OPUS project unveiled in London
Zaha Hadid has unveiled a dramatic proposal for the Business Bay area of Dubai. The masterplan had called for two towers but Zaha’s loose interpretation takes the form of a huge sculptured cube. During the press conference it was apparent that client Omniyat Properties had asked Zaha to design the interior of another project but she had refused as she couldn’t do it her way. Even the conference itself was held in London to accommodate the glamorous architect, with many of the press flying in from Dubai to attend the launch.
The Opus project will be fringed by the Burj Dubai development. it will be neighbours with the Dubai International Financial Centre and the World Trade and Convention Centre, giving it a presitgious location with excellent access to the city.
The Opus will appear to hover from the ground. Constructed of three separate towers the building will appear as a singlular unified whole, with a distinctive void. The interiors of which will be clad with a fully engineered curved class curtain wall to allow for eye-catching views into the void. Reflexive fritting patterns in the form of pixilated striations will be applied onto the glass facade to provide a degree of reflectivity and materiality to the cube while assisting in the reduction of solar grains inside the building. Within the Opus there will be a retail podium across the ground, first and second floor. The uppermost floor will feature a tranquility zone, a beach deck with a reflective pool and shaded roof terrace, a media zone and a gym. The building boasts an AAA-class rating and has 87 per cent space efficiency. The project will be launched at Citiscape property exhibition in Dubai in October 2007.
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