The Al Dar Central Market in Abu Dhabi was unusual from the start: it′s a massive construction project in the center of an ancient city. But even more unusual is the inventive way the project′s designers have managed both to celebrate the city′s past and embrace its future. European cities often pass strict zoning laws designed to guard their architectural history; Asian cities tend to dump the old and spend oodles on generic new skyscrapers. But here in the heart of the Middle East, they′ve found a middle way. Al Dar Central Market combines retail space that reinvigorates the traditions of an Arabian outdoor market with skyscrapers that deftly respond to the local climate. It′s an ingenious design for both a proud, new symbol of Abu Dhabi, and a thriving new gathering place at its heart.
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