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22-534: The hotel is located within the Yas Marina Circuit , Abu Dhabi . The building, designed by Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture , principals of New York based Asymptote Architecture , consists of two 12 storey hotel towers, one set within the race circuit and another placed in the Marina itself, linked together by a monocoque steel and glass bridge and Grid Shell structure that both cross above and over

44-552: A "Highly Commended" Middle East Lighting Design Award, as well as a special "Citation for Achievement in Technical Artistry at the 2010 IES Lumen Awards Ceremony in New York City. "The hotel embodies various key influences and inspirations ranging from the aesthetics and forms associated with speed, movement and spectacle to the artistry and geometries forming the basis of ancient Islamic art and craft traditions,

66-474: A perfect union and harmonious interplay between elegance and spectacle. The search here was inspired by what one could call the 'art' and poetics of motor racing, specifically Formula 1, coupled with the making of a place that celebrates Abu Dhabi as a cultural and technological tour de force.” The 499-room, 85,000-square-meter structure was built by Al Futtaim Carillion for Aldar Properties with construction starting in 2007. The feature façade , formed of

88-508: A steel and glass reptile-like gridshell , was designed by Asymptote Architecture New York and built by Austrian specialist contractor Waagner Biro . It opened on 1 November 2009 to coincide with the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . 24°28′03″N 54°36′22″E  /  24.467402°N 54.606059°E  / 24.467402; 54.606059 Yas Marina Circuit The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس)

110-631: A sweeping banked curve, and turns 18 through 20 were made less tight to allow more speed to be carried through them. As of November 2024, the official fastest lap records at the Yas Marina Circuit are listed as: Abu Dhabi Tour The Abu Dhabi Tour was a men's cycling stage race that took place in the United Arab Emirates , held annually between 2015 and 2018 . In 2019, the Abu Dhabi Tour merged with

132-470: Is the largest permanent sports venue lighting project in the world; previously the title had been held by Losail International Circuit . The surface of the track is made of graywacke aggregate , shipped to Abu Dhabi from a Bayston Hill quarry in Shropshire , England . The surface material is highly acclaimed by circuit bosses and Formula One drivers for the high level of grip it offers, though at

154-646: Is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke , and is situated on Yas Island , near Abu Dhabi , the capital of the United Arab Emirates . Yas Marina was the second of four Formula One tracks in the Middle East , with the first being in Bahrain and subsequent tracks in Qatar and Saudi Arabia . A two-day GP2 Asia Series test was held to officially open

176-587: The Dubai Tour to become the UAE Tour . When inaugurated, it was part of the UCI Asia Tour , ranked as a category 2.HC event, the second tier of professional stage races. The race was initially scheduled for October, as one of the last races of the cycling season, occupying the calendar slot formerly held by the cancelled Tour of Beijing . The event is organised by RCS Sport , which also organises

198-637: The Giro d'Italia and the nearby Dubai Tour . In 2015 UCI organized the first International Cycling Gala on the evening of the final day of the Abu Dhabi Tour, to celebrate the end of the cycling season. The event's organizers expressed their hope that the race be included in the UCI World Tour . In 2016 the Abu Dhabi Tour started two days after the Cycling Gala in the week following

220-661: The Road World Championships in Qatar . The third edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour was added to the 2017 UCI World Tour and scheduled to be held at the beginning of the season, in February 2017. In 2019, the Abu Dhabi Tour was merged with the Dubai Tour to become the UAE Tour . The first two editions of the race were made up of four stages; three of which flat and suited to the sprinters and one mountain-top finish at Jebel Hafeet . The final stage

242-487: The Yas Marina Circuit F1 race track. Asymptote designed the building as an architectural landmark that embodies key influences and local as well as global inspirations that range from the aesthetics and forms associated with speed and spectacle to the artistry and geometries that form the basis of ancient Islamic art and craft traditions. Of architectural and engineering significance is the main feature of

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264-409: The circuit, stating "The first few turns are quite good, but the rest of it is shit". After the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the designer Hermann Tilke said that they were considering making changes to the track to present more overtaking opportunities. BBC Sport 's Andrew Benson called the racing in the 2020 event "dreary" with Matt Beer of The Race naming the track layout as one of 6 reasons why

286-406: The circuit, which was held a week before the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . It also hosted V8 Supercars between 2010 and 2012, with the event being the opening round in 2010 and 2011. Outside motorsport, the circuit was used for the final stage of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Tour cycle race in 2015. The circuit has an FIA Grade 1 license. The circuit is located on Yas Island , a headland that

308-606: The expense of a higher rate of tyre wear. The same aggregate material is used at the Bahrain International Circuit for the Bahrain Grand Prix . On 7 October 2009, the circuit was granted final approval to hold Formula One races by the FIA. Bruno Senna was the first driver to complete a test run on the circuit. GP3 visited Abu Dhabi for the first time at the end of the 2013 season. After

330-498: The first practice sessions at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , the circuit was welcomed by the drivers, with Nico Rosberg commenting that every corner was 'unique', while double World Champion Fernando Alonso echoed his sentiments, stating that it was enjoyable because there was always something to do. Force India's Adrian Sutil rated the circuit as being better than Formula One's other night race in Singapore as he felt there

352-461: The hotelʼs design: a 217-meter expanse of sweeping, curvilinear glass and steel facade known as the Grid Shell : it features an LED lighting system that illuminates all 5,389 glass elements individually, with an integrated control system that updates color and brightness of each glass pane 20 times per second. The Grid Shell is a key feature of the overall architectural design and significance of

374-410: The project. It creates an atmospheric-like veil that is visible from miles away. The hotel was designed by Asymptote to become a significant and important landmark for Abu Dhabi. For the dynamic facade lighting design, the architects collaborated with Rogier van der Heide and his team at Arup Lighting . The lighting design was recognized with an AL Lighting Design Award for Outstanding Achievement and

396-513: The races in Abu Dhabi "consistently disappoint". Drivers such as Daniel Ricciardo have also added their support for track changes. In June 2021, Saif Al Noaimi, acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, said modifications to the track's layout had been approved, with the modifications completed in time for the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Turns 4, 5, and 6 were replaced by a single, less severe hairpin, turns 11 through 14 were replaced by

418-463: The sub-contractors involved were KOH AH HING (KAHBINA) from Malaysia (structural contractor), as well as specialised subcontractors like Voltas (MEP), PKE-Siemens (MEP), Able-Middle East (earthworks), Hamilton International (interior) and Bau Bickhardt (track) to name a few. The circuit was constructed with a permanent lighting system provided by Musco Lighting , similar to the one installed at Losail International Circuit in Qatar . Yas Marina Circuit

440-525: The track. It also houses a team building behind the pit building, Media Center, Dragster Track and VIP Tower. Additionally, one of the run-off areas runs underneath the West grandstand. This changed when the previous turns 4, 5, and 6 were redesigned and the previous turns 11, 12, and 13 were also reconfigured in time for the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . The circuit was built by main contractor Cebarco-WCT WLL, under contract from developer Aldar Properties. Among

462-621: Was cut off from the mainland by a canal. It has sixteen corners and several straights, and passes by the marina and through the Yas Hotel Abu Dhabi designed by New York -based architects Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture of Asymptote Architecture with a facade lighting design by Rogier van der Heide . The circuit has five grandstand areas (Main Grandstand, West Grandstand, North Grandstand, South Grandstand, and Marina Grandstand) and part of its pit lane exit runs underneath

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484-409: Was too much light at Marina Bay. Not all of the drivers were complimentary, with Giancarlo Fisichella expressing a particular dislike of the pit exit, which dips under the main circuit by way of a tunnel. Although the pit exit remained free of incidents for the early practice sessions, Fisichella claimed that it was both very difficult and dangerous. Kimi Räikkönen notoriously gave his thoughts on

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