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Jacob & Co.
Beachfront
Residences

Luxury Mixed-Use Residential

LocationAl Jurf, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Built-Up Area≈ 150,000 m²

StageConcept — Tender

ScopeArchitecture · BIM · Documentation

Two crescent blocks held against a reclaimed beachfront, carried from concept design through to tender documentation. The massing steps back as it rises so that every level reaches the water, and the building reads as terraced landscape rather than a slab set on a shore.

The stepping is structural logic, not a facade treatment. Each setback carries a private pool and planted terrace, and the resulting profile shelters the podium below from wind coming off the open water.

The Development

Massing · Shoreline · Context

Aerial view of Jacob & Co. Beachfront Residences at night, the terraced crescents lit above the shoreline — Terraced crescents above the shoreline

The plan turns its back on the road and opens entirely to the water. Breakwaters hold a calm swimming lagoon in front of the beach, and a sculptural jetty carries the promenade out past the surf line.

Daytime aerial of the development, beach and breakwaters — Lagoon, beach and breakwaters

The sculptural jetty extending from the beach past the surf line — The jetty and beach frontage

Architectural Form

Envelope · Setbacks · Private Pools

The terraced crescent seen from the pool deck, each floor stepping back above the one below — The crescent from the pool deck

Close view of the white exoskeleton facade and stepped glazed terraces — Exoskeleton frame and glazed terraces

A white exoskeleton carries the balconies clear of the glass line, so the terraces read as a continuous frame and the apartments behind stay fully glazed. The frame is the architecture; the glass simply fills between it. Read in plan, the two crescents trace the letters J and C — the Jacob & Co. identity carried in the geometry itself rather than applied to it.

Private terrace pools stepping down the curved facade — A pool to every setback

Curved glazing and a planted terrace at the corner of the block — Curved glazing at the terrace edge

Arrival & Podium

Public Realm · Sequence

The podium pool terrace between the two crescents — The podium between the crescents

Below the residential levels the podium becomes public ground: pools, a fountain court, planted dunes and a beach club, sequenced so the walk from the arrival plaza to the water never repeats the same condition.

The fountain court seen from above — Fountain court

The fountain court at eye level, framed by palms and the arched beach gate — Arrival court at eye level

The arched exoskeleton over the arrival walk into the podium — The arrival walk

Seating beneath the curved podium soffit, the building cantilevering overhead — Under the podium soffit

The splash fountain on the podium deck — Splash fountain, podium deck

Landscape & Waterfront

Dunes · Lagoon · Beach Club

The beach, planted dunes and swimming lagoon held by the breakwaters — Dunes, lagoon and breakwater

The beach is not left flat. Planted dune mounds break it into rooms, so cabanas, decks and the restaurant terrace each sit in their own pocket of landscape instead of lining up along the water.

The jetty pavilion seen from the sand — The jetty from the sand

Shaded cabanas among the planted dunes — Cabanas in the dunes

The timber beach deck running below the building toward the sand — Beach deck below the building

The beach restaurant under the arched screen, the marina beyond — Beach restaurant and marina

Terraces

Threshold · Planting · Outlook

A private terrace at dusk, curved glazing and planting to the edge — Terrace planting after dark

Every setback is deep enough to be a room rather than a balcony: pool, planting, shade and a lawn, with the glass line set far enough back that the terrace belongs to the apartment and not to the facade.

The roof lounge deck against the curved glass of the tower — Roof lounge against the glazed curve

Timber roof deck and shaded seating above the block — Roof deck and shaded seating

A planted terrace lawn set against full-height glazing — Terrace lawn at the glass line

Shaded seating on the curved white terrace — Shade on the curved terrace

Technical Documentation

Plans · Sections · Details

The project was documented to tender stage in Revit, from the overall site setting through to envelope build-ups. Six representative sheets are shown here; the complete set is available in the drawing viewer.

Site·Floor Plans·Interior Plans·Elevations·Sections·Pools & Amenities·Circulation·Facade & Envelope·Roof & Waterproofing

After Dark

Lighting · Amenity

The podium pools and beach lit at night — The podium after dark

At night the hierarchy inverts. The building steps back into silhouette and the lit ground plane — water, dune planting and the jetty — becomes the thing you read.