The Gate Village

The Gate Village Apartments by DIFC Development Authority at DIFC. The Gate Village Apartments consists of a complex of ten buildings beside the Gate building in DIFC. Construction was completed in 2008.

The Gate Village Apartments are on a raised pedestrianised podium with shops, restaurants and galleries. Car parking is below the podium and above it are offices and apartments, with penthouses on the top two floors.

The podium is surrounded by studios for both living and working.

In the architect’s words: ‘The height and mass of the buildings is designed to shade the podium streets naturally, as in traditional Arab villages, tempering the harsh climate. The pedestrian streets vary in width and length and open onto larger piazzas. The use of shop canopies gives a human scale’.

Natural stone is used throughout on the facades with differing texture and treatment according to their orientation. Deep window reveals shade the glazing, while allowing daylight into the buildings. Other shading devices to the windows have been developed from traditional mashrabiya screens.

Designed to create a “marketplace of ideas”, the area is a fascinating public space combining architecture, art, retail, industrial and interior design. It’s comprised of ten distinct towers located in the Dubai International Financial Centre, joined by a walkway. The location is in perfect proximity to all of Dubai’s major hubs.