at Austin-Smith:Lord (2009-2011)
Within Qasr el Hosn Cultural Quarter in Abu Dhabi lies the headquarters for ADACH, the client behind the £500 Million cultural neighbourhood around the restored fort of Qasr el Hosn, Abu Dhabi’s oldest building. Conceived as a workplace for a government cultural authority, the ADACH HQ is designed to convey the Emerati work culture which celebrates labour; furthermore, ADACH has amassed over the years an impressive collection of ambassadorial gifts and artefacts that are exhibited, albeit in a makeshift manner, within their existing temporary offices. As such, the design for the ADACH HQ questions the conventional office typology and proposes a hybrid of office-cum-exhibition gallery where the aforementioned artefacts as well as the quotidian operations are put on display for visitors. The result is a vessel space that hosts offices as objects on display, curated via glass cabinets and shelves and in view. From the outside, the building’s main facade is a refresh of the curiosity cabinet, where different apertures draw passers-by to sneak a peek to either see an artefact or to gain a moderated view of different sections of the building. Semiotically, the interior spaces as well as operations are read in subtle way on the outside.