Architecture—11 / 24

The Isolana

Dubai, UAE/Residential mid-rise/2025 — Current/FACE Architecture + Design

Ground, two podiums and eight floors on Dubai Islands — a building planned from the inside out, where every unit type had to earn its area, its light and its view.

01Vertical screens interrupt the long balconies, bringing privacy into the façade's rhythm.

Location: Dubai, UAE
Year: 2025 — Current
Sector: Residential
Scope: RIBA Stages 0–3 — concept to spatial coordination
Status: Design development

01Vertical screens interrupt the long balconies, bringing privacy into the façade's rhythm.

My contribution

My role: Senior Architect
Responsibility: RIBA Stages 0–3 — concept to spatial coordination

Key contributions

Led a team of 4 through RIBA Stages 0–3 under the Design Director
Directed junior architects on planning layouts and Revit studies
Refined unit typologies against GFA, circulation and privacy targets
Developed the façade concept
Coordinated structural, MEP, lighting and approvals consultants
Set material and FF&E direction

The project

The brief asked for density without the feeling of density. Working through RIBA Stages 0–3 under the Design Director, the plan was tested as a set of unit typologies rather than a single floor plate: each one measured against GFA targets, circulation efficiency, privacy between neighbours and the regulations.

The façade answers the same question from outside — proportion, depth and shading tuned so the building reads calm from the street and open from within. Structural, MEP, lighting and approvals consultants were coordinated through the concept so the geometry that survived was the geometry that could be built.

The Isolana — Density is balanced by depth: generous balcony setbacks give the apartments shade and a degree of separation from the street. — 02Density is balanced by depth: generous balcony setbacks give the apartments shade and a degree of separation from the street.

The Isolana — Deep balcony edges give each apartment a sheltered threshold between its rooms and the city. — 03Deep balcony edges give each apartment a sheltered threshold between its rooms and the city.

The Isolana — A planted break above the podium separates communal life from the apartments overhead. — 04A planted break above the podium separates communal life from the apartments overhead.

04A planted break above the podium separates communal life from the apartments overhead.

The Isolana — The podium establishes a broad base; the residential floors step back into lighter horizontal bands. — 05The podium establishes a broad base; the residential floors step back into lighter horizontal bands.

The Isolana — Repeated balcony lines keep the building legible at the scale of the surrounding neighbourhood. — 06Repeated balcony lines keep the building legible at the scale of the surrounding neighbourhood.

The Isolana — The roof overhang completes the same shading strategy that shapes the floors below. — 07The roof overhang completes the same shading strategy that shapes the floors below.

07The roof overhang completes the same shading strategy that shapes the floors below.

The Isolana — The pool occupies the podium edge, giving a shared amenity the outlook of a private terrace. — 08The pool occupies the podium edge, giving a shared amenity the outlook of a private terrace.

The Isolana — Low seating leaves the long glazed frontage open to light and distant views. — 09Low seating leaves the long glazed frontage open to light and distant views.

The Isolana — A curved ceiling softens the corner where two fully glazed walls meet. — 10A curved ceiling softens the corner where two fully glazed walls meet.

The Isolana — Living and dining share the frontage, allowing the compact plan to borrow space from its outlook. — 11Living and dining share the frontage, allowing the compact plan to borrow space from its outlook.

“Every unit type had to earn its area, its light and its view.”

The Isolana — Tall joinery bays bring a domestic scale to the generous entrance volume. — 12Tall joinery bays bring a domestic scale to the generous entrance volume.

12Tall joinery bays bring a domestic scale to the generous entrance volume.

The Isolana — Storage and display sit within one continuous wall, keeping the room's perimeter orderly. — 13Storage and display sit within one continuous wall, keeping the room's perimeter orderly.

The Isolana — The projecting slab shelters the poolside seating without closing it off from the water. — 14The projecting slab shelters the poolside seating without closing it off from the water.

The Isolana — Suspended lighting brings the height of the entrance hall down towards the people using it. — 15Suspended lighting brings the height of the entrance hall down towards the people using it.

15Suspended lighting brings the height of the entrance hall down towards the people using it.

Process

Planning studies run from the podium up through the typical floors. Unit typologies were refined against GFA targets, circulation efficiency and privacy, and the façade was developed as a section through the vertical cladding.

DWG 01Ground floor — the central core organises circulation while the apartments occupy the perimeter.
DWG 02Podium — the pool deck reserves a substantial open area within the building footprint.
DWG 03Parking level — the ramp and turning space are coordinated with the residential core.
DWG 04Typical floor — repeated service positions support different apartment layouts around the core.
DWG 05Upper floor — the apartment arrangement adapts to the changing outline of the building.
DWG 06Ramp section — the vehicle route is resolved against floor heights and clearances.
DWG 07Unit studies — colour coding makes the distribution of apartment types comparable across floors.
DWG 08Area studies — quantities extracted from the Revit model track the allocation of space level by level.
DWG 09Construction details — the ramp geometry is developed alongside cladding and parapet junctions.

Colophon

Location: Dubai, UAE
Year: 2025 — Current
Sector: Residential
Typology: Residential mid-rise
Scope: RIBA Stages 0–3 — concept to spatial coordination
Status: Design development
Role: Senior Architect
Client: Hayaat Developments · Projenco Global Consulting LLC (project management)
Storeys: G + 2 Podiums + 8 Floors
Software: AutoCAD, Revit, Adobe CC