HBA in pursuit of unique ambiances.

(From Gulf Construction)

HBA is creating a variety of congenial themes that breathe life into our living spaces. Gulf Construction provides an insight into some of the practice's masterpieces

Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), an interior design firm specialised in hotel and hospitality design since 1964, is experiencing a tremendous demand for its award-winning services and is drawing on its extensive, world-wide resources to meet the challenges and deliver the projects on time

"We have quite a lot of projects at hand and more are in the final negotiation stages. The scale of development in Dubai is phenomenal, which has actually required us to expand and bring in more designers, consultants and associates from various HBA offices across the world," says Sylvie Gagnon, senior managing associate for HBA

Already, the firm is bringing to life a seamless mix of themes and cultures into the interiors of the Ritz Carlton in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Grand Hyatt West Bay in Doha, Qatar and redesigning the existing Hilton Corniche Abu Dhabi. One of the most exciting projects for HBA is the Dubai Pearl, where the firm is currently involved in designing the interior themes for a 60-storey five-star hotel offering breathtaking views of The Palm, Jumeirah. "Movenpick has been named as the operator for this hotel. This property will be a new concept and more than a flagship of the Swiss chain in the region. They want the design and interiors to be exclusive, the likes of which have never been created. They are looking for something very special with a 'wow' aspect that would set the standards for future hotel designs," says Associate Michelle Evans. This huge project comprises 15 exclusive serviced office floors, 500 hotel rooms, superb spa facilities, a large ballroom with additional meeting rooms, sports and recreation facilities as well as an exclusive club at the top of the property. Associate Sayeli Uysal adds: "We have also been awarded the contract for the design of another hotel at Shaikh Zayed Road for which the operator has not been named. This again is a high-rise hotel property with some 500 rooms. Designed by BRT (Bode Richter Teherani), a well-known architectural firm from Hamburg Germany, the property has dedicated 4,000 sq m for exclusive restaurants and food and beverage outlets. Designing such huge spaces and merging them with the rest of the hotel design is a huge challenge." Among other developments, HBA is also associated with a resort hotel in Fujairah, a 200-room hotel property that requires total concentration in order to bring out the best in a complex ...