Queensland-based DBI Design wins award for Abu Dhabi hotel Etihad Towers

Queensland architect DBI Design has won the coveted World’s Leading Hotel Award for its Etihad Towers project in Abu Dhabi at the World Travel Awards in Doha.

The Brisbane-based outfit was up against some the world’s leading architects including France’s Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who transformed two Art Deco Paris offices – originally designed by the distinguished 1930s architect Charles Letrosne – into the Mandarin Oriental Paris. Wilmotte is well known for his redesign of several wings and galleries of the Louvre Museum.

Other finalists were Jestico + Whiles for the W Hotel London, New York’s Skidmore, Owings and Merrill for The Park Hyderabad, Allan Murray Architects for Hotel Missoni Edinburgh, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the American firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates for the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong.

DBI managing director Warren Coyle says he is delighted that Etihad Towers claimed the prize against such imposing competition.

Etihad Towers is a US$1 billion (A$962 million), five-tower project in Abu Dhabi’s exclusive beachside area of Al Ras Al Akhdar near the Corniche. It has three residential towers with 800 apartments, 200 serviced apartments, a 400-room Jumeirah hotel, 12 restaurants, retail space and a convention centre. Worked started in 2006 for His Highness Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Mahyan.

“It is a very sculptural form, and the owner really liked that iconic style. He wanted a landmark and a statement to Dubai, so we set out to give him one,’” Coyle says. 

DBI was invited to enter the international design competition after one of the developers bought an apartment in the Ultra building on Broadbeach, which DBI had designed. 

DBI designed, engineered and fitted out the project mainly from its Brisbane office.

“Designing remotely from Australia was a challenge, and we were the lead consultant so had a great deal of control including structure, air-conditioning, and acoustics which was new to us and very challenging,” Coyle says. 

DBI is behind some of Brisbane’s most avant-garde buildings and is working on FKP’s AUD$210 million The Milton. 

“We can design projects that are truly world-leading,” says Coyle. 

The recent prize, which is considered the “Oscars” of the travel industry, has more than 5,000 companies from 162 countries competing in 1,000 categories. 

The prize is DBI’s first international award, although the firm has accumulated a swag of local awards. 

“This award so is a nice start for us on the international scene,” Coyle says.