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Opus shortlisted for 2020 WAN Awards

Opus in Dubai has been shortlisted for the 2020 WAN Awards, an award organised by World Architecture News to promote imaginative and innovative work of talented architects and interior designers.

Located in the Burj Khalifa district adjacent to Downtown Dubai and Business Bay on the Dubai Water Canal, the Opus by Zaha Hadid Architects for Omniyat explores the balance between solid and void, opaque and transparent, interior and exterior.

Designed as two separate towers that coalesce into a singular whole, the Opus takes the form of a cube. The cube has been ‘eroded’ in its centre, creating a free-form void that is an important volume of the design in its own right. The two halves of the building on either side of the void are linked by a four-storey atrium at ground level and also connected by an asymmetric 38 metre wide, three-storey bridge 71 metres above the ground.

The precise orthogonal geometries of the Opus’ elemental glass cube contrast dramatically with the fluidity of the eight-storey void at its centre.

During the day, the cube’s façade reflects the sky, the sun and the surrounding city; whilst at night, the void is illuminated by a dynamic light installation of individually controllable LEDs within each glass panel.

The ME Dubai at the Opus incorporates 74 rooms and 19 suites with bespoke furniture by Zaha Hadid Design while the Opus building also houses offices floors, serviced residences and restaurants.

WAN Awards 2020 shortlist

Photograph by Laurian Ghinitoiu