Location: Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Building surface: 106.534 m2 GFA / 168.081 m2 BUA
Building volume: 840.000 m3
Building site: 8.785 m2
Building height: 302m.
Programme: Mixed-use
Planning time: 2014 – 2016
Construction time: 2016 – 2020
Operator: Mandarin Oriental Hospitality Group
Lead Consultant design: UNStudio, Dubai/Amsterdam
Architecture: UNStudio, Amsterdam
Engineering, Sustainability, Acoustics: Werner Sobek, Dubai/Stuttgart
MEP Engineering: Werner Sobek, London
Local MEP Engineering: Seed, Dubai
Architect of Record: U+A Architects, Dubai
Light Design: Arup, Amsterdam
Landscape Architect: Green4Cities, Vienna
Cost Consultant: Kulkarni Quantity Surveyors, Dubai
FLS Consultant: Aecom, Dubai
Vertical Transportation: Dunbar & Boardman / TUV Sud, London
AV/IT Consultant: Shen Milson Wilke
Kitchen Consultant: Sefton Horn Winch
Pool Engineering: Barr & Wray, Dubai
Interior Design Hotel: GA Design, London UK
Interior Design F&B: AB Concept, Hong Kong
UNStudio, in collaboration with Werner Sobek, was invited by the wasl Development Group to design a new kind of high-rise for the city of Dubai that would act as a benchmark
wasl Tower - a slender 300-meter-tall super-high-rise, when completed, will be one of the world’s tallest ceramic facades. Adopting a classic ‘contrapposto’ movement, the mixed-use tower faces in almost every direction and offers public areas high up in the building.
UNStudio’s design, closely interlinked with the engineering and sustainability concept developed by Werner Sobek, defines scale, light, building physics and materialisation. In addition, smart access, communication and security provide a seamless technological base, which is integrated with the architecture. Clean materials, interactive light levels, and good acoustics are implemented throughout the building.
Clay was chosen as a basic material, as such the facade fins will be manufactured as low-tech glazed ceramic elements. The geometry of the tower achieved its holistic appearance by means of innovative parametric design and high-tech engineering. On the facade, a fine lace of inclined fins over the basic skin literally veils the geometry and provides the required ‘closed’ surfaces. These fins not only provide shade, but also reflect daylight deep into the tower’s interior.
The open seam that runs the full height of the tower forms a ‘vertical boulevard’, which is topped by infinity pools on the tower roof. This seam is created by a stacking of outdoor balconies and forms a green vein which also affords a glimpse of the interiors. The boulevard connects the outdoor with the indoor and is a unique feature for the region.
Facade lighting housed behind the fins and developed with Arup Lighting, is programmed as a rhythmic animation that breathes with the cadence of this 24-hour metropole and provides a visual connection to the city. This facade lighting is powered by the energy cube PV panels located on the car park building.
The mixed-use programme, comprising offices, guest rooms, public areas and apartments, presented a challenging core configuration. A smart structural concept - with three 300-metre high shear walls in the core that connect 4 large outriggers on strategic levels - give the tower an almost free, highly efficient floorplate.
Three high-speed express lifts connect the four main lobbies (ground / spa /sky and rooftop) which contain most of the public programme and the main access for the hotel (at 150 metres). Four office and four guestroom lifts share the same lift shaft, while the residential apartments have their own designated lift-group, making direct access via the basement parking possible. In total, the building provides 17 lifts, of which 5 are service elevators.
The tower is supported by a low rise car-park building which, uniquely, also houses a large, column-free ballroom on the first floor. Programming this element in this location provided the advantage that the ground floor lobby now spans the full premises and creates a ‘walled’ garden, providing shade and cooling, even during the summer months. The roof of the car park building is a large outdoor pool deck and is connected to the spa lobby in the tower via a pedestrian bridge, which provides access for all guests and visitors.
Mandarin Oriental, one of the world’s top hospitality brands, will operate the full building and will establish its MO@Dubai hotel here, with 250+ luxury 5* guest rooms. Construction started in 2016. General contractor Arabtec was appointed to start main works in 2017.
