The history:
The officers club is one of the most popular clubs in UAE. A design competition was held in 1983 in which 14 competitors from around the world were invited. The Paris-based French architect, Mr. Roger Taillibert, was selected to design the complex in December 1984. The design process was then divided into four phases: Preliminary, Draft, Design and Tender.
These phases were prepared and completed during the course of 1985-1986. The construction of the main Club building commenced in 1987 and Mr. Taillibert set up an office in Abu Dhabi to supervise the work and the project envisioned. Ten years later the Armed Forces officers Club and Hotel buildings were completed, and the club opened in 1997. The renowned architect, Mr. Taillibert, submitted a project summary to the 1995 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in Geneva.
The facilities:
The officers club is more than a sport club, because there are many facilities along with the sport sections. There are three wedding halls; Abu Mousa Hall, Lesser Tunb Hall, and greater Tunb Hall. Moreover, there is a five-star hotel in the club which is separated into two sections, the eastern section –which is only for the army officers- and the western section –which is open for the public-. Also, there are three restaurants in the club.
For the sport sections, there are many options for the members to choose from; there are swimming pools, two gyms, one for the ladies and one for the men, and football fields, and more options.
For our case study, we visited the Armed Forces Officers Club. When we visited the club we took a tour around the club, and visited the main sections in it. After that, we had interviews with club employees; the first one was from the management section, and the other one was a coach.
And we asked them questions like:
- What is the purpose of building the armed forces officers club?
- How many nationalities do you have?
- How did the club improve in the last ten years?
- How many years passed since you started working here?
- Do you have any yearly activities?
- Are there any plans in the future to improve the club? Or add new facilities?
- What is the most popular game in the club?
And here is a video of our visit:
