Arabian Loft Residences
As part of the ambitious Dubailand development in Dubai, UAE, the design brief called for a series of housing typologies, with a particular focus on apartment block prototypes. Each was to accommodate approximately 1.3 million square feet of residential space, targeting an upper-middle-class demographic. The client sought a building type with a distinct concept and visual identity—one that drew inspiration from global precedents while engaging with local traditions. As lead designer for Voorsanger, Martin Stigsgaard developed the concept and design proposal for the Arabian Loft Residences.
Project Size
1.3 million sf
Location
Dubai, UAE
The Loft, Reimagined for the Middle East
The Arabian Loft Residences reinterpret the globally romanticized idea of the New York City loft. Loft living—with its expansive proportions, soaring ceilings, and open, flexible volumes—has long captured the imagination of urban dwellers. Here, the typology is adapted to the Middle Eastern climate and culture, offering a contemporary lifestyle model with global roots and local resonance.
The generous vertical spaces of the loft enable natural stratification of warmer air and allow for vertical ventilation, making the design particularly well-suited to Dubai’s hot desert climate. Double-height living areas and oversized windows maximize daylight while framing expansive views, and carefully considered layouts provide adaptability for diverse lifestyles and family structures. The result is a housing type that blends the cosmopolitan energy of loft living with climate responsiveness and cultural identity.
Where Cultures Converge, New Typologies Emerge
Inspired by the iconic New York loft, the Arabian Loft Residences fuse global aspiration with the traditions of Dubai. The design integrates generous outdoor terraces, shaded communal areas, and connections to landscaped courtyards—ensuring the buildings respond not only to international ideals of luxury living but also to the rhythms of life in the desert.
This housing typology becomes more than a transplant of Western urban models; it is a reinterpretation that situates cosmopolitan living within the context of the Arabian Desert. The Arabian Loft Residences stand as an emblem of Dubai’s role as a crossroads of cultures—forward-looking, adaptive, and deeply tied to its environment.
