Alpha 545

client : HE Mattar Al Tayer
branding : Multi-Brand Strategy
services : Concept Architecture, Engineering Feasibility Study
typology : Mixed-Use Highrise
location : Dubai, U.A.E

VIDEO: https://www.instagram.com/p/COWa4ZIDAnl/
VIDEO: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVNXgaZlwEs/

The approximately 620 metre (2,034 feet) tall mixed-use tower was conceived as a landmark integrated destination in the Burj Khalifa District, positioned on a prime freehold site along Sheikh Zayed Road with unrestricted height potential. Developed as a next-generation vertical city, the project consolidates hospitality, branded residential, commercial, cultural, and production environments within a single high-rise structure, forming a fully integrated urban ecosystem at the core of Dubai’s cultural and financial centre.

The tower accommodates a gross built-up area of approximately 234,000 m² (2.52 million ft²), including a lifestyle and fashion-branded hotel offering approximately 330 keys, over 100,000 m² of branded residences, commercial and freehold office space, VIP art and exhibition environments, destination retail and F&B, and dedicated media production studios located in the upper levels. A structured substructure and automated parking system supports approximately 1,450 vehicles, while multiple sky lobbies and transfer levels organise vertical circulation and programme distribution across 120+ floors.

The architectural form evolves as a slender, tapering vertical composition articulated through three interrelated volumetric components, enabling structural stability while maintaining efficiency across varying floorplate requirements. The system is based on a central reinforced core combined with perimeter structural elements optimised for supertall performance, resisting lateral wind loads while allowing flexible internal planning. The massing strategy supports a clear vertical zoning logic, transitioning from retail and public activation at podium level, through offices and hospitality, into branded residential and exclusive cultural uses at higher elevations.

A defining feature of the concept is the integration of programmed cultural and experiential content within the tower itself, including art auction spaces, exhibition platforms, and production studios, effectively positioning the building as both a real estate asset and a vertical cultural infrastructure. Complementing this, the scheme incorporates approximately 33,900 m² of vertical farming, embedding sustainability, food production, and resource efficiency into the core of the development strategy.

The project was developed through advanced pre-engineering and feasibility studies addressing supertall structural systems, vertical transportation, building services integration, and phased constructability. These studies established the technical viability of the tower’s height, slenderness ratio, and mixed-use complexity, ensuring alignment between architectural ambition and engineering performance.

Scope: Lead Design Architect (XCASSIA), structural engineering feasibility and optimisation, MEP engineering strategy, façade engineering, vertical transportation planning, specialist systems integration (including production and cultural infrastructure), and full 3D design development.