The Palm Tower, an impressive 52-storey, luxury hotel and residential development in the heart of Palm Jumeirah, was the location for the 290-room St. Regis Dubai The Palm. The five-star hotel occupies the first 18 floors of the tower while 432 luxury residences occupy the floors above.
Designed by architects RSP with interiors by Hirsch Bedner Associates, the vertical ascent of this magnificent architecture offers unique and spectacular, panoramic views of Palm Jumeirah, the Arabian Gulf and the Dubai skyline.
“Because of its location on The Palm, we were greatly inspired by the island structure and used the reference of a palm tree for the design of the tower,” says Michael Magill, Managing Director, RSP Architects Planners & Engineers. Creating a 52-storey tower in the centre of the island gave the architects the unique opportunity to formulate an inspiring design surrounding that theme. The palm leaf inspiration also lent itself to the fluid design for the viewing deck located at the very top, which allows uninterrupted views of the surrounding cityscape, island and the sea.
“This is the only place in the world that offers a birds eye view of The Palm island,” says Magill
The St Regis was built with high standard specifications. Hence, the designers chose Skyfold’s vertical, retractable, folding wall for the ballroom and meeting rooms, for its acoustic and vertical moveable properties, allowing multiple uses for the spaces, greatly enhancing flexibility.
“The Skyfold team in London provided extraordinary support,” says Sakshi Kanar, Project Director, FF&E at Hirsch Bedner Associates. “With their immense technical knowledge, they ensured that the wall was cohesively integrated into the design and we did not have to compromise on the design.”
The Skyfold moveable wall was smoothly and skillfully installed into the ceiling. “We chose the vertical wall, which resulted in no tracks or channels on the floor or the sides,” says Sakshi. This beautifully designed product operates with the click of a button, avoiding the need for any clunky manual operation. “The sophistication of its technology really enhances the design and we feel it was an investment into the project. As the basis of our concept to design this floor, we used an ancient legend of a bird flying above, which lost one of its feathers. Upon touching the fertile soil, the feather was transformed into a magnificent palm tree.”
The Skyfold experience
Flexible space is the future of architecture. Being able to offer a space that can be adaptive rather than static is simply a priority in today’s world.
It’s an approach that allows buildings to re-create their original purpose, giving offices, hotels, restaurants, convention centers, airports, educational and health care facilities the ability to provide a higher level of services easily and efficiently to the public.
As the acoustic leader in vertically folding retractable walls, Skyfold has become a leader in this field.
By combining precision engineering and outstanding design, Skyfold walls take design possibilities far beyond the conventional in any space. We have earned the trust of architects, builders, design professionals and end users as a solution provider for nothing less than a re-imagining of how buildings, people and the elements interact.
Skyfold walls are so easy to operate—with the touch of a button you can quickly reconfigure any space in minutes. They are manufactured for long-term performance, durability and beauty. Though already a leader in the industry, we pride ourselves on constantly aiming to improve, and we enthusiastically embrace innovation.
Skyfold products are also environmentally responsible with up to 97% recycled materials, furthering our mission of health, wellness, and green living.
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Date added:
15 March, 2022
