Dubai, in The United Arab Emirates, is renowned for its luxurious and ultramodern architecture – Burj Khalifa, anyone? But a new project will take things once again to the next level. Currently under construction and set to open in 2018, the 106,000 square meter Rosemont Hotel & Residences will consist of two 47-story-high towers, connected through a five story “podium.” There will be 450 hotel rooms and 280 serviced apartments, an expansive leisure space, a fully immersive indoor/outdoor entertainment center, high-tech indoor gaming, a bowling alley, a trampoline park, laser tag and more.
But perhaps the most interesting thing about this new construction, is the fact that ZAS Architects came up with the plan to equip their building with the Middle East’s first ever rain forest. “Few developments in Dubai offer year-round outdoor space that can compete with harsh summer temperatures,” DJ Armin, principal at ZAS Architects Dubai says. “Our project will feature a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience not found elsewhere in the region.”
Inside the 75,000 square foot rain forest, visitors will be surrounded by an alluring immaculately landscaped tropical oasis, dappled sunlight and tropical mist lightly spraying through the trees. A technologically advanced sensory rain system will create a 360-degree experience, simulating the sensation of being surrounded by rainfall without actually getting wet. Guests who do want to get wet, can play in the splash pool along the sandless beach.
Volumes of stored recycled water will be used to create a high humidity level, mimicking a tropical rain forest environment. The advanced system utilizes multiple sensors that control the areas where the water is falling when people are detected. And you won’t even have to be a resident or a guest of the hotel to enjoy all the lushness. The rain forest and adjacent entertainment area is accessible to anyone via a separate lobby, located on the exterior top level of the central podium.
But first, upon arrival, visitors are already instantly immersed in a sensory experience. Advanced technology transforms the upper ground floor drop-off and arrival area with ever-hanging dynamic 3D projections – from a lush rain forest to an underwater paradise.
The hotel tower is ultimately conceptualized as a flowing river, with dynamic lighting enhancing the façade’s bold architecture. Moving lights will also illuminate Rosemont’s apartment tower in a pattern inspired by atomic, orbital rings, representing a shell & pearl.