SNAPSHOT: Contrast of CdA, Abu Dhabi

It is difficult to describe how much I miss spring in Idaho. As I head into summer in the Middle East I long for the temperate and lush, cool green of Coeur d’Alene.

Working in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates for the largest developer in the world I stay indoors as the temperatures head to 125 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity is not far behind. When you leave the office your glasses fog up as warm lens meets wall of humidity and heat.

Thousands of laborers from India, Malaysia or the Philippines work for eight and one half hours a day, six days a week in this steam oven. They send pay home to their families for a better life, a chance to build a house or educate their children. The level of skill for these laborers is very basic: mix concrete, shovel ditches, plaster walls or plant trees. It is nothing to see 5,000 laborers on a single site.

I came to Abu Dhabi to take on the challenge of lead design manager for amazing architecture by iconic architects — the Louvre, the Guggenheim, Sheik Zayed Museum. I have found that the proud workforce, the international pool of professionals and the Emirati vision for the new Abu Dhabi far outshines the icons. I have learned that a young ambitious country defies all obstacles and molds their own vision. Life here is all about hot — creatively, mentally and most of all physically. Just wish I was closer to CDA.

LYNN FLEMING

Hayden