This is a 45,000-sq-ft modern, international-class membership-only club, part of the Palm Olympia real estate development and one of its stellar attractions. The built-form is circular with a swimming pool occupying a central, open-to-sky courtyard.

The programme begins, on the ground floor, with an expansive reception with a striking helical staircase ascending to the upper floors. This is followed by a 98-cover restaurant with gently undulating walls; a spacious banquet hall; a business center and co-working space connected to a library; an atmospheric karaoke lounge and a spa. The first floor houses a games room, a gym, a mini theatre, while the second floor is devoted to an effervescent children’s area. The pool, the focal point of the club, is landscaped with palms growing on peninsula-like projections into the water and an island, creating an idyllic setting. Loungers and seating islands occupy the sprawling deck. All other programmatic constituents either border this beautiful aqueous heart or overlook it.

The club’s spatial proportions are gracious, with an orchestration of double-height and single-height volumes that keeps the experience engaging. Within the plush materiality, two traits play a starring role: transparency and reflectiveness. The former becomes crucial to maintaining the connect with the focal water garden, while slick, reflective or rippled expanses evoke a still or wind-kissed water surface respectively. Forms evoke a mix of fluidity and straight lines, establishing a narrative that, while modern, constantly references the club’s highlight.