A design from Zaha Hadid Architects for an opera house and cultural center in the Seven Pearls district of Dubai has been revealed. The fluid, dune-shaped design includes an opera house, playhouse, arts gallery, performing arts school and themed hotel on an island in Dubai Creek, just off the mainland part of the district.

The center will be connected to Greater Dubai by a road connection to the mainland. All the facilities will be grand: the opera house will have a seating capacity of 2,500, the playhouse will have a seating capacity of 800, the arts gallery is a full size exhibition facility with 5,000 m2 of exhibition space, while the hotel will have a 6 star setting.

“The proposal houses all of the facilities within a single striking structure,” Zaha Hadid Architects describe the project. “The gentle winding form evokes images of mountains or sand dunes. Rising out of the ground, this form is both a part of the landscape yet very much a distinct element in the skyline. The surrounding landscape forms build up to the main building. These constitute open park spaces as well as ancillary functions such as the parking facilities and the monorail station, which are either tucked under or integrated into the landscape forms.”

The design is by architects Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher.