HQ

TL;DR: HQ by Aldar Properties — universally known as "The Coin Building" — is the world's first completely circular skyscraper, a 110-metre, 23-floor architectural icon in Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi, offering 62,000 sq m of Grade A office space with LEED Silver certification, an automated subterranean waste collection system, 1,200-space basement parking, and 360-degree panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf and Abu Dhabi skyline. Completed in 2010 and managed by Aldar Properties, HQ provides the most architecturally prestigious corporate address in Abu Dhabi — 10 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport and 45 minutes from Dubai.

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Overview

Aldar Headquarters — universally known as "HQ" or colloquially as "The Coin Building" because its perfectly circular silhouette resembles a giant coin standing on edge — is one of the most architecturally extraordinary commercial buildings in the world. Developed by Aldar Properties as the company's own global headquarters and premium commercial asset, HQ was completed in 2010 in the Al Dana District of Al Raha Beach — Aldar's flagship mixed-use masterplan community along the Abu Dhabi coastline between Yas Island and Abu Dhabi city proper.

Designed by MZ Architects (Marwan Zgheib), HQ holds the globally recognized distinction of being the world's first completely circular skyscraper — an architectural achievement that required unprecedented structural engineering innovation and immediately established the building as a landmark not just for Abu Dhabi but for global architecture. The building appears on architectural and engineering lists worldwide and is recognized by institutions including the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

At 110 metres and 23 floors, HQ provides approximately 62,000 sq m (667,000 sq ft) of Grade A office space organized across floor plates that deliver 360-degree panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf, Al Raha Beach Canal, Yas Island, and the Abu Dhabi skyline — views that change with every degree of rotation around the building's circular circumference.

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Location & Connectivity

HQ is situated in the Al Dana District of Al Raha Beach — strategically positioned along the main E11 (Abu Dhabi–Dubai) highway, making it visible to all traffic entering Abu Dhabi from the Dubai direction and creating one of the most recognized corporate silhouettes on the Abu Dhabi approach.

Key distances from HQ, Al Raha Beach:

• Abu Dhabi International Airport: 10 km (10 minutes) — exceptional airport proximity for a major commercial tower
• Yas Island (Ferrari World, Yas Mall, Yas Marina Circuit): ~10 km (10 minutes)
• Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: ~25 km (20 minutes)
• Abu Dhabi CBD (Corniche, ADGM): ~25 km (25–30 minutes)
• Al Maryah Island (Abu Dhabi's financial district): ~28 km (30 minutes)
• Dubai (Downtown): ~115 km (45–50 minutes via E11)
• Dubai International Airport (DXB): ~95 km (55–65 minutes)

Al Raha Beach itself is a fully developed mixed-use community with residential, retail, hospitality, and commercial components. The surrounding Al Bandar, Al Muneera, and Al Zeina sub-districts provide executive housing for HQ tenants' staff within a few kilometers.

Highway Visibility: HQ's position adjacent to the E11 gives it extraordinary corporate visibility — the circular glass tower is visible from both directions on the main Abu Dhabi–Dubai highway, providing brand presence to the millions of vehicles that travel this route annually.

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Architecture — The World's First Circular Skyscraper

HQ's circular form is not a decorative choice — it is a structural and engineering innovation without precedent in tall-building construction at the time of delivery.

Structural Engineering Innovation:

• Diagrid structure: The circular form is achieved using a complex steel diagrid (diagonal grid) framework on the building's exterior face — visible through the glass and creating a geometric pattern that is both structural and aesthetic
• The diagrid eliminates internal structural columns within the floor plates, creating unobstructed open-plan office space with maximum flexibility
• The building's two curved convex glass facades are joined by a narrow indented band — creating the coin-like profile when viewed from certain angles
• Structural engineers had to solve the unprecedented challenge of building a circle rather than a rectilinear form at skyscraper scale in the UAE climate

Visual Characteristics:

• The building's appearance changes dramatically depending on viewing angle — full circle from one direction, narrow edge from another, partial disc from oblique angles
• The glass façade reflects the Abu Dhabi sky and Gulf water, creating a dynamic color-shifting exterior throughout the day
• At night, internal lighting creates a spectacular illuminated disc effect visible from kilometers in all directions

Floor Plate Features:

• 360-degree panoramic views from every floor
• Circular floor plans requiring innovative space planning for efficient office layouts
• Natural light on all sides of every floor at all times of day

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Office Specifications & Facilities

Grade A Office Space:

• Total leasable area: approximately 62,000 sq m (667,000 sq ft)
• 23 floors of commercial office space
• Floor plates range in size across floors due to the building's circular geometry
• Available in fitted and shell-and-core configurations
• Raised access flooring, suspended ceilings, integrated M&E throughout

Parking:

• 3-level basement car parking with capacity for approximately 1,200 vehicles — a substantial provision for a building of this size and location
• Secure, managed access control

Vertical Transport:

• 12 high-speed passenger elevators — providing efficient traffic management across 23 floors
• Dedicated service lifts

Sustainability — LEED Silver:

• HQ holds LEED Silver certification from the US Green Building Council
• Energy-efficient district cooling plant supplying the building's HVAC requirements
• Advanced water recycling systems
• Smart lighting with occupancy and daylight sensing
• Automated subterranean vacuum waste collection system — the first in Abu Dhabi; a pneumatic underground pipe network collects waste from bin points throughout the building and transports it to a central collection station without requiring garbage trucks to access the building

In-Building Services:

• On-site convenience stores and retail
• High-end cafés and corporate dining outlets
• Building security 24/7
• Advanced building management systems

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Tenant Profile & Leasing

HQ serves as Aldar Properties' own corporate headquarters alongside premium commercial tenants from the financial services, energy, real estate, legal, and professional services sectors operating in the Abu Dhabi market.

Target Tenants:

• International and regional banks and financial services companies
• Energy sector (oil & gas, renewables) multinational and regional companies
• Professional services (law, accounting, consulting) firms
• Real estate and development companies
• Government-adjacent institutions and quasi-governmental entities
• Technology and telecommunications companies

Leasing Structure:

• Office suites available on annual and multi-year commercial leases
• Floor-plate and partial-floor configurations available
• Pricing: Premium Grade A rates consistent with Abu Dhabi's top commercial addresses
• AED 3.6M–5.5M reflects capital value / long-term lease equivalent pricing for significant office suite acquisitions

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Investment Analysis

HQ's investment characteristics are those of a trophy commercial asset:

Commercial Grade A Premium:

• Grade A LEED-certified circular building in a mature, well-connected Abu Dhabi community commands the highest commercial rental premiums in the Al Raha Beach sub-market
• 10-minute airport proximity is a structurally premium attribute for corporate tenants with international travel requirements

Trophy Asset Status:

• The world's first circular skyscraper has intrinsic architectural and landmark value that creates a brand premium for tenants
• HQ's global architectural recognition means it appears in architecture publications, travel guides, and corporate marketing materials globally — providing tenants with brand association beyond a standard office building

Aldar Properties Management:

• Aldar is Abu Dhabi's largest publicly listed developer, managing HQ to institutional Grade A standards with sustained investment in building systems and services

Abu Dhabi Commercial Market Dynamics:

• Abu Dhabi's Grade A office market benefits from strong government and energy sector anchor tenants
• Al Raha Beach's established community creates the supporting residential, retail, and hospitality infrastructure that corporate tenants require for staff welfare

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Why HQ Stands Out

1. World's First Circular Skyscraper. This is a global architectural record — not an Abu Dhabi record or a UAE record, but a world first. The bragging rights for a corporate address that occupies the world's first circular skyscraper are unique globally.

2. 360-Degree Views on Every Floor. The circular form means every office floor receives natural light and panoramic views on all sides simultaneously — eliminating the interior dark spaces that plague conventional rectangular towers.

3. 10 Minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport. For international businesses with high executive travel requirements, a 10-minute drive to the airport from the office eliminates the 30–45 minute commutes typical of Abu Dhabi CBD addresses.

4. Diagrid Structure = Column-Free Floors. The exterior diagrid structural frame enables completely open plan, column-free floor plates — the maximum flexibility for modern corporate space planning.

5. Automated Vacuum Waste System. The underground pneumatic waste collection system is a genuine technological innovation that makes building operations cleaner, quieter, and more sustainable than any competitor.

6. LEED Silver Certification. Increasingly, multinational corporations require their office premises to hold recognized sustainability certifications for ESG reporting purposes. HQ's LEED Silver status serves this requirement while also reducing operational energy costs.

7. Visible from the Dubai Highway. The daily visibility of HQ from millions of E11 highway users provides corporations based here with continuous, high-frequency brand impression across one of the region's most-traveled routes.

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Summary

HQ by Aldar Properties in Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi, is the world's first completely circular skyscraper — a 110-metre, 23-floor architectural icon delivering 62,000 sq m of Grade A office space with LEED Silver certification, 360-degree panoramic Gulf and city views, 1,200-space basement parking, 12 high-speed elevators, and an automated subterranean vacuum waste collection system. Located 10 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport, 10 minutes from Yas Island, and 45–50 minutes from Dubai, with immediate Al Raha Beach community infrastructure, HQ provides the most architecturally distinguished and globally recognized corporate address in Abu Dhabi — an irreplaceable trophy commercial asset whose status as the world's first circular skyscraper creates permanent, landmark-level corporate prestige for its occupants.