The expansion - which comprises of 50 sun loungers, 30 x 3m diameter day beds, changing facilities, bar and stage - represents a new instalment in the evolution of Dubai's most-talked-about beach-side spot. "Everything has been custom-made to ensure it fitted our very specific brief," says general manager Peter Skudutis. From top-of-the-range Spanish marble, to the 60cm x 60cm rain showers in our incredible bathrooms and a 22m acrylic panel for the pool, which was shipped, in one piece, from the Netherlands. If it wasn't perfect, it went back. As an example, I can tell you we went through eight bathroom designs before going ahead.
"The pool expansion reveals another layer to Zero Gravity, as a complete lifestyle destination. This second phase has been a year in the making. And it is worth the wait."
With the intended end result never wavering from creating "the best that money can buy" Zero Gravity cherry-picked its partners for this project. For audiovisuals, Dubai-based Delta Solutions have installed an L-Acoustics sound system that quite literally jumps off the map.
"Zero Gravity is the only venue in the extended region to include three L-Acoustics systems?- a K2 line source array, an ARCS Wide Constant Curvature Line Source and a new X Series coaxial system," says Gareth Armstrong, contracts manager at Delta Solutions. "We have installed concert sound which, at the touch of a button, can be transformed into outdoor cinema sound. There is no other solution anywhere near this region that provides this. The Zero Gravity audio-visual experience is now unrivalled."
For the main stage, two arrays of six K2 each are hung from pillars to the left and right of the stage; front-fill is provided by four X15HiQ; with SB28 subs situated under the stage in an end firing configuration to create a narrow directional beam of low frequencies, avoiding noise pollution to the buildings to the left of the stage and also creating rejection to the rear.
Two further SB28s are positioned under each of four arrays of three ARCS Wide, which hang from the Beach Arch, a second outdoor stage. One left/right system faces towards the main stage, the other towards the beach, this one also being used as delays for the main system. This configuration focusses all the energy towards the audience and away from the adjacent buildings.
Four ARCS Wide and one SB18i subwoofer are hung from each of four FX Towers in the pool area, which are aligned with the main K2 system, whilst 24 X12s deliver background music to the bar and beach areas.
The system was designed in L-Acoustics Soundvision and is controlled by LA Network Manager. All three systems can be used at once, allowing Zero Gravity to have the same music across the bar, pool, stage, beach and changing rooms. Alternatively, the systems can be isolated in the different areas. The outdoor stage has the ability to host concerts or be transformed into an outdoor cinema, with audio being configured into a Dolby 5.1 system for screening movies on the beach, and routing done via a DiGiCo S21, along with Dolby processing.
"The installation at Zero Gravity is an important one in the region," says Peter Owen, regional sales manager at L-Acoustics. "There are very few clubs in the world that are big enough, both in size and conception, to be able to justify the K2 line array, which is generally used in the world's most prestigious arenas, tours and music festivals."
(Jim Evans)
