Spanish Architecture to Develop New Cities, Miguel Fisac in Abu Dhabi

Abstract

Only 50 years ago, the UAE was composed of a few small villages of fishermen, shopkeepers, and pearl-traders; they lacked paved roads, running water and had only a few telephone lines. Today, it’s a fascinating and glimmering young country projected to the future as the result of the sudden discovery of oil in the 60s and its commercialization. In the early phases of its urban expansion, foreign architects played an important role due to the lack of tradition in the region of certain professions as designers and some of the most important Spanish architects worked in the region during its blooming in the 70s and 80s. Although, what could Spain export to the Middle East in those years? This paper will attempt to unfold the contributions of the modern Spanish architecture to the architecture of the Middle East during the blooming of the region. Specifically, it will be focused on the great Spanish architect Miguel Fisac and, in particular, the cultural and technical interchange between two different contexts (as the Spanishand theEmirati),throughaninnovativetwistedskyscraperdesignedforAbuDhabi(UAE)in the early 80s.