A 10 from every angle…
By Miles Buckeridge | March 2025
The Jumeirah Beach Hotel first opened its doors in 1997, it was joined by the iconic ‘seven-star’ Burj Al Arab in 1999 – but ‘the nautical trilogy’ had to wait another 26 years before receiving its third act.
Now, with the opening of Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab this month, the gleaming white wave and sail ensemble is complete.
Talking about the concept behind his design for the hotel, visionary architect Shaun Killa (one of the minds behind the Museum of the Future, Dubai Opera, and Jumeirah Burj Al Arab) describes the engineering marvel as being “Inspired by the world’s ultra-yachts, we aimed to evoke the sensation of being on water through the building’s curvatures, much like a yacht setting sail”.
It’s reflective of that sort of effortless aesthetic – fluid lines, and soothing arches – that requires inhuman effort in the design phases, “Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is the subtle intervention of beauty that doesn’t shout or try to be something that it is not” Killa says, “To fit into Dubai’s architecture scene, we ensured that it would remain timeless by not being overly articulated in form but rather subtle, simple, and elegant – allowing it to be discovered and admired.”
It was designed to enhance the visual allure of the two legacy hotels next door, to frame, to blend, to embrace and contrast.
But just because it looks like a piece of art doesn’t mean that any commitment to the science of sustainability was overlooked in its construction. The building’s balconies, for example, have been designed to create shade cover that reduces energy consumption by up to 40 per cent.
