The central glass funnel drops from 100m in diameter to 17m. (Benoy)

Early concept sketch. (Benoy)

A later sketch, showing the distinctive roof. (Benoy)

Ferrari World in relation to Yas Island. (Benoy)

The roof's shape draws its inspiration from Ferrari vehicles. (Benoy)

Inside Ferrari World. (Benoy)

Visualisation of the completed project. (Benoy)

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When Benoy hit the drawing boards in 2006, the intention was to create a building that reflected the feel and the values of Ferrari.

The obvious inspiration was, of course, the design of Ferrari automobiles.
"It was about pulling the language of Ferrari and capturing the essence of what they're about, the high quality glossy red, the history, the shapes they've used throughout their cars for the last 50 years and trying to pool the essence of that into the building," says Lewis.

As a result, the building's roof features a double wave undulation and, naturally, is painted the glossy Ferrari rosso corsa, with a silver trim.

"It's come from the language they use when designing their cars. The key is to not be too literal," says Lewis.

Despite the use of the Ferrari design ethic, the Italian car manufacturer has had a relatively low level of input into project.

The company is consulted for approval of Benoy's designs, but no designers from Ferrari participate in the project directly.

The building also uses a tri-form, with rollercoasters located at the east and west corners. Plans originally existed for a hotel to be incorporated in the southern corner, but these have now been shelved in favour of public event space.

The centre of the building has a glazed funnel roof, stretching from 100m to 17m in diameter. A 2.4km perimeter of landscaping surrounds the building.

In keeping with the UAE's philosophy that size begets superiority, Ferrari World stands out as a simply massive building.

"If you relate Ferrari world to the O2 in London, the O2 would sit quite comfortably inside. It's dome is about 320-340m across, and the Ferrari World roof is about 700m across," says Lewis.

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