MYATA Platinum is a hookah lounge with a restaurant and bar in City Walk, a new district located in the business centre of Dubai. In this project, we made it our mission to bring the usual format of hookah lounge to a premium level.
Concept
Our vision was to create a space where visitors could switch from the active rhythm of the external environment to a state of inner peace. In line with this idea, each visitor leaves the bustling, dynamic glass metropolis into a dark ‘cave’ that envelopes them in the coolness and soft natural forms.
To materialise the idea, we based the interior on the image of sand canyon. A canyon is a constantly changing geological formation shaped by water and wind. We recreated its flowing amorphous forms running into each other in a modern interpretation. By employing 3D printing, we created whimsical fluted structures that shaped an introverted, inward-looking space.
Outside, these curving, enveloping rocky structures form a terrace isolated from the city, while indoors they shape the layout, dividing the interior into separate chamber zones.
Features of the layout
The canyon surrounding the entrance is designed based on the principle of a funnel - it narrows as if it succumbed the visitor from the street into the lounge space. It is important to emphasise that in this case the visitor cannot see the interior of the place from the facade or even from the entrance hall. The process of how the visitor enters the main lounge hall is reminiscent of travelling through a cave: through narrow dark passages to a large open space.
On the ground floor, we designed open seating, two VIP areas with full service inside, a hookah bar, and a cocktail bar. To create a natural-modern contrast that would catch the visitor's eye, two minimalist lightboxes hover above the room, illuminating the space with coloured light.
Our canyon continues to entice the visitor with its shapes as the space moves further - to the first floor. And here the mirrored wall makes it seem to go into infinity.
On this floor, the visitors will find a special bar hypnotically glowing in the dark, in rhyme with the lightboxes on the ground floor, and several secluded VIP zones.
3D canyons
The fluted wave-shaped canyons are unique designs that we modelled ourselves. We printed them out of plastic and coated them with texture paint. In total, we created 27 "canyons" for this project, printed on 150 3D printers — 85% of them are unique. Our creative solution was highly appreciated - the project made it into the Guinness Book for the largest 3d-printed structure (volume).
Lighting concept
In order to create an image of the canyon as close to nature as possible, we carefully considered the lighting concept. Based on this concept, the YARKO lighting design studio developed a unique lighting solution for this project. The dark space of the lounge is illuminated with soft amber light coming from different corners.
This ‘sunset’ light emphasises the complex topography of the canyon, tables and bar counters. The main lighting technique is complemented by various art effects, which in some places highlight the clouds of steam from hookah, and in some places create a hypnotic halo effect.
Owing to the unique methods of working with space described above, we have created an interior that helps the visitor to switch from involvement in external events to concentration on their own feelings and emotional closeness in communication.
