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W Hotel & Alef Residences
Luxury beachfront hotel and residential development on Palm Jumeirah
Reza Rasi led the architectural coordination of this project as Associate Principal at Woods Bagot. This is work completed before Reza joined tomorrow as Design Director.
The W Hotel & Alef Residences sits on Palm Jumeirah: 300 hotel rooms and 64 branded residences across 100,000 sqm. A lifestyle hotel and private apartments share structure, services, and ground-level public space but answer to very different people. Hotel guests want energy. Residents want quiet. The floor plates, circulation, and servicing all had to keep those worlds apart while the building reads as one thing.
Palm Jumeirah also brings a dense regulatory environment. Civil defence, aviation authority sight-lines, Dubai Municipality, and the master developer's own design guidelines all apply. Approvals ran in parallel with design development, each authority on its own submission format and review cycle.
Reza ran the design team across concept, schematic, and construction documentation stages. Floor plate studies set the split between hotel keys, residential units, and shared amenity. Facade design responded to the coastal orientation and W brand standards.
Structural and MEP coordination was managed through a single BIM model. Clash detection happened before construction documentation, not during it. The tender packages were structured for regional contractors. The project opened on Palm Jumeirah and is operating.