Atkins, a leading engineering, design and project management consultancy, has won the 'Project of the Year' and 'Best Public Building' Awards for its Dubai Opera work.

The results were announced at a gala Identity Design Awards 2016 dinner which celebrated and recognised the GCC’s growing design scene held at La Cantine du Faubourg, Emirates Towers.  

The Atkins team was represented by Janus Rostock, regional design director and head of architecture and urban planning and Mohammad AbuFarha, principal architect, who were also accompanied by representatives from Mirage Leisure Development, the turn-key developer on the project.

Dubai Opera, which was conceived by Emaar, is a world-class venue in Dubai designed to attract world-class performers.

Jasper Hope, the chief executive of Dubai Opera, said: “Our goal is to be the definitive cultural entertainment destination for the region and Atkins’ stunning design gives us the perfect start on our journey to achieving that.”

The design of the building is a response to its site, its function, spatial programme and the overarching inspiration of the dhow.‎ The Downtown area of Dubai is a high quality and very well planned and maintained development. Its architectural themes are bound together through a limited colour and material palette, which makes the development feel like a whole.

The Opera House is designed within this context and its use of self-shading using optimal roof overhangs, external louvres and mashrabiya reduce cooling needs and make the public realm more comfortable.

Simon Moon, the chief executive of Atkins in the Middle East and Africa, said: "I am very proud of the team’s achievement. These prestigious awards represent a great recognition to the efforts of everyone who has worked on the project. It also demonstrates the unique value that Atkins is bringing to the city by helping to transform it into a cultural hub."

"This building with its fantastic architectural and engineering design promises to become a major landmark in the city of Dubai and it has already started to grab everyone’s attention," noted Moon.

The building is like a dhow within a dhow. The lobby is very much an extroverted and ‎public space which is enclosed by a transparent, white glass screen, only broken by the external horizontal wooden louvers that provide protection from the sun. The lobby and public realm is seen as one – a space where the audience becomes the performers for the residents and visitors of the neighbourhood.

Rostock expressed delight and pride at having won the awards. "These are a testament of the dedication, excellence and innovation we as a team have put on this project," he remarked.

"The project is a great example of co-creation and shows what can be achieved with very challenging timelines when clients, consultants, authorities and contractors are working together towards a common goal. The Dubai Opera has already attracted significant international attention due to its design as well as its fantastic program of events and we feel privileged to have been working on such a transformational project which reaches far beyond the Dubai Opera District, Dubai and the Middle East," he added.-TradeArabia News Service