Dubai Pearl Hotel & Apartments

2003 | Conceptual
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

SVA Durban /Johannesburg
Team: Ivor Daniel, Kevan Mosses, Tom Steer, Francesco Coppola, Gina Walker.

The Dubai Pearl for Movenpick Hotels, was conceived as the catalytic project within a larger mixed-use city development, establishing a landmark destination and defining a new urban identity. The brief called for a luxury all-suite hotel that would serve as both a world-class hospitality destination and a prominent visual marker within Dubai’s evolving skyline.

The challenge was to accommodate 680 suites within a high-rise structure while maximising views of the coastline and maintaining a strong architectural presence at the scale of the city. The building also needed to integrate complex hotel functions, long-stay accommodation, premium guest facilities, and public amenities within a coherent and efficient vertical organisation.

A triangular tower plan was developed to optimise oblique sea views for the majority of suites while creating a distinctive crystalline form. The tower’s layered glass curtain wall integrates the façade and environmental systems, preserving transparency and lightness despite its scale. Functional zones are expressed through the building’s form, with public areas at the base, accommodation levels above, and exclusive club, presidential, and dining facilities occupying the uppermost floors. A glazed dome, the symbolic “Pearl of Dubai,” crowns the tower.

Rising 350 metres above the city, the hotel establishes a striking landmark that combines luxury hospitality with a clear urban presence. Its sculpted form, panoramic views, and integrated façade system create an elegant and recognisable addition to Dubai’s skyline.