08 Sep 2014
Hadid to design the entirety of the ME Hotel Dubai
BY Katie Buckley
The Opus Building, located in the Burj Khalifa district of Dubai, UAE, is to dedicate 250,000sq ft (23,225sq m) of space to a new ME Hotel, completely designed by internationally-renowned ‘starchitect’ Zaha Hadid.
The entire complex is a mixed-use development and Meliá Hotels International is keen to expand its experience-based brand by placing a 100-bedroom hotel within The Opus Building itself, developed by real estate company Omniyat.
Although no stranger to hotel design, Zaha Hadid is not just designing the exterior of the building, but also the interiors of the entire hotel; from its new bars and Michelin-starred restaurant to luxurious penthouse suites and open spaces.
A rendering of the hotel interior
As part of the London Design Festival, Hadid has created a temporary installation at the
Victoria & Albert Museum which will be transported to Dubai and incorporated in the new hotel's design in time for its opening in 2016. This offers some clue into how the overall design for the ME Dubai will look; sleek and seamless with fluid surfaces.
The Crest installation at the V&A
The Opus buildings extends to 93m (305ft) tall and its exterior is conceived as a cube that, according to Hadid, has been “eroded by a free-form void, which appears to ‘hover’ above ground level.” Another feature will be a pixilated reflective façade that will be illuminated at night, flooding the space in the centre of the cube-like structure.
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