Antoni Gerges

Abu Dhabi International Building Codes: the launch campaign, Abu Dhabi, 2010–11

Abu Dhabi International Building Codes · 2010–11

Abu Dhabi International Building Codes

Eight codes, one building.

The main visual: the names of eight building codes, fuel gas, fire, sewage, maintenance, plumbing, energy, mechanical and building, stacked as giant coloured letters into one building on a city street, cranes at both sides, a red billboard on the roof reading The International Building Codes, under a blue sky; above, the line International building codes, visit our booth at ADNEC, 17 to 20 January 2011.
The main visual · January 2011
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From 1 January 2011, Abu Dhabi implemented international regulations and standards for its construction industry. The launch campaign gave the rules a picture: the names of the codes, stacked into a building.

For the Department of Municipal Affairs, Abu Dhabi (today the Department of Municipalities and Transport), with the municipalities of Abu Dhabi City, Al Ain City and the Western Region. Delivered by AntBrush, from the idea to the launch.

Chapter 1 · The print campaign

Counting down to 01|01|2011.

A teaser counted the days down. Then the codes went up as buildings: the IBC book as a tower, the next code lifted in by crane.

Built in 3D from the campaign’s own renders.

The countdown and the crane · 2010

The press series

One building block per message.

  1. The main visual: the names of eight codes stacked as giant coloured letters into one building, a red billboard on its roof reading The International Building Codes
    The main visual · designed for the launch: the codes’ names as the walls of a building, for the January 2011 summit.
  2. The Plumbing press ad: the letters of PLUMBING stacked as the floors of a building under construction, a crane carrying a billboard reading International Plumbing Code
    Plumbing · the word as a building going up, a crane at its side.
  3. The eight codes ad: a fanned stack of eight code books with miniature cranes, diggers and towers on top, on a parchment ground, under the title The 8 International Building Codes
    The eight codes · designed for the launch: the code books stacked like a building site.
  4. The better quality of life ad: three small model cities on an unrolled plan, labelled greener, better and safer, under the line The Government of Abu Dhabi is working together to create a better quality of life
    A better quality of life · the Department, Estidama and the Urban Planning Council, together.
  5. The Greener ad: a model of a mosque, a villa and trees on an unrolled plan, the word GREENER on the plan
    Greener · a mosque, a villa and trees on the plan.
    The Better ad: gold blocks and a bar chart rising into a gold tower on an unrolled plan, the word BETTER on the plan
    Better · gold blocks rising into a tower.
    The Safer ad: white towers under construction between yellow cranes on an unrolled plan, the word SAFER on the plan
    Safer · towers going up between cranes.
1 / 5Press advertisements, 2010–11
All the press pieces, side by side
The main visual: the names of eight codes stacked as giant coloured letters into one building, a red billboard on its roof reading The International Building Codes
The Plumbing press ad: the letters of PLUMBING stacked as the floors of a building under construction, a crane carrying a billboard reading International Plumbing Code
The eight codes ad: a fanned stack of eight code books with miniature cranes, diggers and towers on top, on a parchment ground, under the title The 8 International Building Codes
The better quality of life ad: three small model cities on an unrolled plan, labelled greener, better and safer, under the line The Government of Abu Dhabi is working together to create a better quality of life
The Greener ad: a model of a mosque, a villa and trees on an unrolled plan, the word GREENER on the plan
The Better ad: gold blocks and a bar chart rising into a gold tower on an unrolled plan, the word BETTER on the plan
The Safer ad: white towers under construction between yellow cranes on an unrolled plan, the word SAFER on the plan

Launched at the summit.

The codes went public at the World Future Energy Summit, Abu Dhabi, 17 to 20 January 2011, on the Department’s pavilion in the ADNEC Atrium: green glass, touch kiosks, and the new code books in a glass case. And a hologram presentation of the codes at the 2011 summit, quoted and invoiced.

The 2011 pavilion as built: white floor, green glass panes on slanted white frames, wooden touch kiosks on white stands, a lit glass case at the right.
The pavilion as built · ADNEC, January 2011
The 2011 pavilion from another side: a glass box beside a tall panel with a tree drawn as a fingerprint, green glass behind it, kiosks on the white floor.
The pavilion, its glass and kiosks
A glass case on the 2011 pavilion holding the new code books, standing and open, under the department’s sign, green glass panes beside it.
The new code books, in a glass case

The pavilion, edition by edition: World Future Energy Summit

The hologram · World Future Energy Summit, January 2011

The codes orbit, rise and become a tower.

  1. Frame 3: the books rising around a scaffold tower, the energy code at its heart
  2. Frame 4: the scaffold climbing between the books
  3. Frame 5: the tower complete, its lower floors made of the coloured code books
  4. Frame 6: the energy code opening, five benefits listed above it
  5. Frame 7: Natural Daylight, a room rising from the book
  6. Frame 8: Loss of Hot and Cold Air, a room with a blue arrow
  7. Frame 9: the word Improve flying out of the book
  8. Frame 10: a fan breaking apart above the book
  9. Frame 11: Energy Recovery, a red fan unit above the book
  10. Frame 12: a bulb, a tick and a switch over two books, the caption Lighting intensity mirror-reversed
  11. Frame 1: the Department of Municipal Affairs lockup on an orange plate, and the word Presents
  12. Frame 2: the code books orbiting in a ring
The hologram’s animation, 2011 · frame 1 / 12Screen shots of the animation, AntBrush

At the January 2011 summit, a four-sided hologram: the codes orbit, rise and become a tower.

Re-created from the 2011 presentation

A four-sided unit, on its plinth.

The re-created hologram unit: a white plinth, a black case with four glass faces sloping to a point, the code-book tower turning inside as light
Re-created from the 2011 presentation: the unit on its plinth, the tower turning inside the glass.
The 2011 stand: a frameless glass box holding the new code books on stands, green glass panes beside it
The 2011 stand as photographed: the re-creation takes its scale from the glass box and the code-book stands.

Before and after the launch · 2010, 2013–15

The look became the codes’ house style.

The campaign’s look carried the codes for five years: covers, guides, walls, and by 2015 a touch screen and a film for each code.

6 codes artworks · 7 touch presentations · 7 films, delivered in January 2015.

The result.

The launch look became the codes’ house style, 2013 to 2015.

8codes launched, January 2011
6codes in their 2013 edition, one colour each
7touch presentations by 2015, one for each code

Sources: the campaign’s advertisement “The 8 International Building Codes”; the 2013 cover artwork; the invoice of 27 January 2014, which lists the codes work; the delivery note of 24 January 2015 (six codes artworks, seven touch presentations, seven films).

Explore the campaign

The teaser, as printed.

The English teaser, January 2011: the counter, the tower of code books, the date.

The teaser in English: a glass tower whose lower floors are coloured code books, beside a red panel; the counter reads 02 days, then Towards Sustainable Development, 01 01 2011, Abu Dhabi implements international regulations and standards for the construction industry; www.dma.abudhabi.ae on a red band at the foot.
The teaser, two days out: “02 DAYS” to 01|01|2011

One building, every surface.

The same building runs through print and screen: the user booklet, the folder, the tri-fold brochure, and the website of the Higher Committee of Abu Dhabi Building Codes.

The user booklet, mocked up lying open: the code-book tower and a crane lifting a coloured code into place over a city, the title User Guide, The International Building Codes in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The user booklet · as presented
The folder, mocked up: a white cover with the department’s lockup and a large grey line drawing of interlocking petals, an orange line along its edge.
The folder · as presented
The tri-fold brochure, mocked up standing open: the code-book tower on its outer panels, the inner panels explaining the codes in English, a red band along the foot.
The tri-fold brochure · as presented
The website on a desktop monitor: Higher Committee of Abu Dhabi Building Codes, the code-book tower and the crane in its banner, news and training below.
The website, home
The website’s inner page on a desktop monitor: the media centre, the teaser poster in the middle, quick links to the codes on the right.
The website, inner page

The website: designed by AntBrush and presented this way; built by another company.

Touch a book, open the code.

A touch table: the code-book tower stands on the skyline, the books line the street, and a touch opens each code as a room. Fire: a sprinkler over a living room. Property maintenance: the pipes behind a bathroom wall. Energy conservation: daylight across a façade. By 2015, seven touch presentations were delivered, one for each code.

The touch table’s home screen: a city skyline under clouds, the code-book tower at the right, a row of coloured code books along the street, the line click on the book to reveal the code.
The home screen: “click on the book to reveal the code”
The Fire Code room: a sprinkler spraying over a living room with red sofas, the buttons Fire Protection System and Maintenance of Exits at the left.
Fire Code
The Property Maintenance Code room: hot and cold pipes behind a tiled bathroom wall above a bathtub, the buttons Regular Maintenance and Hot and Cold Water at the left.
Property Maintenance Code
The Energy Conservation Code room: sunlight arrows striking a glass tower over a green city block, the buttons glazing ratio, shading, natural daylight, mechanical right sizing and efficient lighting at the left.
Energy Conservation Code
The 2010 stand: a giant code book, the International Energy Conservation Code, standing open as a sculpture, visitors walking past
2010, the year before · the energy code as a giant code book on the Department’s stand.

The look kept going.

  • 2013 · the codes in printThe 2013 edition of the codes: six books, ADIBC, ADIPMC, ADIECC, ADIPSDC, ADIFGC and ADIMC, one colour each, and a user guide in English.
  • 2014 · a poster for each codeApril 2014: one poster per code, signed by the Department and the three municipalities.
  • 2015 · at the summitJanuary 2015: six codes artworks, seven touch presentations and seven films for the Department’s stand.
Two cover options for the 2013 User Guide for the International Building Code in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, one purple and one red, each over a white 3D model of a tower built from QR-code blocks standing on drawings.
The 2013 user guide, two cover options · November 2013
Two 2013 covers, Abu Dhabi International Building Code: a teal QR code for the Plumbing Code, a red one for the Fire Code, on black
2013 · the QR covers · Plumbing Code and Fire Code.
The 2014 wall, option 1: Abu Dhabi International Building Code, ADIBC, over a blue world map and skyline
2014 · the second wall · option 1.
The 2014 wall, option 2: Abu Dhabi International Building Code, ADIBC, over the Abu Dhabi skyline in blue
2014 · the second wall · option 2.
The scope

What we delivered.

The launch campaign from the idea to the summit, then its look on every code that followed, to 2015.

Idea & campaign

  • The main visual: the codes as a building
  • The teaser and the revealer, in English and Arabic
  • Press advertisements

Print

  • The user booklet, the folder and the tri-fold brochure
  • 2013: the six codes’ covers and the user guide
  • 2014: a poster for each code

Screens & the launch

  • The website, designed and presented; built by another company
  • The touch table and its code rooms; seven touch presentations by 2015
  • The launch on the Department’s pavilion, January 2011, with a hologram presentation of the codes

From the campaign’s artwork and the 2012 AntBrush folio, the summit quotations and invoices of 2011 and 2014, and the delivery note of 2015.

RoleAntoni Gerges
Creative Director, Brand & Experiential
Made byThe AntBrush team in Abu Dhabi, which I led as managing director and creative director: the idea, 3D and graphics, print, screens and the launch.
ForThe Higher Committee of Abu Dhabi Building Codes: the Department of Municipal Affairs, Abu Dhabi (today the Department of Municipalities and Transport), with Abu Dhabi City, Al Ain City and Western Region (today Al Dhafra Region) municipalities.
CreditsThe website: designed by AntBrush, presented this way, built by another company. Photographs of the 2011 pavilion: AntBrush’s records, at the size they survive.
Next projectExhibitionsTwenty-two shows, built.