MVRDV will be making their mark in the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi with a new project called “Pixel”. The mixed-use project will be part of the 18-hectare Makers District development near the Saadiyat Island cultural hub.

The 76,000 m2 Pixel development will have seven mid-rise, relatively slim towers along the perimeter of the plot, as a response to local sun and wind conditions and to maximize views of the waterfront and landscape. The “mini-towers”, as MVRDV describes, will surround a central public plaza that is accessible from all directions of the plot.

The towers will incorporate retail, office, co-working, and community spaces on the lower levels, with the smallest commercial spaces at 50 m2 specifically for young start-ups and entrepreneurs. The upper levels will offer 480 apartment units of various types and sizes to fit different lifestyles. “All of the towers' façades combine concrete with luminous ceramics on the inside, a nod to the region’s pearl diving heritage,” says MVRDV co-founder Jacob van Rijs. If all goes accordingly, Pixel will be complete in 2020.