Sunken Heaven Villa in the morning, Pearl Jumeirah
OPD ARCHITECTURAL CONSULTANT

Sunken Heaven Villa, Pearl Jumeirah. Winner, Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2024.

Dubai25.20°N 55.27°E--:-- in Dubai now
See the studio in

A boutique architecture studio in Dubai. We take on few commissions, and give each one a story drawn from its place.

Founded by Amir Akhlaghi in 2006, OPD has designed more than a million square metres of homes, workplaces, showrooms and interiors, for private families, global brands and governments.

Narrative Context

The one story we find inside a place: a tent, a sword, a sheet of paper, a cool hollow in the ground. It gives the building its form, and gives everyone on the project a reason behind every decision.

Everything a site already knows. The path of the sun and wind, the ground and its materials, the craft and history of the region, and the daily life of the people who will use the building.

  1. FirstRead the place

    Climate, orientation, culture, regulations, and the client's own life and name.

  2. ThenFind the story

    One idea, strong enough to guide every scale of the project.

  3. ThenShape the form

    Plan, section, façade and interior all follow the story.

  4. FinallyLet it perform

    The story also works as climate design: shade, airflow, thermal mass and daylight.

Achievements

Recognition for the studio and for the stories it has built.

  1. Luxury Lifestyle Awards, winner 2024Luxury Lifestyle Awards, 2024Best Luxury Sustainable Single Residence ArchitectureSunken Heaven Villa
  2. Luxury Lifestyle AwardsLuxury Lifestyle Awards, 2024Top 100 Luxury Architects of the WorldOPD
  3. 2A Architecture and Art Magazine2A Continental Architectural AwardsAward, AfricaCBE Museum, Addis Ababa
  4. Hello Business, Pitch 3Shortlisted among the Top 25 Ideators in the UAEOPD
  5. Architecture and Art ClubArchitecture and Art ClubMember of the Architecture and Art Club, UNESCOAmir Akhlaghi

Nine stories

These are nine of the stories we have designed. Every other project is in the portfolio.

View the full portfolio
Sunken Heaven Villa at sunset, the whole house lit along its edges

Sunken Heaven Villa

Pearl Jumeirah, Dubai. Architecture and interiors
Story
Step down into the ground, where the desert has always kept its coolest air.
Form
A garden lowered into the earth at the heart of the house, with the living spaces opening onto it.
Performance
The sunken court stays shaded, holds cooler air and cuts heat gain. It is also the family's most private place to gather.

Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2024, Best Luxury Sustainable Single Residence Architecture

Kheimah Villa at dusk with its elevated timber frame

Kheimah Villa

Al Khawaneej, Dubai
Story
The kheimah, the Bedouin tent, was the desert's first answer to the sun.
Form
The tent becomes an elevated frame that shades the sitting areas, links the main spaces and frames the view to the city.
Performance
A central courtyard and careful orientation carry the wind through the house and reduce mechanical cooling.
Villa F01 with blade-like timber walls and a water wall

Villa F01

Abu Dhabi
Story
Fares means knight. His house carries the sword.
Form
A blade-like main volume with one decisive cut, on an F-shaped plan that turns its openings inward for privacy and view.
Performance
Passive solar design, rainwater harvesting and locally sourced materials.
A white paper-like ribbon flowing along a corridor ceiling

Korea 360

Dubai Festival City Mall, 1,606 m²
Story
Visitors don't tour Korea. They walk beside a sheet of hanji paper.
Form
One translucent ribbon runs through every space, becoming ceiling, wall, light and shadow.
Performance
The ribbon replaces signage. Everyone simply follows the paper.
Museum lobby wrapped in flowing timber fins like the walls of a cave

CBE Museum

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Museum
Story
The story of value begins in a cave, and walks out into the future.
Form
Layered parametric walls drawn from the cave's natural curves, in three chapters: the valuable past, the dynamic present and the bright future.
Performance
More than 80 years of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, told as one continuous human story.

2A Continental Architectural Awards

Embassy office with timber shelving and the Bahamas flag

Embassy of The Bahamas

Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi
Story
An island nation, brought into a tower in Abu Dhabi.
Form
The relaxed coastal palette of The Bahamas, held with the dignity a national representation needs.
Performance
Approved in full by the ambassador and the embassy team.
Reception of the DMHRC office with stone and dark timber

DMHRC Office

H.H. The Ruler's Court, Dubai
Story
Here, what stays unseen tells the story.
Form
Controlled access zones, concealed technology and a refined material palette, in a calm VIP atmosphere.
Performance
The confidential nature of the programme became the project's architectural strength.
Bugatti showroom entrance framed by a chrome horseshoe, a blue Chiron inside

Bugatti Showroom

Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
Story
A room that steps back so the car can speak.
Form
A brand wall that hides the structural columns, a quiet VIP atmosphere, and furniture designed by OPD.
Performance
The largest Bugatti showroom in the world, delivered within regulations other proposals could not meet.
McLaren showroom with an orange 570S under a ribbed ceiling

McLaren Showroom

Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
Story
The cars stand like soldiers on parade, showing the raw power of their engines.
Form
A minimal, ordered hall, with furniture designed by OPD to mirror the cars and the brand.
Performance
Luxury that never pulls attention away from the machines.

Nine stories here. Twenty years of design in the portfolio.

View the full portfolio
Portrait of Amir Akhlaghi, founder of OPD
Each project begins with an exploration of place: its culture, history, climate and spirit.

Amir Akhlaghi

Founder and managing director

Amir has practised architecture for nearly three decades. He founded OPD in Dubai in 2006 and has taught at a school of architecture since 2010. His work runs from towers and villas to interiors, furniture for Bugatti and McLaren, and perfume bottles.

Visit amirakhlaghi.com

Key people

  • Arman Gharavi Executive manager
  • Sama Abumanie Structural engineer
  • Maryam Mousavi Architect
  • Fahime Pak Architect
  • Afsaneh Mahmoudi Architect
  • Vahid Karimi Architect
  • Habibeh Bakrani Architect, 3D visualiser
  • Nasim Rastin Interior stylist
  • Roza Akhlaghi Art consultant

Trusted by

  • Bugatti Showroom and furniture
  • McLaren Showroom and furniture
  • Al Habtoor Motors Automotive
  • DMHRC H.H. The Ruler's Court
  • Embassy of The Bahamas Abu Dhabi
  • Commercial Bank of Ethiopia HQ and museum

Begin a story with us.

Tell us about the place first. The budget can wait. We read every enquiry ourselves.

Phone
+971 4 221 1011
Email
info@opd.ae
Studio
1606 Latifa Tower, Sheikh Zayed RoadOpen map
Office
Office 2211, Concord Tower, Dubai Media CityOpen map
Portfolio
View on Canva
Palm Jumeirah Dubai Creek SHEIKH ZAYED ROAD Burj Khalifa Studio, Latifa Tower Office, Concord Tower N
DubaiTwo addresses, one studio