The man who lured the world¹s most celebrated architects to Abu Dhabi is this year¹s worthy recipient

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Mace Group is one of the world's most accomplished consultancy and construction firms, with a reputation for finding the best solutions to complex property and real estate challenges. Operating across 28 countries, we focus on the needs of our clients and work to constantly improve the environments in which people live and work. Mace is proud to be sponsoring the inaugural Gulf States Building Awards. Mace has had an established presence in the Middle East since its first office opened in Dubai in the mid 1990s, and is delighted that the Building Awards are recognising the construction excellence within the Gulf region.


Winner: His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan

Nobody has done more to promote Abu Dhabi as the cultural capital of the UAE than His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan. As the chair of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Sheikh Sultan has been instrumental in the creation of the cultural district on Saadiyat island.

This astonishing development brings together some of the greatest names in the art world with some of the great names of architecture ­ from the Louvre Abu Dhabi designed by Pritzker prize-winner Jean Nouvel to a Guggenheim museum designed by Frank Gehry.

Zaha Hadid, one of the world's leading architects, has designed a signature performing arts centre on the island and Lord Foster¹s practice recently won the competition to design the Sheikh Zayed national museum, which will contain galleries dedicated to the UAE¹s heritage and environment.

The monuments of the cultural island will place Abu Dhabi alongside Rome, Paris, London and New York as one of the great art cities of the world and a tourist destination unlike any other in the Middle East.

It is testament to the sheikh¹s leadership and vision that the cultural district has attracted so many of the finest international architects and art collectors to its shores. Moreover, it is his dedication to ensuring the global community continues to choose Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination that has given developers such as Aldar the confidence to build commercial developments like Yas island, with its Formula 1 Grand Prix track and Ferrari theme park.

A savvy businessman as well as a respected statesman, Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan has helped change the face of Abu Dhabi to make it a global hub and a cultural jewel in the crown of the UAE.