Everyday Icons / Hiding In Plain Sight (Abu Dhabi) No.0012

Everyday Icons / Hiding In Plain Sight (Abu Dhabi)
No.0012 - InterContinental Hotel, Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi

The InterContinental Hotel was completed in 1980 and designed by Benjamin Thompson + Associates. Thompson was one of eight founders of The Architects’ Collaborative (more about that in a later post) and was awarded the Gold Medal by the American Institute for Architecture (AIA) in 1992. For anyone interested in knowing more about Benjamin Thompson you can find a well written bio here.

The building is one of Abu Dhabi’s first hotels along with the Hilton and the Sheraton (both of which will hopefully feature in future posts), which helped put Abu Dhabi on the tourist map. I love the simplicity of this design and the way the building imposes itself on its surroundings, sat atop the grassy mound overlooking the marina below.