Pritzker Prize winners RCR Arquitectes has unveiled its first residential project, located in Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah.
The Muraba Residences feature airy apartments with balconies and floor-to-ceiling glazing, framing views over the sea and the city’s impressive skyline.
Uninterrupted panoramic views informed the architecture of the project, where landmarks such as Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa and the Downtown Dubai area are visible, alongside the expansive stretch of sea and sky.
Images courtesy of Airey Spaces
“The views from all directions gave us a lot of information about the project,” the architects confirmed.
The word ‘muraba’ itself is derived from the Arabic word for watchtower, which inspired the form of the building.
“We wanted to answer the question of how to develop apartments to a very high end quality,” said the architects.
The project, which includes 46 apartments and four penthouses, features custom-made elements, high-end finishes and minimalist aesthetics, all working in harmony to allow the project to work with its surrounding nature.
“What is special [about the project] is that the building has been able to work from shared space to the private space of each apartment, right down to the smallest details of furniture and materials,” RCR said in a video about the project.
Catalan architects Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta were selected as the 2017 Pritzker Prize winners, architecture’s highest honour. The Olot-based firm is known for its approach of designing buildings from the inside out, a concept they applied to this specific project as well.
Developer Muraba Properties had commended RCR Arquitectes for its Pritzker win and has an entire section dedicated to the project on its website, where it celebrates the architects’ work and vision.