Zaha Hadid's first project in Dubai is a work of art to rival any of the renowned Iraqi-born architect's award-winning structures, and will add something very different to the city's burgeoning collection of prestige buildings.
In many ways, a visit to Dubai’s Business Bay feels like a trip back to the future – to a city that feels eerily familiar to anyone who can remember the giddy days before the financial crisis hit in 2008.
Outside, the air rings with the sound of continuous construction and the plots between Sheikh Zayed Road and the Burj Khalifa, long dormant, are now filled with a ballet of workers, lorries and cranes.
Inside the area’s new towers, many of which are topped with the names of their developer, elevators are filled with men dressed in similar fashion: no jackets and crisp, white shirts with collars that are always worn open.
Their shoes, fresh from site visits, are caked in a layer of fine white dust.
Close to the epicentre of this boomtown within a boomtown stands a futuristic building, a glass cube with a gigantic amorphous void at its centre, which manages to feel modest while entirely at home in a cityscape defined by gratuitous acts of architectural shape-making.
Now that it is nearing completion, The Opus – the latest development from Omniyat Properties – will be the first project from Zaha Hadid Architects to have been built in Dubai.
The company is responsible for the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, the Olympic Aquatics Centre in London and the MAXXI Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome.
Despite its appearance, The Opus consists of two glass towers linked by a four-storey podium at ground level, and at a height of 71 metres by an asymmetric steel and glass bridge.
Standing three storeys, 38 metres wide and weighing almost 1,000 tonnes, the bridge and the building’s eight-storey void are clad in 4,500 triple-glazed midnight blue panels.
But thanks to the undulating complexity of the design however, many of the panels are required to curve in two directions which means that every one is unique.
Made of glass from China and aluminium frames from Denmark, the largest panels weigh 800 kilograms each.
The Opus will have 56,000 square feet of office space, a rooftop bar, and a nightclub in its basement, 12 restaurants and ME Dubai, an oddity in the Dubai hospitality market in that it will be a five-star boutique hotel with only 93 guest rooms and 60 apartments.
The first ME by Melia hotels in the Middle East, ME Dubai will become part of an exclusive group of hotels belonging to the Spanish hospitality group that consists of outposts in London, Madrid, Mallorca, Milan, Miami, Ibiza, Cancun and Cabo San Lucas.
The hotel will feature a lobby and central atrium with mezzanines that will rise like the petals of a gigantic flower.
But at the moment the interior of The Opus remains a forest of scaffolding and the only guide to its eventual appearance are the renderings produced by the architects.
Despite the fact that the hotel is not due to open until summer next year, for one man the precise detail of every element of the hotel’s suites and facilities already feels like a reality.
“Being Zaha Hadid, everything is curved and sometimes the design supersedes the functionality so it’s my role to make sure we find the right balance,” says Stefan Viard, the new general manager of the ME Dubai.
“From an operations point of view we try to look at the common designs like the wardrobes and the bathrooms to make sure they are standardised as much as possible.
“Because of the shape of the building, we only have 93 rooms, but out of these there are 68 different types.”
When it is complete, The Opus will feature a dynamic, designed sculptural steel port-cochere and its landscape will include a bespoke asymmetric aluminium installation, Crest, which was developed by the architects for the hotel and originally displayed at the 2014 London Design Festival.
The building and the sculpture are the fruit of a long working relationship that developed between Omniyat’s executive chairman and founder Mahdi Amjad, a businessman of Iranian descent who was born in Iraq, and Zaha Hadid, the renowned British-Iraqi architect who died last year in Miami after a heart attack. She was 65.
In October last year, Mr Amjad established the Zaha Hadid/Omniyat Fellowship Fund, a fellowship at Harvard Graduate School of Design, in the architect’s honour and as a way of providing financial aid to architecture students from the Middle East.
“When I established Omniyat in 2005, I was motivated by my desire to develop uncompromising creative signature buildings and I was fortunate enough to have worked for 10 years with my dear friend and design mentor Dame Zaha Hadid on the creation of The Opus,” Mr Amjad says.
Hadid won countless awards for her contribution to architecture, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004 and the Riba Gold Medal last year, the first woman to do so.
For an architect who only completed her first building project at the age of 43 and who developed a reputation for producing visionary designs often thought to be unbuildable, Hadid enjoyed spectacular successes towards the end of her career.
In the past decade, her visionary designs for the Guangzhou Opera House in China, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in South Korea, and the Messner Mountain Museum in Corones, Italy, were fully realised.
First commissioned by Omniyat in 2008, the Dh2.5 billion Opus project was scheduled for completion at the end of 2009 but will now open as a very different mixed-use development.
“When I met Dame Zaha Hadid the objective was to create a piece of art in Dubai, and it was quite a tall order as we had really only been in business for two years,” Mr Amjad says.
“We had planned to give our smallest project to Zaha Hadid but it evolved in such a way that she ended up working on our largest, and since then it has been a remarkable journey.”
After the global financial crisis, Omniyat put the building on hold between 2009 and 2011 and took the opportunity to rethink the concept. Although its external envelope is unchanged, the building is the result of three years’ further design development.
“We converted a shell and core office building with some retail at the bottom into a lifestyle hotel that will be the first of its type in Dubai and something very unique, and that’s something we are very proud of.”
Despite the risks of delays or of blowing budgets, Mr Amjad insists that working with big-name architects is central to Omniyat’s business model, and he reveals that he will announce another major Dubai-based collaboration with London’s Foster + Partners this year.
“Working with these architects presents its own set of challenges,” the developer says, “but the results for the city, for the investors and for the shareholders are still far greater than the challenges, and I say that after having been involved in this project for the last 10 years.”
nleech@thenational.ae
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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More about Middle East geopolitics
match info
Southampton 0
Arsenal 2 (Nketiah 20', Willock 87')
Red card: Jack Stephens (Southampton)
Man of the match: Rob Holding (Arsenal)
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Atalanta v Juventus (6pm)
AC Milan v Napoli (9pm)
Torino v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Sunday
Bologna v Parma (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Lazio (6pm)
Roma v Brescia (6pm)
Verona v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Udinese (9pm)
Lecce v Cagliari (11.45pm)
Monday
SPAL v Genoa (11.45pm)
Scoreline:
Manchester City 1
Jesus 4'
Brighton 0
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
RESULTS
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner RB Money To Burn, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner Ekhtiyaar, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Commanding, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner Benbatl, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Kimbear, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Platinum Star, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Key Victory, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Company%C2%A0profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
De De Pyaar De
Produced: Luv Films, YRF Films
Directed: Akiv Ali
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jaaved Jaffrey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
Zodi%20%26%20Tehu%3A%20Princes%20Of%20The%20Desert
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEric%20Barbier%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYoussef%20Hajdi%2C%20Nadia%20Benzakour%2C%20Yasser%20Drief%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A