Positioned on the outer ring of Palm Jumeirah, the W Hotel and neighboring residential towers celebrate the contrasting views to the city’s urban skyline in one direction… and to the infinite sea horizon in the other. These contrasting views droves the form and texture of design elements throughout the property, exemplified by the juxtaposition of geometric shapes and manufactured materials against sinuous, organic curves and softer treatments.
The design team’s goals included establishing a “flirty, not sexy” identity that responded to gridded and organic forms. Experiential zones are focused at the intersection of these opposing notions. The expansive pool deck features a city-inspired pool and “party zone,” populated with cabanas reminiscent of buildings arranged on a city grid and oriented toward the incredible Dubai skyline. Adjacent to this pool, a series of sinuous, cascading pools transport visitors optically and physically down to the beach, where the two concepts converge in a stunning beach with a celebratory atmosphere.
Grand Hyatt Mumbai
The Grand Hyatt Mumbai is a 750-room, five-star hotel near the Mumbai Airport. SWA’s site development concept reflects a contemporary interpretation of the historic Moghul garden. Water channels, cascades and reflecting pools link the site and create a garden setting for the upscale, urban hotel. Extensive rooftop gardens provide an outdoor gathering area for ...
Hotel Higashiyama
At the Northern end of Kyoto, Japan’s cultural capital, a 100-year-old elementary school sat vacant for years at one of the city’s three Edo-era entrances—in feudal times, a rest stop for weary travelers. Vacant for years, the school was transformed into a dual-purpose property, its central building functioning as a boutique hotel with sweeping views of the Hi...
Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo
Known for mountainous tropical landscapes where the Sierra Madre range meets the Pacific, the Jalisco coastline is one of Mexico’s preeminent ecotourism destinations, home to the UNESCO-designated Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve and vast marine sanctuaries. Carefully sited for minimum ecological disturbance, the new Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo centers con...
Virgin Hotel Dallas
The Virgin Hotel Dallas is a boutique hotel appropriately set within the city’s design district, carrying forward Virgin’s high standards of distinctive, comfortable luxury programs and experiences for guests. SWA worked with the architecture and interior design team to propose a modern spin on an urban hotel constrained by an extremely small site. Fronting H...