A new way to mark the skyline: MVRDV’s “Inaura” reveals a refined take on the iconic urban tower

MVRDV has won the competition to design Inaura, a luxury hotel and residential tower in Downtown Dubai. Inaura occupies a critical position in the Dubai skyline, and is clearly visible from – and has its own views towards – the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain. Yet at 210 metres tall, the project finds itself among taller neighbours, which all compete for attention. The design therefore takes a different approach to claiming its place in the city: a luminous, jewel-like orb nestled in between the building’s floors, creating a novel and curious way to steal the attention of onlookers.

In its rapid rise to become a globally renowned high-rise city, Dubai has not lacked for attention-grabbing spectacle buildings. From fanciful, contorted shapes to intricately detailed crowns, many projects have sought to make their mark in a skyline dominated by the world’s tallest building, to varying degrees of success. As part of their brief, developer Arada considered the site’s context, including its strategic position in between Downtown Dubai and Business Bay, and the resulting visibility in the city. Among their design requirements, they therefore posed the question: “How might an iconic tower be designed within the context of one of the most renowned skylines in the world?”

Rather than continuing a game of one-upmanship, MVRDV’s design offers a new approach that privileges intrigue over spectacle: the top portion of the refined, rectilinear tower is lifted to reveal a special feature, a glowing ovoid structure inspired by a pearl at around three-quarters of the tower’s total height. Thanks to its position and the almost coy manner in which it is embedded among the tower’s floors, this feature succeeds in capturing attention among its taller, flashier neighbours.

This highlight feature also serves a functional purpose, hosting the building’s Sky Lounge. The ovoid structure itself hosts a VIP space, while the rest of the floor features a club with spectacular views of the Burj Khalifa and its surroundings – creating a place where residents and hotel guests can feel truly connected to the energy of Dubai.

“Inaura brings a new character to the Dubai skyline that hasn’t really been explored before – something that is exquisite yet simultaneously demure, in a way”, says MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. “Beyond its visual affect, however, it is also a tremendously practical design: the tower has efficient, rectangular floorplans, and there is no wasted ‘vanity height’ that you see in towers with intricate crowns. The Sky Lounge instead serves to organise and communicate the building’s programme, attuned to the city at its lower levels and to the skyline at the top, with its signature feature forming a horizon in between.”

The building’s four-storey plinth hosts a restaurant and lobbies on the ground floor, with a three-storey gym above. On the roof of the plinth is an infinity pool, with a spa occupying the floor above. Above this in the lower part of the tower are the 101-room hotel and 105 one- to three-bedroom “Urban Apartments”, while the seven floors above the Sky Lounge are home to nine luxurious four- to six-bedroom “Sky Villas”.

The design’s façade is characterised by strong horizontal bands created by two-metre-deep wraparound balconies, which help to protect the building’s interiors from strong sunlight. Other elements of the façade follow the “city to sky” motif, with a number of features that gradually change from the plinth to the top of the tower. The crisp, rectangular corners at the tower’s base become rounded at the top; mirrored glass that reflects the city at the base becomes increasingly transparent as it reaches the sky; and on the north corner of the building, the balconies flare outwards towards the top of the building, providing more outdoor space for the larger Sky Villas and taking full advantage of the views of the Burj Khalifa.

After winning the design competition with their proposal, MVRDV will continue working on the Inaura project as design guardian, with Dubai-based Dewan Architects + Engineers taking over as lead consultant on the project. Inaura’s interiors will also be designed to a concept by MVRDV which builds upon Arada’s vision of a development focused on fitness, wellness, and lifestyle.

Learn more about the design of Inaura here.