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The Opus Dubai: Latest of Dubai's Hotel Projects by the Late Zaha Hadid
The Best of Dubai Hotels
2022 Updates: The cited hotel has been effectively open since February 2020, according to multiple reports.
When it comes to Dubai hotels, there are a lot of options to choose from. But with so many choices and alternatives, how do you know which one is right for you? There are so many amazing hotels in Dubai! In this blog post, we'll give you a brief of the latest hotel to open in Dubai soon, so you can make an informed decision on where to stay during your next visit to the city.
We'll take a look at some of the best hotels in Dubai to be opened soon, a luxurious five-star property. Whether you're looking for a romantic getaway or a family-friendly vacation, there are Dubai hotels that are perfect for you.
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| Figure 1- The Opus Hotel in Dubai. Exterior and Interiors are fully designed by Zaha Hadid- Photo Source: Copyrighted Laurian Ghinitoiu from the cnn.com/travel edition |
The Opus Hotel, One of the Most Luxurious Dubai Resorts, Retails and Apartments, by the Late Zaha Hadid
Because there is always much more to say when it comes to this genius architect who did reinvent Architecture in general, and this is not enough to say, concerning the designer. Today we will discuss one of the latest projects that Zaha Hadid was working on, but unfortunately passed away in 2016, before its completion (Figure 2);
We are talking about Opus Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of the recent resorts that promise to be a prosperous project in the hotelier sector.
Dubai Hotels are among the Best Worldwide!
We all know that Dubai stands among the top-listed hotels in the world that host the most elegant and expensive hotels on the planet, and the top-branded names in the world of the leisure and entertainment industry head forward to invest even in a small part of the whole thing …
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| Figure 2- Hadid, Photo Source: AFP/Getty Images |
That’s why it is not surprising at all that ME by Melia, the well-known hotelier group owned by Melia Hotels International, chose this city among others to build its first and most recent leisure project: THE OPUS-DUBAI.
It’s not surprising either, to adopt the leader of the engineering team to accomplish the mission of designing the entire project to be the Zaha Hadid Architects’ office, the world-famous architect group favorited by millions of people around the world, including myself!
So then, the Opus, designed by Zaha Hadid, will house the first "ME by Melia" hotel in Dubai. Even after her passing away, she keeps on amazing the world!
The soon-to-be-opened Melia will be the first and only hotel among other architectural projects in the international city to be designed by the late architect, Hadid. It will surely add a new special taste to the Dubai resort sector, already prosperous and highly developed.
The Opus was first proposed back in 2007 as commercial and retail development. Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA, the office of Hadid) explained the concept of the building as designed into two separate towers that merge into a singular unity taking the shape of a cube.
The two towers were connected by a four-story atrium at the ground level, and by an asymmetric three-story bridge located 71 meters above the ground, and in between the hollowed-out core. The resulting void space, with the well-defined curved form, allows those in the center of the building to benefit from the views of the outside world and especially, the seaside nearby.
The unique and original-never-seen-before centered-void reveal and represent the entire Zaha Hadid’s design touch; That singular touch defined by the philosophy of Zaha Hadid: The parametric architecture, explained in detail in a previous article on this blog, and I highly advise you to read it if you did not yet do it, at the link provided below:
→ Parametric Architecture: Zaha Hadid and Patrick Schumacher’s Philosophy
The cube's interior is "like-carved" out to create a central void, a concept that the architect adopted before, especially in her entertainment and leisure projects, for a well-known purpose, in my opinion, which is to benefit from the outside views.
A similar concept can be found in her project, "The Morpheus Hotel" in China, winner of the Asia Pacific Property Awards for the year 2019. (see Figure 3, below)
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| Figure 3- The Morpheus, Image Source: The cnn.com website, the travel edition, Article: Asia's Best Hotels of 2018 |
Back to the Opus Hotel design, the atrium which is the main lobby and the center of the project which links also the two towers together in the lower part as we showed earlier, will continue to greet its guests as they move towards the building's various sections;
The whole is divided into residences, a boutique hotel by Melia Hotels International, an office space, a nightclub, 12 restaurants, and a rooftop bar, the majority invested by other companies and groups. (see Figure 4, below)
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| Figure 4- A realistic render showing the main lobby. Photo Credit by zaha-hadid.com |
The "Opus" is the only building in Dubai where Hadid personally designed both the exteriors, as well as the interiors; The furniture items, such as the usual beds and chairs, the dressing tables, and even the decorative elements like the false ceilings, the walls coverings, and the bathrooms were all designed by the “Queen of the Curves” herself.
Her, trademark curves stand heavily featured, to bring the feeling of the move to the fullest and over the inspiration as wonderfully shown in those indoor renderings.
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| Figure 5- The curved movement in Hadid's designs, Photo Source: cnn.com/travel edition |
As mentioned above, the interior designs of the hotel were also personally monitored by Hadid, who had some preliminary tries in the world of furniture design. Surnames by the Queen of the Curve, Hadid transformed skylines around the world with her bold, fluid, and free-line designs. Before, the skyline was a stay-still view, without any signal of life on the top of those towers.
But now, with the parametric architecture and the new revolutionary concept of Hadid, any shape can be treated to the fullest; The roof shapes can be now curved and glazed with flexible frames surrounding the whole thing. (Figure 6)
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| Figure 6- City's skyline across a body of water, Photo by Jonald |
Round-Up of Hadid's Most Famous Designs and Architectural Projects
The Galaxy SOHO, a modern Beijing landmark, can be a good example of Hadid's significant vision of architectural curves. It has the pure reflectance of Hadid’s theory: The elements of the building flow down from its four towers to a subterranean courtyard that was inspired by traditional Chinese architecture. (Figure 7) As well as one of the most recognizable buildings in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, the Heydar Aliyev Center is typical of Hadid's flowing architectural styles. (Figure 8)
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| Figure 7- The Wangjing SOHO project in Beijing. China- Photo Source: zaha-hadid.com |
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| Fig.8- Heydar Aliyev Center- Photo Credits: cnn.com/travel edition |
The developer, Omniyat, is looking ahead to the opening date of the Opus Hotel.
- "The design conveys the remarkably inventive quality of Zaha Hadid projects; expressing a sculptural sensibility that reinvents the balance between solid and void, opaque and transparent, interior and exterior," says Mahdi Amjad, Omniyat executive chairman, and CEO, to the cnn.com/the cnn travel edition.
- "You always expect to be surprised by Zaha Hadid's designs, but the Opus for 'ME by Melia' Dubai goes beyond what we could ever have anticipated," said Gabriel Escarrer, Vice Chairman and CEO, of Melia Hotels International.
In the end, there is no word yet on an exact date about when it will welcome its first guests, but soon.
Located in Downtown Dubai, The Opus sits near the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, the Dubai Mall, and close to the famous city's Jumeirah beach. With the Opus Hotel project, ME Dubai enters a crowded and competitive market, as Dubai is known for its worldwide reputation of luxurious leisure resorts.
But armed with a project like the one described above, the chances of winning the "2019 World Architecture Festival Awards" increase much more.
It is the only project directly designed by Zaha Hadid to be fully realized in Dubai. The iconic architect developed designs for the interlocking Signature Towers, as well as for the Dubai Opera House... However, these projects have never been executed.
Finally, without any doubt at all, we are completely sure that Dubai owns a new architectural landmark that will be soon considered a tourist symbol of the city. Just like Bourj Al Arab, which remains its rank as the first tourist Emirate attraction since many years ago, before sharing the place with other great architectural projects that came later.
The Opus Dubai Technical File
- Location:
Located within the Burj Khalifa district of Dubai, the Opus is designed as two separate towers that coalesce into a singular whole—taking the form of a cube. The cube is then ‘carved’, creating a central void that is an important volume within the building in its own right—providing views of the exterior from the center of the building.
These two towers are linked by a four-story atrium at ground level and also connected by an asymmetric 38-meter-wide, three-story bridge that is 71 meters above the ground. The free-formed fluidity of the Opus’ eight-story void contrasts with the precise orthogonal geometry of its surrounding cube.
- Project ID:
Project_Name= Opus
Location= Dubai, United Arab Emirates- 2012, TBC
Owner= Omniyat Properties, LLC
Status= Under Construction
Total_Surface= 84,345 sqm²
Volumetric_Dimensions= 100m (w) X 67m (d) X 93m (h)
Floors_qty._and_Descr.= 20 Floors above Ground, 7 Floors Below Ground
- General Information:
→ “The design conveys the remarkably inventive quality of ZHA’s work; expressing a sculptural sensibility that reinvents the balance between solid and void, opaque and transparent, interior and exterior,” explained Mahdi Amjad, Executive Chairman and CEO of the developer Omniyat.
→ With interiors currently being installed for the ‘ME by Melia’ Dubai hotel that will soon welcome its first guests, the Opus will house 12 restaurants, rooftop bars, and 56,000 sq. ft. of office space. Operated by Melia Hotels International, one of the world’s leading hoteliers with more than 350 hotels in 39 countries, ‘ME by Melia’ hotels are defined by their progressive, design-driven approach.
→ “You always expect to be surprised by ZHA’s designs, but the Opus for ‘ME by Melia’ Dubai goes beyond what we could ever have anticipated. There’s no doubt that ME Dubai will raise the bar for Dubai’s best hotels. We are proud to have this amazing project in our portfolio,” said Gabriel Escarrer, Vice Chairman and CEO, of Melia Hotels International at the announcement of ME Dubai.
- Credits:
For the complete documentation, including exclusive photos and documents, please refer to Zaha Hadid's Official website.
- As for more information about the project, which is rare actually, I hereby share the informative brochure of the Opus and about the ME Hotel in Dubai, with exclusive content that will blow your mind up! Download it at The-Opus-Brochure-Interactive-optimized.pdf.
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Nadim Maani
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from discussing cutting-edge architectural trends to analyzing iconic structures, and home improvement topics, my articles delve into the intricacies of design, offering thought-provoking perspectives and practical tips.
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