Leading Abu Dhabi developer Imkan has announced plans to develop ‘Pixel’, the first mixed-use project within its 180,000-sq-m waterfront ‘Makers District’ on Reem Island in the UAE capital.

With a built-up area of 83,000 sq m, Pixel will offer 480 residential units within seven mixed-use residential towers that are surrounded by quiet pocket gardens and frame a centralised pedestrianised plaza, home to over 3,500 sq m of an artisanal mix of food and beverage (F&B) and retail outlets and offices, as well as a signature water feature.

Pixel’s seven towers will form a key part of a new neighbourhood and a unique urban living destination being built in Abu Dhabi. The community is located just steps away from The-Artery, Imkan’s hybrid parking garage, the cultural hub and the first unveiled building at Makers District, said the developer.

Home to an engaging central hub of activities, Pixel mirrors the identity of the Makers District by bringing further innovative positioning to Abu Dhabi.

CEO Walid El Hindi said: “Pixel is a vibrant human-scale destination, designed to offer its occupants a unique and soulful place to enrich their lives, collaborate in work and engage with their community.

“It is also a key milestone in Imkan’s journey to establish Makers District as the new beating heart of Abu Dhabi and a place that reflects the best standards in building and design that will benefit end-users, and the wider community.”

Imkan has signed up global engineering, design and environmental consultancy firm Ramboll as lead consultant for the entire Phase One of Makers District. The construction work is likely to start in the first quarter of 2018 and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2020.

Imkan has partnered with some of the world’s best architects and designers for developing Pixel.

Combining a collaborative, research-based design method, and a portfolio of award-winning iconic projects worldwide, Rotterdam-based MVRDV were a natural fit for designing the mixed-use community, revealed El Hindi.

Its 15,000-sq-m innovative, landscaped public realm has been designed by Copenhagen-based BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), a global expert and winner of the latest cycle of ‘Agha Khan Award for Architecture’, said Imkan.