marks barfield architects - more than meets the eye
Dubai Art District
Marks Barfield are designing 11 residential buildings with a gross built-up area of 2,100,000 square feet, a central Clubhouse, and seven retail units for the Dubai Arts District, a commercially and residentially combined arts precinct set within Dubai’s International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) that will service Dubai’s blossoming media industry.
The ‘Pebble’ buildings at the entrance to the site take their reference from the soft, rounded and easy-on-the-eye shapes that are created by exposure to nature over time, in particular wind and sand. Each Pebble Building has a subtle yet different pastel colour found in the natural colours of sand.
The taller, more prominent Wave Building have balconies which reach out from the apartments in a wave pattern that alternates with each floor, creating an undulating texture across the side of the buildings like patterns left on the sand after the tide has gone out.
In the central gardens is the Clubhouse which includes a swimming pool, children’s play area, gym and spa. Seven retail and dining units are placed around the north-eastern edge of the park for shopping and entertainment.