Project Announcement | Al Barsha Residential

Words by BSBG Media Team, Monday 07 December 2020

Brewer Smith Brewer Group (BSBG) is pleased to announce its role in the design and delivery of a high quality, efficient residential scheme located in Dubai’s established suburb of Al Barsha, in close proximity to Mall of the Emirates.

BSBG was commissioned to design the building under a Design & Build contract with Roberts Constructions, on behalf of the end client, McIntyre. Roberts Constructions and BSBG are also currently working together to deliver the Foster & Partners design for The Residences Dorchester Collection Dubai.

Leading the project for BSBG is Associate Director Demetrios Tourtouras, who provides some insight into the project. “Barsha Residential is a great scheme in so much that while there are budget constraints which have dictated our material choices and design aspirations, this has driven us to become even more creative in our approach,” Demetrios says. “The concept is a refreshingly unique take on a residential tower for Al Barsha. The project is a huge departure from that suburb’s narrative, with a clean and simple approach to design and material selection.”

The 14-storey plus podium residential tower features 117 apartments, and is a build-to-rent development for McIntyre. The fact that the end client would retain ownership of the project after handover drove many aspects of the approach to design and delivery, as Demetrios explains. “It’s really important that the asset is durable and is easy to maintain for the client. We have carefully selected highly durable materials to ensure a clean, elegant and sustainable design.”

On the exterior, a precast concrete façade - made up of only a few different modules for efficiency - adorns the building; chosen because of its durability and low maintenance, but also its striking aesthetic quality. Demetrios continues: “We’ve used a light coloured, faceted precast concrete that plays with natural light and shadows to create interest through its form - rather than selecting an ornate mix of materials. Through an in-depth exploration of façade design and materials, precast concrete best answered the client’s brief and created a striking and unique aesthetic for a very cost efficient budget.”

Breaking the mould

Within Al Barsha the majority of the buildings protrude into the public realm, as developers look to push the GFA to its maximum. In a break from the norm, and in consideration of activities around the exterior frontage, BSBG adopted a different approach to its use of the plot at street level. “Directly to the front of the plot there is a bus stop with approximately a metre of space on the pavement between the boundary of our development and the road,” Demetrios explains. “We looked at this and developed an idea of creating a recess in the building to create an activated space where people could gather while waiting for the bus, grab a coffee from one of the F&B outlets at ground level in the building, while also providing some relief to street and the walkway. We’ve created some bench seating here and it’s a lovely shaded courtyard which I think will prove very popular with residents that both live in our building and also the neighbouring ones.”

Other features of the development include three retail/F&B outlets at street level, and a stunning rooftop pool and landscaped area that takes advantage of direct views towards both the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Al Arab.

From an interior design perspective, Demetrios explains that the concept focuses on the intelligent use of simple materials. The design retains an element of urban edginess, as one might expect to find in an art gallery or a modern museum. “There are methods we’ve embraced to create something simple, but also with contemporary stylings and flashes of creativity. The interiors are clean, uncomplicated and peeled back to celebrate the inner workings of the building, with exposed concrete cores, open ceiling coves and the use of outside pavers instead of traditional porcelain tiles for the internal public area flooring. The walls are all brilliant pure white and provide a contrast to the rougher character of the exposed concrete cores and building elements. We have designed unique arrangements of materials to try something that feels unique and different to the typical residential norm, while paying tribute to the edgier and urban Al Barsha suburbs. We’ve produced something very distinct from what’s in the surrounding context; there’s nothing else like it out there.”

BSBG took on the roles of design architect, executive architect, lead consultant, architect of record and interior design for the Barsha Residential project. The project is now in its final stages of construction, and is nearing completion.

BSBG Media Team

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