Burj Khalifa Residences

client : Emaar Properties (P.J.S.C.)
branding : Emaar
services : Planning, Architecture, Interiors, Construction Oversight
typology : Residential
location : Dubai, U.A.E

XCASSIA and Michael Graves & Associates completed designs for a 120,000 sqm mixed-use development in the prestigious Burj Khalifa Downtown district of Dubai. The scheme features two upscale residential towers positioned to maximize views of both the waterfront and the iconic Burj Khalifa.

The towers are arranged in a splayed configuration atop a shared podium, which is designed as a landscaped promenade. Together, the buildings offer a total of 569 residential units—324 apartments within the 39-story tower and 245 units in the adjacent 25-story structure.

The development was fully documented and ready for execution prior to the construction slowdown that affected Dubai in early 2009. Strategically located across the lake from the Armani Hotel and the Burj Khalifa, the project integrates high-end living with a four-story podium hosting retail, office space, residents’ amenities, and four levels of underground parking.

Architecturally, the towers evoke the elegance of Art Deco skyscrapers from the 1920s and 1930s, reinterpreted through the lens of Dubai’s materiality, color palette, and cultural motifs. The façades are defined by overlapping scales and a recurring tapered flat arch motif—referencing stylized palm fronds and lotus forms—rooted in the ornamental traditions of the Gulf and the broader Arabic architectural heritage.