The Opus, Dubai
Zaha Hadid Architects

Spanning an extensive 84,300 square metres (907,400 square feet), The Opus was designed as two separate towers that coalesce into a singular a cube. The cube has been 'eroded' in its centre, creating a free-form void as an important design element 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 are connected by an asymmetric 38 metre wide, three-storey bridge, 71 metres above the ground.

With 20 floors above and 7 floors below ground The Opus has a height of 93m height above ground, hosting a hotel, offices as well as private residences. It is located in the Burj Khalifa district adjacent to Downtown Dubai and Business Bay on the Dubai Water Canal and is the only hotel in which Hadid created both the architecture and the interior. The interior‘s Zaha Hadid Design furniture was fabricated from materials ensuring a long lifecycle and which can be recycled

The void‘s 6,000 square meter facade was designed using digital 3D modelling. The cube features a double-glazed insulating facade with a UV coating and a mirrored frit pattern to reduce solar gain. Sensors throughout the Opus automatically adjust ventilation and lighting according to occupancy. Hotel guests receive stainless-steel water bottles during their stay with drinking water dispensers installed throughout the entire hotel, in order to become entirely plastic free in all areas.

Exploring the contrast of solidity and dynamics the building’s sculptural design is quintessentially Zaha Hadid. The architecture icon had planned and presented the designs for the building in 2007 but very surprisingly, and to the great loss of the international architecture community, passed away in 2016, four years before it’s inauguration. The Opus was finalised under Christos Passas, who is with Zaha Hadid Architecture since 1998 and is a director with the company.

The Opus was developed between 2012 and 2020 and features the door knob FSB 23 0811 in aluminum dark bronze anodized, as well as handles FSB 1058 and FSB 4253 in the same surface.