Hospitality Design - February 2018 - 110

Photos by TOMMY PIZONE, ERIC LAIGNEL, and renderings courtesy of ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS

siteseeing

dubai

ME Dubai's atrium will boast an installation of cascading glass spheres and a
metallic feature that creates seating on the ground level and balconies on each floor

Constructed photographs of Dubai's
skyline by artist Bram Tihany hang in the
lobby of the Four Seasons at DIFC

The maritime theme in the Bulgari Resort &
Residences Dubai spans its 20 villas

opened in March). Nature plays a major role
in the former's design, with untreated wood,
seamless flooring, and unfinished concrete
floors blending with a gray, light blue, and
turquoise palette with every piece seemingly
derived from the beach, the sea, and the sky.
On the horizon at the end of 2018 is the W
Dubai - The Palm from London firm United
Design Partnership and DWP out of Dubai.
"Dubai's dynamic spirit is a perfect match for W
Hotels, and the opening of our second property
reinforces our commitment to grow in this
important market," explains Anthony Ingham,
global brand leader of W Hotels Worldwide. The
building's architecture nods to a ship perched at
the edge of the Gulf. And once inside, a series of

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February 2018 hospitalitydesign.com

walls and partitions are based on the city grid of
Dubai with a bar hidden within. In guestrooms, a
motif of Arabic writing that translates to pop song
lyrics will don curved walls covered in glass.
Yet, one of the most anticipated openings
of 2018 is the 93-room ME Dubai. Zaha Hadid
designed the luxury hotel in 2014-before she
passed in 2016-in her signature avant-garde
style, which now stands as a landmark to her
legacy. Housed within the breathtaking Opus
building, it spans 250,000 square feet and
comprises two separate towers that are connected
to each other in the form of a cube with a carved
central void where the center of the building
offers unexpected and dramatic views of the
interior. Also notable is the sustainable 985-foot-

tall Wasl Tower, a mixed-use development
that will sit opposite the Burj Khalifa when
it opens in 2020. Its tiled façade will be the
world's tallest ceramic-clad building, and was
chosen specifically to protect the interiors from
Dubai's scorching sun. "The way it twists and
turns affects the amount of light that comes
into the space of the building," points out Ben
van Berkel, founder and principal architect of
Dutch architecture firm UNStudio, who notes
the building will be "a prototype for the future of
Dubai." Internal landscaping enhance vertical
boulevards-created by stacking outdoor
balconies-that promote walkability and lead
to infinity pools crowning the tower roof, while
a 257-room Mandarin Oriental anchors the
63-story building.
Of course, what makes Dubai interesting
is its competitive and no-holds-barred attitude.
Despite a copyright dispute with architect
Fernando Donis, the cubed Dubai Frame has
opened. The structure's two 492-foot-tall towers
are linked by a 305-foot bridge with 82-squarefoot glass panels that offer heady views of the
city. And in the coming weeks, the 528-room
Gevora Hotel will surpass the JW Marriott
Marquis Dubai as the world's tallest hotel at
1,168 feet. Not to be outdone, Santiago Calatrava,
the Spanish architect behind New York's World
Trade Center transportation hub the Oculus,
has started work on the Dubai Creek Tower,
which will have a curved profile informed by the
natural form of the lily and evoking the Hanging
Gardens of Babylon. When it's finished in 2020,
it's expected to be taller than the Burj Khalifa.

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Hospitality Design - February 2018

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