Wallpaper* Spotlights Dewan’s Role in Bringing Zaha Hadid Architects’ Oystra Vision to Life

Feature explores the design and technical thinking behind Oystra

Dewan Architects + Engineers has been featured in Wallpaper* as part of an in-depth look at Oystra, the Zaha Hadid Architects-conceived mixed-use development taking shape on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah. The feature, titled “Oystra is ZHA’s sculptural vision for living in the United Arab Emirates,” explores how Dewan, working alongside developer Richmind, is helping translate Zaha Hadid Architects’ bold architectural concept into a buildable and integrated coastal destination. Spanning approximately 128,000 square metres, Oystra will comprise more than 800 residences alongside retail, dining, leisure and lifestyle amenities. Its architecture is characterised by sculptural geometries and fluid forms inspired by the natural rhythms of the sea and sky. Wallpaper* highlights Dewan’s role in resolving the technical and structural complexities behind that architectural language while maintaining the integrity of the original design vision. Speaking to the publication, Ammar Al Assam, CEO of Dewan Architects + Engineers, described the process as requiring both technical resolution and “an intellectual and material commitment to the integrity of the design.”

The feature also explores how Dewan developed structural solutions capable of supporting the curves and transitions that define Oystra, while helping preserve the visual continuity of ZHA’s concept within feasible construction parameters. Beyond the buildings themselves, Wallpaper* examines the thinking behind Oystra’s wider lifestyle environment, including connected promenades, wellness areas, communal spaces and other shared amenities intended to encourage interaction and create a stronger sense of place. As Ammar explains in the feature, the ambition is to take a holistic approach to placemaking, using architecture to support lifestyle, identity and spatial continuity across the development. The Wallpaper* feature offers an insight into the collaboration, technical thinking and design development behind one of Al Marjan Island’s distinctive emerging destinations, while highlighting Dewan’s role in carrying an ambitious architectural concept towards its built reality.