Design Middle East January 2021
January 2021: https://bit.ly/39gMfqu
The post Design Middle East January 2021 appeared first on Design Middle East.
January 2021: https://bit.ly/39gMfqu
The post Design Middle East January 2021 appeared first on Design Middle East.
The first of three Rove Hotels with interiors envisioned by MMAC Design Associates opened its doors at the iconic beachfront development La Mer by Meraas. This stunning hotel is the latest edition of Emaar’s edgy brand and the first of three Roves designed by the Dubai-based interior design firm MMAC.
Located in the heart of Dubai’s favourite beachside development, the Rove La Mer Beach boasts a total of 366 rooms that are perfect for friends and families that travel together. Guests can rise and shine to the glistening Arabian Gulf in a Rover Room with sea view or inspiring cityscapes evocative of the adventures that lay ahead. Rove’s fuss-free, casual ethos means that guests have access to the Barista lounge, the signature Daily restaurant, a 24-hour gym, and a large outdoor terrace with the beachfront bonus of a sea-view pool and sun deck. The neighbouring beach at La Mer offers plenty of experiences, including a waterpark, an exploding culinary scene and interactive art installations.
Designed to embody the urban beachside vibe that permeates La Mer, hotel guests are welcomed into a casual and vibrant lobby. With its seaside colour palette, striking maritime-inspired art installations and expansive glazing that frames the sea, the hotel interior is a treat for the visual senses.
The lobby and the sprawling terrace lounge are one as the décor extends seamlessly from interior to exterior. The sandy tone seating elements are lined with a flurry of vibrant and eclectic cushions that capture the playfulness that is so readily associated with the Rove brand.
The oversized wall graphics, hand-picked accessories and quirky art installations are paired with the polished concrete floor, the chalk-white brick walls, the driftwood beams of the feature ceiling and the blackened steel structures to strike the perfect balance between seaside elegance and industrial chic. Bright turquoise hammocks, bean bags and day beds were specified to create a harmonious yet distinct semi-private beach space blending perfectly within La Mer’s seaside development.
“When envisioning this project, we wanted to ensure that we retained the brand experience that our Rovers know and love, while also offering them something new and exciting – a resort-style hotel and the next evolution of the Rove journey. We believe that partnering with MMAC has enabled us to take an ambitious concept and make it a reality through a creative yet fuss-free hotel design, which aligns perfectly with the guest experience provided by our team,” noted Paul Bridger, from Rove Hotels’ Management.
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The transition of the city is a complicated process. Along with the old memories gradually gone, new emotions are constantly being generated. When production breaks through itself and has more connections with life, the vision of the garden will continue.
The project is located in the Xucun Industrial Zone, Haining, Jiaxing, in which the architect built an elegant courtyard on the roof of a factory and named it Xiaoya. In this courtyard, the functions of reception, catering, and office are combined. And it has broken through the single working mode and expanded the breadth and depth of life.
How to deal with the relationship between architecture and environment has to be the first research focus of the design. The place is adjacent to the main road of the city, and there are many self-built houses in the surrounding countryside. So the designer uses green plants as walls to shield from the noise on the road and disorder of vision, which has embodied the concept of oriental gardens by modern garden methods and created an atmosphere of being in the city but like a wild place.
They utilise the natural sightline deviations of the roof platform to balance the surrounding axis, and the phototaxis of the biological instinct to allow the viewer to do the natural selection. The architecture is opened, and the interior and exterior spaces are infiltrated with each other, both spacious and enclosed.
The corridor design overlaps with the tourist line, which leads the free ramble mode to become an opportunity for interaction between people and the site. The delight of the stroll is the purpose of the landscape design. It is expected that people will walk barefoot. With the changes in texture and temperature of wood, stone, rock, and sand, they will touch the nerves of the footsteps, during which people will return to purity.
In the eyes of Mies Van Der Rohe, the barrier is no longer the antonym of the transparent but creates one more space and one more possibility. Inspired by this, the corridors twist and turn volatile and extend in the open backyard of Xiaoya, where the white wall penetrates into the field of vision, but part of the landscape emerges from behind, and the geometric espalier hides the end of the corridor and played a “Cloze Play Thinks” with the brain.
There are two water courtyards. The central one takes a view of the sky and takes the water as a mirror. The shadow is refracted into the restaurant and meeting room, and the fold-up water landscape continues to extend indoors.
In The Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Deer Bell, stirred up the feelings by deer bell and eating grass. It shows the way of hospitality and the mind to entertain the guests, by utilizing which the designer creates a resonance between people and space. The squeezing and dislocation of the building create a series of wonderful corner spaces. Behind the “cloudy pine forest” painting that landed like a screen in the lobby was a small deer that came out of the probe.
The elements of the grille are used one after another in the place. Make space becomes an alienated sundial and combines the sunlight. Mottled shadows which change along with the time, like clouds and fog, like electric light, which lets the “rime” sway and flow.
Xiaoya uses the concept of oriental gardens to create a western garden landscape that incorporates geometric patterns, vegetation, architecture, and water features, etc, which uses simple cubes to summarize the combination of the natural stones laying, cascade and the fold-up of the sceneries, which forms a unified visual element.
In the meeting room, the view is divided by vertical walls. Then the view of the left eye is a spacious outdoor space, and the right is an enclosed meeting space. The view outside the window of the living room in the lounge area is cleverly reflected by the mirror to the dining person, which makes the water courtyard, pine, and the bamboo in the corners outside the window all visible to the eye.
When the sky gets a bit dark, you can see the interior through the light and shadow on the glass, and see the opposite view through the rear window, which is mellow and interesting.
Photo credit: © Haha Lu
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Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) and Leigh & Orange Limited (L&O) unveil the new design for a Student Residence Development at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).
Established in 1991, HKUST has become a leading research institution, consistently ranked amongst the best in Asia and around the globe. HKUST is also one of the world’s fastest growing universities. Over half of the university’s 16,000 students enrolled in the 2019-2020 academic year are from overseas, creating an urgent demand for new residential facilities within its Clear Water Bay campus.
Planned for completion in 2023, the university’s new halls of residence designed by Zaha Hadid Architects in collaboration with Leigh & Orange will house over 1,500 students. Marrying advanced digital design technologies with sustainable construction practices and operational strategies for its 50-year life cycle, the design is guided by the university’s mission to harness technology and innovation to solve today’s critical global issues.
Located at the Southeast of the HKUST campus, the new halls of residence are embedded within a steeply sloping site of approximately 25m of level difference. The building’s roof line has been designed as its primary circulation and incorporates shaded outdoor areas for students and staff to rest and gather together, helping to build a stronger cross-campus culture. This rooftop walkway creates a new connection between the academic blocks of the north campus and the primarily residential blocks of the south, eliminating the need for students and staff to circumnavigate the hilly terrain.
Digital design tools allowing simultaneous considerations of numerous site parameters including terrain levels, solar radiation, sightlines and soil conditions have defined the design’s optimal configuration and orientation; while the digital encoding of its internal spaces enabled layout tests to optimize functionality and adaptability, as well as accurate calculation of natural light levels.
The halls of residence are organized in a hexagonal configuration creating four courtyards terraced into the steeply sloping site. With all rooms facing open spaces, the approximately 35,500 sq.m of accommodation includes communal areas for living, learning, recreation and leisure. The courtyards are designed to be quieter spaces for rest and relaxation, while the surrounding hillside will be replanted to prevent soil erosion with zones for exercise and social activities.
The residences are arranged in three differing ‘clusters’ that combine communal living spaces with a varying number of single or double occupancy bedrooms, enabling between 18 to 36 students to share one apartment as a single self-contained ‘household’ that encourages a sense of ownership and cohesion.
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Landroom project by French-Israeli architect Ben Gitai, founder of Gitai Architects, is overlooking the world’s largest geological crater, Makhtesh Ramon in Israel
The Landroom is a minimal environmental structure designed on the verge between territory and a landscape object. It is located at the Western observation point on the edge of the Mitzpe Ramon crater in the Negev. It functions as an observatory for the stars at night and provides shelter for visitors where the sun’s rays are burning in daylight. The Landroom is about 6sqm in size and it can accommodate two people. It embodies the transition from a normative lifestyle to the unpredictable living conditions created as a result of the corona plague that plagues the world today. It also maintains an internal and external dialogue with the physical area (Ramon Crater) in which it is located, thus allowing a connection between the space and the landscape that surrounds it. Among other things, the atmosphere in the Landroom transform itself with changing environmental conditions throughout the day.
The project was built entirely of earth and sand from Ramon Crater, as well as stones found at the site. The construction process takes place by compressing soil into its various layers into a mold created specifically for the design of the project, in order to create a visual stratification of the material from which the Landroom is built. The project examines the relationship between material and territorial space, and how they define each other.
Among other things, the Landroom refers to the soundscape local environment. Inside the space, there is a window on which hangs a wind bell built of desert stone and thus a dialogue takes place with the natural environment in which it is located. This work emphasises the need of man to observe nature. The Landroom is a spatial formal translation that provides the visitor a sense of freedom and space within a unique landscape.
Landroom’s atmosphere changes in response to environmental conditions throughout the day, serving as a shelter from the sun during the day and a warm cocoon in the evening for star gazers The structure itself sits as if it could have sprouted naturally from the Earth, blending into the landscape and offering a cinematic feeling and viewing experience that connects the anthology and topography of the location.
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Henry Duck, director at The Vero Studio, talks about the firm’s 10-year anniversary and his learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic
2020 was to be a year full of excitement and anticipation as the studio celebrated its tenth birthday in November. As we started drafting celebratory plans for a decade of Vero in late 2019, I am not sure any of us could have predicted what was coming in 2020, and just how much it would impact the world and the “normal” ways of working we are all so used to and comfortable with. The impacts of the pandemic were no different to Vero than any other landscape design practice with the studio being closed for six months with the team working remotely from various locations throughout the UAE. As the year draws to a close, there is no uncertainty surrounding the fact that 2020, has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging years the studio has faced since our formation in 2010. However, in many ways, it has also been a year for reflection and a stark reminder of just how adaptable we can be as humans when collectively faced with adversity.
We work in an industry where teamwork truly is paramount to all that we do, whether it’s a team of five landscape architects working on a concept or a team of hundreds of consultants across many disciplines working as part of a design team on a project. Having returned to the studio and re-uniting the team in early November (albeit with desks slightly spread out, masks and temperature checks on arrival) and being able to witness the daily buzz that has thankfully been restored in our busy studio, it is hard to imagine that we all spent six months working in isolation and still delivered work to a high standard on a range of complex and challenging projects. What has collectively been achieved in 2020, is not just a testament to Vero but The UAE and the design industry as a whole. I feel that there will be some significant and positive changes to how we work moving forward and I think if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that you don’t need to get on a plane and fly two thousand miles for a two-hour meeting or jump in a car and sit on Sheikh Zayed Road for two hours for a thirty-minute meeting.
The pandemic has witnessed the rise and emergence of platforms such as Teams, GoToMeeting and Zoom and these have been highly effective in not only increasing efficiencies but also significantly reducing the carbon footprint across our industry. I genuinely believe this will be the future and the “new normal” of how we work. Despite all of this, there is much to be positive and excited about as the year and indeed decade draws to a close. The studio has continued to expand and grow throughout its ten years of operations and there have been various changes and challenges along the way. One of the biggest changes and challenges I have witnessed in the studio has been the transition into BIM. This had been in the pipeline for a few years, but our hand was forced when we won a large project with Killa Design back in late 2019, which required us to use BIM. Since the transition, we really haven’t looked back and although we fully acknowledge it’s a work in progress and has been very painful at times, we feel it offers so much more to both our clients and fellow Consultants and it is highly rewarding to not only be one the leading boutique landscape design studios in Dubai, but also one of the only landscape architecture studios who is working in BIM.
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The W Hotel & Residences is an exemplary example of RMJM’s design capabilities
RMJM, one of the largest international design and architectural firms is known for executing world-class commissions. One of such is the W Hotel & Residences, situated on the Crescent of the Palm Jumeirah. It’s stunning hotel resort and residential complex with a spa, pool areas, water features, and other amenities comprising of approximately 200,000sqm of accommodation including 400 hotel rooms and 75 super luxury serviced duplex apartments and penthouses.
The undulating building form takes full advantage of the views in this unique location by opening up vistas to the waterfront and creating intimate court spaces along the water’s edge. Restaurants, retail outlets, and function facilities are mostly located on the ground floor of the hotel wing with a destination bar and restaurant at a high level to take full advantage of the dual aspect views. The resort was designed to make maximum use of the building’s frontage with their unique location on the Palm Jumeirah, facing the famous Dubai skyline with the Jumeirah Beach Residence and Dubai Marina opposite. This original concept design was inspired by the fluidity of water touching the sand and the formal effects generated by that.
The architectural form is sculpted using linear continuously flowing forms, and each building block spans more than 280m, with double viewing aspects making the building frontage approximately 520m. The building steps inwards proportionally to create a layered effect and thereby allows extensive and generous terraces with unobstructed and breathtaking views. The building depth is a minimum of 18m and expands to 25m to include balconies and allow for the building curvatures. The apartments introduce a contemporary vision for luxury living which encompasses the apartment size, the building’s operation, security, privacy and neighbourhood feel. The building creates a community on its own, with 75 luxury apartments, starting from 550sqm and extending to 2,200sqm. The architecture meets the client’s vision of creating a unique residence from all aspects.
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Hamid Kerayechian is the CEO & founding partner of Ayana Holding, a prominent international organisation headquartered in the United Arab Emirates which encompasses a diverse range of businesses across real estate investment and development, design, construction, marketing, strategy, technology, IT and infrastructure, asset management, procurement, hospitality advisory, and general trading.
Kerayechian has full responsibility for executing the strategic direction and ongoing operations for Ayana Holding’s impressive wide-ranging portfolio of companies which include Alt Technology, Aquila Hospitality, Ayana Properties, Brand Capital, Detay Homes, Detay Living, M2L Concepts, Manya Décor, Mount Kelvin, Nioum, Opaal Interiors, Performaa, Retail Boutique, Siren Global, VX Studio, and WrkBay.
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Dimitri Papakonstantinou joined ASI a subsidiary of ASGC construction in September 2018, headquartered in the UAE, ASI delivers turnkey fit-out solutions across the UAE and has a manufacturing facility as well as a complete in-house project. Papakonstantinou started his career with Murray and Roberts Construction in South Africa four years later 2004, shifted his base in UAE. Amongst his previous roles, he was a founding member of Plafond Fit Out LLC in 2008, where he served as managing director since 2013. He has been involved in numerous successful projects and has a proven track record of increasing corporate revenues and profitability while managing teams of more than 1,700 employees. He has a BSc. Civil Engineering and MBA and is an active member of the YPO Dubai Downtown Chapter.
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Dubai Culture and Arts Authority is proceeding with its efforts to engage with the local creative community and motivate its pioneers to enrich Dubai’s cultural scene with their contributions. In this context, Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture, toured some of the retail stores and showrooms in the creative complex at Dubai Design District, which is considered an ideal platform for design talent in the emirate.
Hala Badri was accompanied by Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director of Dubai Design District, and viewed the exhibits created by Emiratis and UAE residents, whereby she discussed work conditions and prospects for development with some entrepreneurs.
The Director General stressed that this visit falls in line with the Authority’s keenness to follow up with Dubai’s cultural scene and the creativity instilled within it. She said: “Dubai Culture is committed to exercising its role of supporting, encouraging, directing and organising cultural work in the emirate as part of the Authority’s vision to maintaining its proximity to the artists and creators who constitute the pulse of the creative community to motivate and encourage them. Dubai Design District is a home for design entrepreneurs who empower the local design industry and push forward the innovation process that shapes the cultural movement in the emirate.
Badri added: “Dubai Culture is keen to nurture and embrace the distinguished local design talents as well as to provide an environment that would support their growth and promote their businesses on their path towards broader horizons; this contributes to the advancement of this vital sector that is supportive of the national economy. As such, the Authority is strengthening its cooperation with its partners who are active in the creative sector, such as Dubai Design District with whom we have been associated with since its establishment. We will continue our joint cooperation through which we seek to consolidate Dubai’s position as a promising global destination in the field of design as well as its cultural footprint on the global stage.”
Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director of Dubai Design District, said: “As a key contributor to the creative and design ecosystem in Dubai, we are proud to be working closely with the Dubai Culture team to cement Dubai’s position as a leading international hub for innovation and talent. This visit is an opportunity to showcase the key milestones D3 and its partners have accomplished over the years, including the achievement of sub-sectors, such as architecture, fashion, art and design.”
Al Bastaki added: “Today, our robust design community caters to the needs of local and international companies by empowering talents and facilitating their networking and business opportunities. We are proud to be home to some of the world’s leading design entities and talents that collectively shape the emirate’s knowledge- and innovation-based economy.”
The tour included a visit to the Fatima Bin Mohammed Bin Zayed Initiative, Hessa Al Falasi (shop), Dubai Institute of Design, Styled Habitat (interior design studio), Noor The Label (fashion store), Consentino, Michael Cinco (fashion store), AlBAL (design studio), Maison Yeya (fashion store), Nafs (fashion store), N.Sefi Jewellery & Piercings, and The Cap Project (women fashion).
This visit came as part of the vital role played by Dubai Culture as the custodian of the cultural sector in the emirate. It also forms part of the priorities of the Authority’s updated strategy that is aimed at empowering creativity and innovators and enhancing the creative economy in the emirate as well as at consolidating Dubai’s position as a global centre for art and culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.
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