(2005) Business Bay Hotel

With a built-up area of 31,588 m², this 18-storey mixed-use hotel and serviced apartment tower occupies a prime waterfront plot in Business Bay, Dubai, fronting the district’s man-made lake. Conceived for DAMAC, the project was designed to maximize visual and spatial connectivity with the water and surrounding Central Business District while maintaining privacy and operational efficiency.

The building comprises 151 guestrooms and suites and 67 furnished apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, all designed to enjoy panoramic lake views and private balconies. The architectural concept emerged from a detailed comparative study of alternative massing solutions—square, L-shaped, and Y-shaped—evaluated for efficiency, view potential, and circulation. The Y-shaped plan was adopted as the optimal configuration, providing the highest percentage of lake-facing rooms and dynamic elevations that distinguish the tower within Dubai’s skyline.

A double-height ground floor animates the north-facing waterfront promenade with restaurants, cafés, and retail outlets, while the first floor houses a Health Club and Spa overlooking the lake with an elevated pool terrace positioned on the east to preserve privacy from adjacent plots. Above a three-level podium and basement offering 192 parking bays, the tower ascends with 13 hotel floors and five serviced-apartment levels.

Designed as a four-star-plus property, the project achieves an exploitation ratio of 103% of its allowable GFA, combining architectural refinement, commercial viability, and construction efficiency within a 22-month fast-track schedule.