ON the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway, across the road from the lush greens of the Emirates golf club, a familiar building is taking shape. Although substantially smaller than the real thing that graces the Manhattan skyline, the structure is already catching the eye of passers-by, curious to see a 55-metre replica of the Empire States building rising from the desert sands. For here is the future home of the UAE's first Hard Rock Cafe, the international chain of restaurants modelled on the glory days of American rock and roll.

The cafe will be the latest theme-styled bar and restaurant to hit the Dubai entertainment scene. And judging from the design of its new building, it will make quite an impact.

From the outset of the design process, the local franchise holders for Hard Rock were intent on using architecture to make a loud and clear statement about the nature of its new premises. 'When people hear about Hard Rock, they immediately associate it with the American influence,' explains Habib Khan, the cafe's pre-opening manager. 'The general idea was to come up with a concept based on an original American theme. It was also very important that the building should grab people's attention and that it should be a landmark.'

The building, to be located by the Dubai Park Hotel, will draw heavily on the New York icon, although several new features have been added to the exterior by local project consultant, Technical Studies Bureau (Test). These include two 15-metre guitars which will straddle the main entrance and a globe near the tip of the tower. Inside, the decor will reflect the rock and roll spirit. Although the walls will be oak-panelled as is standard on other Hard Rock outlets, some features are more unusual. The electric-red bar will be in the shape of a guitar, made out of enamelled Pyrolave. An upside-down classic convertible form the 1950s will be suspended from the ceiling. On the main wall, a seven-metre high stained-class window will be built depicting a guitarist in full motion.

Only the building's first two floors will be used by the public. The ground and mezzanine levels will house the Hard Rock Cafe, while the floor above will be occupied by a night club. The tower, to be manufactured out of structural steel and reinforced concrete, will be purely decorative. Its impact on the local landscape will be all the more striking as the buildings in the surrounding area are no more than two storeys high.

Construction work on the $11 million project is being implemented on a fast-track. Main contractor, the local Al-Nekreh Contracting Company (ANC), only completed mobilisation in July, while the local Frayland, which is carrying out the interior design and fit-out, is not due to move into the building until mid-October. Both are scheduled to complete the bulk of the project in time for the cafe's soft opening in mid-November. 'We are aiming to capitalise on all the activities that are taking place in Dubai this November, including the air show,' Khan says.

The Hard Rock Cafe will be away from the main night clubs in downtown Dubai. Nevertheless, that should prove little handicap in the drive to pull in customers. The area is well served by road; it takes only about 20 minutes to reach from the airport. Moreover, the region is fast developing into Dubai's major tourist centre, with some 3,800 hotel rooms due to be available by the end of 1998 on the nearby shoreline. 'At any given time, if we get just 10 per cent of that business, we should be all right,' Khan says. Given the striking features of the buildings, one thing is for sure: no one is going to forget Dubai's Hard Rock Cafe in a hurry.