Observation Deck at 300

This guide to the Observation Deck at 300 in Abu Dhabi opens with a question about Sheikh Suroor bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, a decades-long insider in the ruling family who in 2006 put his own name on the loans and contracts for five towers rising across the water from Emirates Palace. You'll hear why he opened the design to an international competition instead of a familiar local firm, and what the resulting skyline was built to answer. Best heard turning slowly between the view toward Emirates Palace and the view where the city gives way to open desert.