THE ROYAL ATLANTIS | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 2013

Architects: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates 
Client: Kerzner International Limited 
Contractor: Ssangyong Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. 
Photographers: (KPF)

Building on the successes of the current Atlantis resort, the dramatic openings that define phase 2 create a striking, recognizable new icon for Dubai. They reinforce and reimagine the Atlantis brand, and create unprecedented spaces which elevate the experience of Atlantis guests in bold new ways. Maximizing exposure to the expansive Gulf and the one-of-a-kind Dubai skyline, these lushly landscaped sky-courts and terraces ensure that a substantial portion of the hotel rooms (and an even greater proportion of the residences) have full terraces, private pools, and shaded gardens. Each remaining room has a deep private balcony in addition to access to ample public terrace space at the hotel club, lounge and roof-top restaurant. The sky-courts and terraces are carefully designed to maximize guest experience. They are tuned to amplify shading and direct prevailing breezes over water and vegetation. This creates private oases that are passively cooled and comfortable for much of the day, most of the year. This language of frames and openings continues up through the towers organizing the hotel and apartments into a series of discrete blocks, each able to be fully independently operated, branded, and priced. The interior materials, temperatures, and light levels of these blocks can be differentiated to appeal to different clientele by culture, price, or family status.