EDITORIAL
19
Design forward
The summer seems to have eclipsed us and for the most part we all seem to be very much focused on the last few months of 2016. The Atkins team, headed by Janus Rostock, has been hard at work getting
the magnificent boat-shaped Dubai Opera House into shape in time for its first performance. The calendar of performances is chock-a-block for the next few months – however the official opening is not until closer to the end of the year, at which time all the design and operational details should be fine-tuned, ready for the grand debut. The focal point of the lobby is an impressive chandelier weighing some 5000 kilograms, custom-designed and made by a leading European firm. Further along the Boulevard, Emaar is in the throes of opening its first
new hotel in seven years – The Address Boulevard Dubai. British artist Petr Weigl flew in to town recently for placement of his poetic porcelain ‘Flutter’ installation… A number of artists and designers from all over the world have been commissioned to produce work for this new property, which is being described as ‘retro-chic’. Scheduled to open in September, The Address is just one of numerous new
hotels getting ready to open in the UAE, where it’s estimated that some 183 hotel projects with a total of 54,000 hotel rooms are planned for pre-2020 openings! Next year should see the inauguration of the glamorous Paramount Hotels
and Residences in Dubai, which alone will have 1383 rooms and over 1000 serviced apartments. Dubai-based Drawlink Group, which continues to scoop design awards for its eye-catching hotel interiors, has just completed The Act, a new hotel which should open shortly in Sharjah. Long-time Dubai-based Anglo-Spanish interior architect Isabel Pintado,
who made her mark in the UAE while at GAJ some years ago, has parted ways with LW and has recently joined Wilson Associates as their new Managing Director- ME. Congratulations! Spanish designer and entrepreneur Nani Marquina has joined the id Design
Awards jury and is – along with Marco Piva, Paolo Pininfarina and Terry Dwan – in the throes of reviewing this year’s entries… Next month, we will be glad to reveal the shortlisted projects. In the
meantime, please take time to vote for your favourite design sources at
identitydesignawards.com…. Meanwhile, I guess for most of us it’s time to jet off to one of the many design
shows this month – starting with Maison et Objet (2-6 September) and ending with the London Design Festival (17-25 September)…
Clockwise: Nani Marquina, Janus Rostock, Isabel Pintado, Petr Weigl
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dubai.identitymagazine
Group Editor Catherine Belbin
SEPTEMBER 2016
PHOTOGRAPHY: VIKRAM GAWDE
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