MVRDV has released Pixel, a new mixed-use development, challenging to traditional housing typologies and bringing "an alternative approach" to housing in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Named Pixel, the 85,000-square-metre mixed-use development brings a creative approach to building residential complexes in the Emirates, containing 525 apartments along with stores, offices, and other amenities.

The communal plaza at the center of the development is the focal point of this project. 

The development has seven towers that "break down" into formations of bay windows and terraces, and complete with tile shading screens in 14 subdued pastel colors that are inspired by the appearance of pearls.

The first project finished in Makers District, a brand-new community on Reem Island in Abu Dhabi, is called the "new heart of Abu Dhabi" by developer IMKAN. It is a creative counterpart to the city's cultural center on Saadiyat Island, which is close by.

A unique way of living is provided by the design, which takes advantage of the creative, international vibe of Makers District in the United Arab Emirates. It emphasizes identity and a strong sense of place, an outdoor lifestyle, a sense of community, and the use of simple yet eye-catching materials.

The seven compact towers in the design are pushed to the edge of the site, their positions and heights optimized to provide shade, encourage cooling breezes, and create connections with the beach and the waterfront developments that surround the site on three sides. 

This is because the development forms a central hub in Maker's District.

Pixel's social hub is a central plaza situated between the towers, with ground floor shops, cafés, and restaurants soon to be added. The level above will house community amenities like a gym, medical facility, early learning center, and offices for creative start-ups. 

This will guarantee that Pixel's buildings are constantly in use and that the plaza is bustling all day long.

What really makes the project come to life are the façades facing this plaza.Terraces and bay windows are created as the towers crumble into "pixels" at their bases and spill out into the plaza. 

These encourage people to enjoy the outdoors during the colder months of the year by extending the living spaces indoors into the public domain.

With planned green roofs added to the top of the pixels, the plaza below, with its water feature and green elements, helps to moderate the microclimate within the plaza, creating a more comfortable outdoor environment. 

The life in the apartments above melds with that of the plaza, offering the project a distinct identity and sense of place that sets it apart from other complexes in the Emirates.

The materials chosen for the project, which, in spite of their modesty, draw attention from onlookers, serve to further support this identity. 

The development is envisioned as an oyster, with a hard outer shell that protects a delicate pearl inside, as a tribute to Abu Dhabi's cultural history. 

The exterior façades consist of concrete panels that have been graphically imprinted with an oyster shell-inspired pattern by artist Nicole Martens.

The central plaza's shading screens, which are visible between the towers and are covered in tiles in fourteen different pastel colors, resemble a pearl enclosed in a shell. 

This understated yet happy approach to material selection is continued inside, where each tower has a color profile that helps to distinguish it and facilitates easier navigation from the underground parking lot.

"With Pixel, we challenged the residential typologies that have become the norm in the UAE”, said MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. 

"Instead of nondescript, isolated towers made palatable by a veneer of luxury finishes on the interior, Pixel makes it possible for residents to spend some time outdoors, become friends with their neighbours, to invite visitors for a meal in the restaurant in the plaza." 

"It encourages a way of life that is not only enjoyable, but environmentally and socially more sustainable than the alternatives," Van Rijs added.

There are 525 apartments total in Pixel, ranging in size from studios to roomy three-bedroom houses. The layout of these apartments honors diversity by combining more costly and more reasonably priced spaces. 

This is made possible by the pedestrian plaza, whose lively ambience makes living on the lower levels advantageous and elevates these apartments to the same level of desirability as apartments closer to the top of the towers. 

Thus, the project fosters interaction between individuals from various backgrounds, including large families and singles living alone, young and old, as well as expats and Abu Dhabi residents.

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

MVRDV recently created a glittering store for Tiffany & Co, featuring a diamond-studded facade in Shanghai, China. In addition, the studio revived a 19th-century listed building for electric car manufacturer company NIO with colors and a rooftop pavilion of the yop of the building.

Project facts

Project name: Pixel

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Year: 2017-2024 

Client: IMKAN

Architect: MVRDV

Founding Partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs

Director: Stefan de Koning

Design team: Edina Peli, Mariya Gyaurova, Mirco Facchinelli, Kristin Schaefer, Katarzyna Plonka, Ole Allin Egebaek, Ronald Hoogeveen, Katarzyna Nowak, Akshey Krishna Venkatesh, Kevin Loftus, Luca Vacchini, Karin Houwen, Guido Boeters, Meng Yang, Diana Sacco, Stavros Gargaretas, Afrodite Moustroufi

MVRDV Next: Boudewijn Thomas

Visualization: Antonio Luca Coco, Paolo Mossa Idra, Costanza Cuccato, Davide Calabro, Pavlos Ventouris, Kirill Emelianov, Tomaso Maschietti, Massimiliano Marzoli, Giovanni Coni Strategy & Development: Willeke Vester

Architect of Record: Dewan Architects + Engineers with Intercon (interior design) 

Engineering and Project Management: Ramboll Middle East

District Masterplan: RNL
Infrastructure: Parsons

Cost Control: Turner & Townsend
Landscape and public realm design: Bjarke Ingels Group 

Landscape architect: Verdaus
Lighting: Delta Lighting Design
Wayfinding & Signage: Dezigntechnic
Vertical transportation: Cooper Wilcock
Security: WSP, Consquare
Artist (façade): Nicole Martens

All images © Jon Wallis.

All drawings © MVRDV.

> via MVRDV 

Abu Dhabi housing MVRDV Pixel residential