Meet Yahya Jan, the architect building the world’s tallest hotel, Dubai’s Ciel Tower
If you look out onto the Dubai skyline, you’re likely to be admiring the work of Yahya Jan.
He is president and design director of architecture and engineering firm NORR, which is behind some of the city’s best-known landmarks, including the Atlantis and Shangri-La Hotels.
Now he is working on one of his most ambitious creations. Due for completion in 2023, the Ciel Tower will have more than 1,000 rooms and suites spread over 82 floors — and at around 1,200 feet (365 meters) high, it is set to become the world’s tallest hotel.
For the project, Jan was tasked with designing the skyscraper on a triangular plot of land at Dubai Marina with an area of just 2,500 square meters — small for a building of that height.
Yahya Jan, president and design director of NORR.
“It’s a property that’s very compressed,” he said. “It’s like what you would face in Manhattan or London. The constraints were tremendous, and yet we had to make it work.”
A glass observation deck will offer 360-degree views of the city, as well as the coastline and iconic landmarks such as the Palm Jumeirah man-made island, according to the developer, The First Group. Visitors will also be able to take in the sights from a rooftop swimming pool and restaurants.