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29 March 2024

World's largest 'crystal panel' coming up in Dubai

Published
By Parag Deulgaonkar

Swarovski, an Austrian producer of luxury cut lead glass (crystal), is working on the world’s largest crystal panel cladding in Dubai, a senior company executive told Emirates 24|7.

“We are doing one of the largest crystal panel installations in the world at Hyatt Regency in Dubai Healthcare City,” Ondrej Patka, Regional Director – Asia, Africa and Australia, Swarovski Middle East, told this website.

“It will be a 150-sqm special crystal panel cladding and will open by year-end,” he added.

The company has already worked on special installation of crystal panels in Burj Al Arab and has supplied special crystals to the Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi and Grand Mosque, Muscat.

Growing demand

Markus Langes-Swarovski, Executive Board Member, Swarovski, revealed that the company was witnessing “tremendous” growth for tailor-made products had from the Gulf.

“We are happy to see special crystallized projects growing which is great because it is great thing for us… these made-to-order projects are seeing a tremendous growth from the Gulf,” he said, without revealing details of their clients.

Crystals ‘super sustainable’

Swarovski said their ‘super sustainable products’ could withstand high and low temperatures.

“All our tests we did on some outdoor crystal installations in Austria we saw crystals can get to very high temperature as well as to very low temperatures without being affected,” he disclosed, adding, “it can be cleaned quickly as well.”

Swarovski has tied up with Tebyan, a Dubai-based developer, to build Sparkle Towers in Dubai Marina.

The project comprises two residential towers connected by a podium. The first, consists of 29 stories, while the second is a 14-floor building connected by a four-storey residential podium. The project is expected to be completed in December 2016.

No crystals on façade

Though the tower will be ‘sparkling’ at night using lightning solutions, the façade of the towers are unlikely to be adorned by crystals.

“All the public areas will be crystallized and we, at least, hope that some of the owners of the apartments will also design their way through and use some crystals. Yes there will be millions of crystals, but currently on the façade,” Swarovski told Emirates 24|7.

“There will be no Swarovski crystals in the façade for now, however, the canopy above the entrance will have Swarovski crystals,” confirmed Tariq Ramadan, President of RichVille Real Estate, the sales consultants for the tower