July 24, 2020 | Updated: January 10, 2022
This hotel complex from the Meliá chain has incorporated the PORCELANOSA Group’s bathroom collections to shape that timeless architectural style that connects the dots.
Two glazed towers are joined by a glass bridge that seems to revolve over itself to integrate the Hotel Me by Meliá in Dubai in the Burj Khalifa district, one of the most luxurious in the city.
With five stars and 27 floors, Opus is the posthumous work of architect Zaha Hadid (1950-2016) and it brings together much of that imagination formed by intertwining volumes, striking lines and open spaces. Three concepts that were developed by architects Patrik Schumacher and Christos Passas from the Zaha Hadid Architects studio using the PORCELANOSA Group collections.
With 12 restaurants, a rooftop and 5,200 square metres of offices, this building is defined by its open and light structures and eco-efficient nature. The Pritzker Prize-winning design ensures that natural light from outside passes into the interior without the need to use additional lighting. In addition, all the facilities of this hotel have an automatic sensor that regulates the light and ventilation of each area, and recycling systems have been installed to handle organic waste that is discarded.
“The philosophy behind the OPUS was always to create a meaningful architectural masterpiece. The contrasting interaction between solid and void, the treatment of the façade and the urban concept of the project make it a timeless work of art and architecture. The hotel in this building was born of this interesting compositional interplay of shape and effect,” Christos explains.
“The contrasting interaction between solid and void make it a timeless work of art and architecture”
Inside this hotel, white surfaces are combined with bright furniture, and the large picture windows that frame each of the spaces open the rooms to the city. A design that recaptures Zaha Hadid’s ethical principles: Sustainability, Resilience and Excellence. Characteristics that describe the hotel’s bathrooms, where the futuristic Vitae collection from Noken stands out.
This series was designed exclusively by Hadid and it reproduces the movement of water through sinuous and organic lines that lend greater dynamism to each of the pieces. Vitae includes taps, washbasins, toilets, mirrors and accessories, as well as a bathtub and shower column. A dance of dynamic pieces that give a glimpse into what will be the comprehensive bathroom solution of the future. “It is always exciting to see the designs we imagine on paper and through digital simulations become a manifest physical reality, ready to be entered, enjoyed and used to improve life,” said architect Patrik Schumacher.
See it in Projects Porcelanosa.
The Opus won the Middle East Architect Award in the 2017 Leisure and Hospitality Project category.
Photography: Laurian Ghinitoiu
Design: PMK (Dubai)
ZHA Director: Christos Passas
Competition Team: Christos Passas (lead designer), Paul Peyrer-Heimstaett, Alvin Huang, Daniel Baerlecken, Gemma Douglas, Saleem Al-Jalil
Design Team (shell and core): : Vincent Nowak (architect), Dimitris Akritopoulos, Javier Ernesto-Lebie, Paul Peyrer-Heimstaett, Sylvia Georgiadou, Phivos Skroumbelos, Marilena Sophocleous, Chiara Ferrari, Thomas Frings, Jesus Garate, Wenyuan Peng
Base Built Supervision Team: Fabian Hecker (team leader), Barbara Bochnak (team leader), Tomasz Starczewski, Kwanphil Cho, Bruno Pereira, Dimitris Kolonis
Project Management: Gleeds (London), Omniyat (Dubai)
Local Architect: Arex Consultants (Dubai) BSBG (Dubai)
Client: Omniyat
Interior Design Team 1: Reza Esmaeeli, Bozana Komljenovic (Project Leads), Laura Micalizzi, Emily Rohrer (Senior Interior Designers), Veronika Ilinskaya, Eider Fernandez Eibar, Stella Nikolakaki, Bruno Pereira, Raul Forsoni, Thomas Frings, Chrysi Fradellou, Spyridon Kaprinis, Alexandra Fischer, Hendrik Rupp, Vivian Pashiali, Sofia Papageorgiou, Carlos Luna, Christos Sazos, Kwanphil Cho, Andri Shalou, Ben Kikkawa, Melhem Sfeir, Faten el Meri, Eleni Mente (Landscape Designer)
Interior Design Team 2: Alessio Constantino (Project Lead), Sonia Renehan (Senior Interior Designer), Afsoon Es Haghi, Zsuzsanna Barat, Ekaterina Smirnova, Chafic Zerrouki, Nessma Al Ghoussein, Christina Christodoulidou
Bespoke Furniture Team: Maha Kutay (Project Director), Margherita Valova, Reza Esmaeeli, Raul Forsoni, Bruno Pereira, Carine Posner, Filipa Gomes
Structural Engineers: Whitbybird (London) BG&E (Dubai)
MEP Engineers: Clarke Samadin (Dubai)
Façade Engineers: Whitbybird (London) Agnes Koltay Facades (Dubai)
Consultants: Adam Scott, Roger Preston Dynamics (London), Lerch Bates (Dubai)
Fire Engineering: Safe (London)
Traffic Consultants: Cansult Limited (Dubai), Al Tourath (Dubai)
Lighting Consultants: Tim Downey, Isometrix (London) , DPA (Dubai), Illuminate (Dubai)
Consultant: HBA (Dubai)
Security Consultant: Control Risks (Dubai)
Kitchen Consultants: MCTS (Dubai)
AV Consultants: EntireTech (Dubai)
QS Consultants: HQS (Dubai)
Façade Contractors: Brookfield Multiplex (London), Alu-Nasa (Dubai])
Hotel Operator: Melia Hotels
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