Qasr Al Hosn Cultural Quarter, Abu Dhabi, UAE
CLIENT ADVISER
JENNIFER DIXON
2008 – 2012
CLIENT
Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Heritage
SERVICES PROVIDED
– strategy leadership
– masterplan brief
– stakeholder engagement strategy
– project governance
– technical assurance
Challenges
Why was a Client Adviser required?
This project was conceived as a major new cultural centre in the heart of Abu Dhabi, to serve local and international audiences, focusing on arts and cultures of the UAE and Gulf Region. It involved the restoration and refurbishment of the historic Qasr al Hosn or ‘White Fort’, the most significant historic building in Abu Dhabi.
The client organisation required significant support to build it’s own capability and capacity as cultural guardian and arts commissioning body. Jennifer led the preparation of the project brief and a sequence of masterplan strategies, advised on the needs for cultural business planning, identified the need for client-side specialist stakeholders, and assisted in recruiting members of the client-side team. She sat on the Strategic Board of the client body, the Abu Dhabi Department for Culture & Heritage (ADACH), representing a multidisciplinary professional team including Arup, Davis Langdon, Austin-Smith:Lord, Stanton Williams, Wilkinson Eyre, Buro Four and a number of industry specialists.
An important aspect of the role was selection and appointment of the consultant team. Jennifer led the preparation of scopes of services and service interfaces for the core design team and for specialists including theatre consultants, exhibition designers, acousticians, curators and security consultants. Working in a jurisdiction where local standards were still developing, and where International Building Codes were not yet adopted required specific attention to permitting & approvals strategy, since any delays in this area were likely to affect the critical path of the project.
Outcomes – what value was created
Jennifer led the consultant team to develop urban design strategies for the immediate site and surrounding area, and developed briefs for the site’s component functions including exhibition galleries, library, performing arts centre, government offices, visitor’s centre and cultural businesses. These formed the basis of a variety of iterations over the following years.
This was a project in which a high level of design quality and presentation was expected and achieved. Multiple consultant teams performed at a very high level to exceptionally tight deadlines. Under Jennifer’s direction, the team carried out the interview and procurement process to select an executive consultant team of architects & engineers to undertake the Stage E and F services, and developed a detailed scope interface between the employers and executive architect teams.
On completion of the briefing and feasibility stages, Jennifer worked with client and consultant team to achieve sign-off from multiple cultural, government and public stakeholders.
Enabling works including a flagship visitor centre were undertaken in the first phase of this ambitious, long term project. A programme of restoration works to the historic Qasr Al Hosn fort has now been completed and is recognised as an attractive and successful visitor destination.
