OpenAire, an industry leader in large-span retractable roofs based in Canada, said it has won a contract to design and install a state-of-the-art retractable skylight at the Deira Mall, the newest retail destination being built by master developer Nakheel in Dubai.

Deira Mall will be the centerpiece of the current Dh16-billion ($4.4 billion) expansion project of a mixed-use community in the heart of Deira Islands.

Once completed by 2021, the mega development will boast more than 1,000 shops, cafes, restaurants and entertainment outlets and also feature a multi-storey car-park with 8,400 parking bays.

The Canadian group said it had conducted months of detailed analysis and worked closely with the Dubai-based contractor United Engineering Construction (UNEC) – besides the architect (RSP Architects Planners & Engineers) and the engineering team (Ted Jacob Engineering Group) – to achieve a design that reduces the overall weight of the skylight structure and minimises the impact of the skylight loads on the base building structural systems.

The retractable roof at Deira Mall will be 77 m by 418 m with a fixed glass half dome projecting about 47 m from each end of the skylight, resulting in an overall length of about 512 m.

“Dubai is known for being on the cutting edge of innovation, fashion, technology, and shopping,” remarked Mark Albertine, the president and CEO of the retractable roof, designer and installer at OpenAire. “It is therefore fitting that the new Deira Mall has been equipped with the largest motorised and fully automated retractable roof in the world, that will bring the outdoors into the mall providing guests with a unique new, world-class shopping experience,” he stated.

When opened, the mall will be home to the largest volume of leasable space in the UAE (boasting a total retail space of over 1.6 million sq m) with the star attraction being the state-of-the-art retractable skylight, which will bring natural light into the complex and allow for the feeling and experience of open-air shopping year round.