The Yas Hotel

For two years, Sleeper Magazine has followed the progress of Aldar’s $40 billion Yas Island development with baited breath. Now, as the first hotel nears completion, its designers have unveiled the concept behind the design.

Over 20 hotels are planned for Yas Island, designed and operated by some of the biggest names in the business to feature state-of-the-art facilities such as spas, health clubs, restaurants and lounges. The flagship project is The Yas Hotel, a 500-room, 85,000m2 complex that will loom majestically over the Yas Marina Formula 1 raceway circuit.
New York-based Asymptote Architecture was awarded the contract to design the hotel with an opening date of 30 October 2009 to coincide with the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Yas Hotel is one of the main architectural features of the ambitious US$36 million

Yas Marina development and accompanying raceway circuit.
Asymptote’s founders Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture envisioned “an architectural landmark embodying key influences from the aesthetics and forms associated with speed and movement”. Of architectural and engineering significance is the main feature of the project’s design, a 217m shimmering cloak constructed of steel and 5,800 pivoting diamond-shaped glass panels. The hotel comprises elliptical twin towers and a link bridge constructed as a monocoque passing above the racetrack that makes its way through the building complex.

According to Asymptote, “the entire jewel-like composition of the project responds visually and tectonically to its environment to create a distinct and powerful sense of place as well as a breathtaking backdrop to the Formula 1 and other events that will be held there”.

New York-based Richardson Sadeki and Italian firm De8 Architetti were commissioned to provide interior design services, with Jestico + Whiles taking the lead in designing a calming, refined, and reviving environment to complement the frenetic speed of the racetrack: “The hotel eschews the overt shows of wealth, and banal application of trivialised generic Arabic themes, instead opting for streamlined and flowing spaces and natural finishes.” The lobby lounge features a chandelier that reflects a glittering shoal of sardines and a range of seating areas enclosed by laser cut suede curtains.F&B facilities include a fine dining restaurant with dramatic views across the racetrack and marina, a tandoori restaurant, and a speciality fish restaurant located at water level. The concept of the restaurants was that they should be entirely contemporary, with only very subtle but tantalising references to the culture from which the cuisines originate.
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