesty, compassion, humanitarianism, wisdom, tolerance, co-existence and equality. Each stage of the process was approached with these values in mind and this has ensured that project has been delivered to a high standard.”
Set to become an international tourist attraction, the Founder’s Memorial will provide visitors with a greater insight into Sheikh Zayed’s life and legacy, while showcasing how he paved the way for the future prosperity and well being of his people.
