Antonio Pio Saracino Designs Gemlike Dubai Headquarters for Marka
When Marka, the United Arab Emirates’s first publicly traded retail operator, commissioned Antonio Pio Saracino, APS Designs, to design a Dubai headquarters, the goal was for a symbol of luxury to run throughout the 20,000 square feet. Saracino responded with a faceted shape that not only recalls diamonds but also the “geometry of the Islamic aesthetic,” he says. In a range of finishes from gold and brass to pearly white, the gemlike silhouette patterns the reception desk, the ceiling in a training room, and, most significantly, the floor-to-ceiling enclosure surrounding the core and elevator bank.
