Abu Dhabi – Yas Creative Hub, the first industry-specific hub in GCC for media, entertainment, and gaming, is set to house Twofour54 Abu Dhabi, the capital’s media free zone, by Q4 this year.
Media and gaming giants CNN, Ubisoft and Unity Technologies have already confirmed to join, and more than 600 companies are expected to follow suit.
The megaproject spreads over 2.9 million sq.ft. (270,000 sq.m) and 16,000 + professionals will relocate to the new campus by 2031, three times as many as Twofour54’s existing campus at Khalifa Park. The said site will be the centre of the growing gaming community as well as the biggest Hollywood and Bollywood companies, doubling the number of local and international productions Abu Dhabi can host in a year.
“This is not an overnight process. And while the construction work was a very complex exercise, the migration is equally complex. I would say companies will be able to move into the campus only by mid-next year,” said Michael Garin, chief executive of Twofour54 Abu Dhabi.
About Yas Creative Hub
The new media capital is designed by MZ Architects, notable for creating Aldar’s HQ, and has roughly 70,000 sq.ft. of studio and post-production space. Yas Creative Hub’s purpose-built and walkable design enables the demand of flexible community workspaces and is equipped with an on-site amphitheatre, production facilities, wellness facilities, rooftop terraces, landscaped campus, parks, cafes and restaurants, 4,000 underground and above ground parking and a pedestrian bridge connecting to Yas Bay waterfront and Etihad Arena, ensuring a sound environment and lifestyle for both its workers and residents.
Job Opportunities & COVID-19
Abu Dhabi plans to invest $6 billion in the next five years in its cultural and creative industries to create new jobs which will triple to 16,000 over the next decade.
The media and gaming industry are not exempted from the effects of the recent pandemic as it changed some companies’ preferences for their workspaces with many employees working from home. “Obviously, there’s no good time for a pandemic, but it hit us just at the time when we could still transform the interiors,” Mr. Garin said. “And instead of building the offices of yesterday, we built the new offices of tomorrow.”
The hub, located in Media Boulevard, consists of 5 buildings, and will cater to established industries such as content creation, broadcast media and advertising and will sit alongside innovation sectors like visual effects and video game development. Yas Creative Hub is being built in 3 phases over the next decade with phase 1 delivering more than 1 million gross floor area (GFA).
Source: TwoFour54 Abu Dhabi
