Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has announced that building work has recently started on the Capital Centre development in Abu Dhabi, a $2.18 billion business and residential micro-city, which will become the world’s first fully networked exhibition and lifestyle destination.

The project is the largest development on the main island of Abu Dhabi and is being developed around the new ADNEC in a move to meet increasing demand for commercial and residential facilities which is being generated by the successful exhibition centre.

On completion in early 2011, Capital Centre will house a new micro-city of 23 towers, including six branded hotels, four commercial buildings, eight residential and serviced apartment complexes and five mixed use developments. Also featured in Capital Centre will be a 2.3km waterfront Marina Zone; a proposed monorail and the ‘Galleria’ – a shopping mall with restaurants, retail outlets, and cinemas.The most distinctive feature of the development will be the iconic 35-storey Feature Tower which will include a 200-plus room five-star-plus hotel and 20,000 square metres of office and retail space. The Feature Tower will rise from the ground in a gravity defying form; its design has already been widely praised for is architectural ingenuity.

The 23 Towers which form the Capital Centre Micro-city will be located on the land currently occupied by Abu Dhabi’s old exhibition venue, which is scheduled for demolition soon. The last ever event was staged at the old venue in January 2007 and the employees of ADNEC have recently vacated the building to move to new state-of-the-art offices, located in the historic Grandstand which has been fully refurbished and integrated into the new Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Simon Horgan, chief executive officer of ADNEC, said: “Capital Centre is not just one of Abu Dhabi’s most prestigious developments, it is one of the Middle East’s most significant economic development projects. The site will become a new landmark of the UAE, combining the world’s most modern exhibition centre, an iconic feature tower and striking Marina Zone all in one location.”