NO.0097 - AL ZAHIYA BUS TERMINAL

This is a building of many lives! Originally a bus station, this building was later converted to a city terminal for Abu Dhabi Airport, before being converted back to a bus station.

The building opened in 1985, a year before its sibling (Al Bateen Mall - Everyday Icons No. 0018). After starting out life as a main bus station it later became a feeder station to the significantly larger main terminus (adj. to Al Wahda Mall) in 1989.

All three structures were designed by Bulgarian architects Technoexportstroy - a state-owned design firm established in the 1960’s. The design for both this building and the Al Bateen Mall building is said to draw inspiration from the early work of architects such as Pier Luigi Nervi. Its parabolic form is particularly striking, emphasized more-so by the fact that it now stands surrounded by much bigger buildings in the heart of the City.