Mystical food court and surreal roof top chillout lounge
The magical Hive Food Court (capacity of 250 people) and spectacular yet sophisticated 88 Terrace roof top lounge (500 people, with 50 dining) form part of the fantastical Tr88House recreation complex. The architects played with scale, including ceilings of double-height in the food court and triple-height in the outdoor lounge deck.
Hive Food Court
Hive Food Court is set in a recreation of a natural forest of almost 200 towering pine tree trunks which house ten tree houses. Numerous hanging cocoon lantern lights reflect and multiply in octagonal wall mirrors, while strategically placed concave mirrors generate optical illusions and give the impression of even more tree trunks.
Vertical slivers of aluminium, wood and metal panels between the wall cladding add to the rugged appearance; wood, metal and concrete tables sitting atop a macro cement floor accentuate the rustic and casual ambiance; while custom-designed low sofas and enormous bean bags provide comfort.
88 Terrace – One of Dubai’s largest outdoor roof terrace venues
Covering around 4,000 square metres, 88 Terrace is poised to be one of the city’s most sensational nightspots. Seeming to hover just metres below the iconic Ain Dubai Ferris wheel, it provides a unique view of the Dubai Marina skyline. Here, the seven-metre-high acoustic walls that wrap the outdoor space provide a canvas for provocative hand-painted wall murals of beautiful and sensual faces, legs and entwined hands.
Sitting on an aluminium and stainless-steel frame, a stunning illuminated Barrisol canopy, comprising 140 octagonal panels that form an ‘8’-shape, shades the bar and provides an intriguing attraction.
The guest washroom walls are a bold traffic light red and feature hand-painted wall murals. A large white fibreglass sculpture of hands and arms by Zomorrodi welcomes guest at the entrance to the washrooms.
Both HIVE and 88 Terrace feature examples of the studio’s latest DecoZStudio furniture collection, such as playful rocking stools, chairs and the Ark lounger, designed by Zomorrodi.
All decorative items were also designed by Zomorrodi and incorporate the latest state-of-the-art technologies.
Intriguing and thought-provoking graffiti slogans – such as ‘Where are you?’, ‘Everything in the world is magic’; ‘New story to tell’; and ‘It begins with a birth of new people’ – are to be found on the floors and walls.
Zomorrodi commissioned Iranian artists to create the artwork found throughout the spectacular complex. Together they hand-painted every blade of the grass that decorates the walls of the ground and first floor, as well as the murals and fibreglass animals.
Bespoke welcoming or guiding fibreglass hand sculptures can be found throughout the spaces, as can a giant seven-metre-high fibreglass and wood red teddy bear, perched on the side of the roof top.