The Al Raha Residential Development is a master-planned neighborhood located directly west of the Abu Dhabi airport between the Abraj and the Masdar Development (the zero-carbon, zero-waste planned city by Foster+Partners). The entire Al Raha Development will include apartments, villas, parks, and a school.
Represented here is the first phase of Al Raha Residential project that offers 222 units forming a tightly knit complex of apartments and courtyards that sit above two raised decks of parking below. Part of an extended mid-level apartment belt wrapping the Abraj, these apartments, between 4 and 5 levels, mediate the great height differential between the Abraj and the 2 level villas occupying the rest of the Al Raha Residential Development. The complex offers 1, 2, 3, and 4 bedroom units that are simple, clean, and relatively open. The deck-level units can access privacy yards that mitigate public contact while providing generous outdoor private rooms for the residents. The upper units are similarly outfitted with generous balconies that allow residents to extend their living experience to the outdoors during pleasant weather.
The purpose of the street-level landscaping is to beautify and shade the project from the desert environment as well as create a security/privacy layer. The sloping berms, bushes, and trees are designed to block views from the main street into the parking and buildings while creating the first layer of shade to the project, reducing the temperature level of its perimeter.
The deck-level landscaping is designed to encourage community interaction through intimate pocket gardens. They act as communal backyards where residents can relax, BBQ, swim, mingle and play. This also creates a second layer of shade for the project, cooling the spaces between buildings.
Work completed while employed at 5+Design Los Angeles