According to chief designer Yahya Jan, who is also president and design director of architecture giant NORR, Ciel, the group's first and largest project, located in the heart of Dubai Marina, will showcase a revolutionary approach to megatower design.

With over 30 years of experience designing high-profile commercial projects across the Middle East and Asia, Yang is a leading advocate of sustainable building design, promoting environmental and social well-being in the markets where NORR operates.

Ciel, which will be the tallest hotel in the world upon completion, is on track to meet its anticipated completion date in Q4 2023, with a grand opening in early 2024. It is one of the largest projects Yang has undertaken to date and a showcase for his design philosophy centered around allowing buildings to "breathe".

"Our future buildings and cities need to be porous and open. They must breathe so that their inhabitants can benefit from healthier lifestyles. In a time of biological hazards and environmental change, I believe the need for change is urgent. Our challenge is to rethink from 'first principles' by questioning fundamental assumptions about building design and exploring alternative solutions," he explains.

"Unfortunately, for the last 70 years, the default answer to creating a controlled interior environment in a building has been some variation of the 'black box' approach. An enclosed building that creates an artificial interior environment is not great for its occupants.

"Even before the COVID-19 crisis, experts recognized that buildings that rely solely on mechanical air conditioning systems are at higher risk of sick building syndrome (SBS), a condition exacerbated by poor air quality. According to the WHO, the condition may be present in 30% of all new buildings.