Abu Dhabi

During Abu Dhabi's winter, temperatures drop to around a comfortable 24º C (75º F) in the daytime. In summer, however, they can get close to 50º C (122º F). To combat the sweltering heat, Abu Dhabi's open air market can now close its roof.

Thomas Heatherwick has been commissioned to design a new public park in Abu Dhabi. The Al Fayah park will cover 125,000 sq m and has been described by the architect as, "part architecture, part landscape, part cultural destination." Its design is a response to the desert landscape.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company announced last week that it has installed ten of the Finnish-designed GoSleep pods at Abu Dhabi International Airport to provide travelers with individual sleeping quarters while waiting for flights.

Nearing completion, the Aedas-designed Al Bahar Towers are partly coated in an intelligent outer skin that can adapt to the position of the sun, and which is inspired by the traditional mashrabiyas of Arabic architecture.

A new wind turbine generates the energy necessary to condense water from thin air, even in the desert.

Jumeirah opens its latest hotel in the Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi - Dubai's more sensible, and richer, uncle.