Qasr Al Hosn, Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates

A national treasure

The Qasr Al Hosn Fort, also known as the White Fort, is a historical building. Built c.1761, it is considered a national treasure and was the permanent residence of the ruling Sheikh and seat of the government from 1793 to 1966.

The palace is undergoing a renovation program started in 2009 and driven by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA), the government institution in charge of promoting the heritage, culture and traditions of the Abu Dhabi emirate worldwide.

At the end of the process, which is due to take several years, the fort will be open to the public as a national and natural history museum. The intention is to redevelop the Qasr Al Hosn and integrate it within the city, making it a ‘Trafalgar Square for the Emirates’.

Measure the impact of the works

To prevent any damage of this high sensitive building during the renovation work, real time monitoring is essential to measure the impact that this work will have on the Fort structure.
Sixense is monitoring the structural, geotechnical, meteorological and seismic parameters of the project using a group of robotic theodolites (Cyclops), tiltmeters and crackmeters on the fort walls, piezometers monitoring the water table behaviour and geophones (Gorgones) installed on the foundations of the building to measure the induced vibration of the structure.

The acquisition and data management system, designed, installed and managed by Sixense, allows all data to be transmitted in real time to a web based interface where automated alarms and user friendly data presentations allow the Engineer to assess the performance of the structures and take quick corrective action, should it prove necessary.