One Za'abeel is Dubai's new landmark: a project unique in its complexity, spectacular in its aesthetic rendering and representing the evolution of contemporary architecture. Located in the heart of the city and close to the International Financial Centre, not far from the Dubai Mall, the Burj Khalifa and the airport, it covers a total area of 530,000 square metres and bears the signature of Nikken Sekkei, a prestigious Japanese architecture, engineering and urban planning studio with more than 25,000 projects to its credit in 50 countries. One Za’abeel is the mixed-use complex by Ithra Dubai LLC, a subsidiary of the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), which focuses on the development and management of strategic real estate assets worldwide. 

Able to fuse business and leisure, luxury and lifestyle to perfection – One Za'abeel is made up of two skyscrapers housing hotels, office space and luxury residences, connected by a panoramic walkway, a cantilever designed "outside" the towers, under which the roadways of a motorway run.

The two towers – One Za'abeel Tower and One Za'abeel The Residences – respectively 300 and 235 metres high with 68 storeys the first and 58 the second, rise from a structure consisting of seven underground levels and a three-storey podium called 'The Gallery' with 12,000 square metres for retail and restaurants. Offering multiple extra-luxury services, the aim of the project is to attract a high-profile international audience, as well as offering all kinds of experiences and comforts.

In this context of excellence are the surfaces produced with natural and technologically evolved raw materials of Fiandre, a brand capable of determining the ceramic solution, even customised, for projects with high added value and of supporting clients in the identity expression of projects of such magnitude, positioning itself more and more at the top end of the market.

Co-ordinating the entire process together with its distributor partner Arteco Ceramics – a fundamental consultant in project support and dialogue with the client – Fiandre supplied the Calacatta Statuario ceramic surfaces, from the Marble Lab collection, whose beauty is enhanced by the ivory-white colour furrowed by light grey veins.

"Being part of the DNA behind One Za'abeel, such an iconic project, fills us with enthusiasm. Like Fiandre, we at Arteco do our utmost to listen to our customers' requests, find feasible solutions and implement them. We did that in this project by accommodating the requirements and implementing the products to arrive at a result that corresponds to what One Za'abeel is: a complex built for the modern, urban client with a discerning taste, where Fiandre materials give value while also conferring a sense of eternity and refinement," said Ms. Jennine Hatu-Gillespie, Arteco Business Development Director. "Our relationship with Fiandre is one of true success and inspiration, between two partners who share the same values and the same ambition to provide only the best to the design industry: of our work for One Za'abeel I will always be proud," added Mr. Mohammed El Shamy, CEO of Arteco.

Fiandre's technical ceramics can be enriched and customised with great versatility: as in the case of the flooring of the entire reception area and lobby of the One Za'abeel The Residences tower, made with Calacatta Statuario 120x60 cm, in a polished finish, embellished with brass leaf inserts. Inspired by classicism, the same material was used in all the flooring on the floors and common parts of the residential tower, from the corridors to the interiors and lift landings.

To lend elegance and a sense of aesthetic continuity to the entire project, the Calacatta Statuario shade was also used in the 264 flats, defining the floors, wall coverings, shower trays and washbasin tops of the bathrooms, developed in different configurations and fittings, while Travertino Maximum in a polished finish was chosen for the backsplash in the kitchens. With a view to recovering materials and minimising waste, in the customised designs used to create the tops and decorations, Arteco ensured that the surfaces used generated as little waste of material as possible. To embellish the setting of the rooms, in which a sophisticated total-look effect was achieved, decorations with a 'herringbone' motif were created in some showers.