bjarke ingels group’s residential quarter for abu dhabi
The Row Saadiyat, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group for Aldar Properties, introduces a new residential quarter within Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District. Positioned beside the Zayed National Museum and within walking distance of Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the development engages directly with the city’s emerging cultural landscape.
Comprising seven buildings, each rising to nine stories, which will bring 315 contemporary residences, The Row Saadiyat establishes a horizontal rhythm that mirrors the surrounding museums and coastal topography. Its plan is defined by shaded walkways and air-conditioned bridges that link residents to Saadiyat Grove’s retail precinct and Mamsha Beach. This connective structure brings a walkable, social environment while offering protection from the desert heat.
The Row Saadiyat is a new residential quarter designed by BIG for Aldar Properties | images © Aldar Properties
a masterplan of luminous homes at The Row Saadiyat
In composing The Row Saadiyat, Bjarke Ingels Group’s design approach privileges proportion, material restraint, and clarity. The architects plan curving facades, which are expressed through a consistent grid of deep balconies and fine metal fins that filter light and frame views toward the museum’s sculptural wings.
Light-toned cladding and pale metal detail contribute a quiet material palette suited to the desert-edge context. Inside, apartments wrapped in interiors by Kettle Collective feature a restrained selection of finishes — deep wood flooring, pale stone surfaces, and floor-to-ceiling glazing that frames the cultural landscape beyond.
seven mid rise buildings form a composition of curving residences
Spatial Balance and Material Calm
Bjarke Ingels Group designs The Row Saadiyat to balance civic life with private retreat. Ground floors are animated by cafés, wellness studios, and community venues, while the residences above open onto private terraces and horizon views. Circulation is placed at the edges, allowing open living areas oriented toward natural light. Throughout, Bjarke Ingels Group’s design prioritizes measured exposure: shading and depth modulate the desert sun, maintaining comfort without isolating interiors from their surroundings.
By day, light moves across facades in slow gradations of tone. By evening, glass surfaces absorb the muted reflection of sea and sky. The quarter’s rhythm of solids and voids gives it an understated coherence, lending the district a sense of continuity rather than contrast.
facades of pale cladding and fine metal fins filter light and frame museum views
Sustainability and Well-being
The Row Saadiyat development targets a 3-Pearl Estidama rating and 2-star Fitwel certification, integrating passive strategies such as orientation, shading, and daylight optimization. Smart systems manage energy use and climate comfort. Communal spaces — a wellbeing club, co-working lounge, children’s facilities, and a pet spa — extend the architecture’s focus on balance and shared living.
interiors by Kettle Collective use natural materials and soft tones to extend the building’s quiet character
project info:
name: The Row Saadiyat
architect: Bjarke Ingels Group | @big_builds
location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
developer: Aldar Properties | @aldar
interior designer: Kettle Collective | @kettlecollective
The post bjarke ingels group unveils ‘the row saadiyat’, a residential district for abu dhabi appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.