Muraba Veil sets a new benchmark for aspirational living through discretion, well-being, and a connection to place.
Overlooking the Dubai Water Canal, Muraba Veil, a residential tower by Pritzker Prize-winning Catalan studio RCR Arquitectes, is currently reshaping expectations of elevated living in the Gulf. Visually striking but restrained, the building finds its identity in the powerful tension between sculptural minimalism and sensitivity to its surroundings. Its innovation, however, goes far beyond form. Conceived as a retreat above the buzz of the city, Muraba Veil reimagines what urban dwelling can feel like when wellness, privacy, and atmosphere are poised at the heart of design.
The tower’s location, perched on the edge of the Dubai canal, is no accident. Just steps from palm-lined promenades where locals jog, cycle, or sip espresso at waterside cafés, and within walking distance of Kite Beach—Dubai’s spirited coastal mecca for kitesurfers, swimmers, and families, Muraba Veil is nestled in one of the city’s rare pedestrian-friendly zones.
Inside, the sunken spa—evoking the organic forms of caves and coral—invites residents into thermal pools and steam chambers, created for powerful relaxation. The gym, features state-of-the-art facilities, while courtyard-inspired interiors and lush planted thresholds encourage a slower, more sensorial engagement with daily life. Here, living well is not a lifestyle add-on but the architecture’s central thesis.
Now, we discover how Muraba Veil is championing a new era of elevated living, one that facilitates slowness, privacy and enriching lifestyle choices.
Located just above the pedestrian promenade of the Dubai Canal and within walking distance of Kite Beach’s surfside cafés and open water, Muraba Veil benefits from its surroundings without ever being overwhelmed by them. Its 72 floors offer residents a feeling of refuge in a city that seldom pauses. And this instinct for retreat is where the minds behind Muraba Veil’s design, RCR, excel.
Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, and Ramon Vilalta, the Catalan trio behind RCR Arquitectes, have long championed architecture that is “of the place”—a meditative approach grounded in landscape, light, and material honesty. Known for their cloistered courtyards, rust-toned corten steel volumes, and deft manipulation of thresholds, their projects have reshaped public and private spaces in rural Spain, France, and beyond. Muraba Veil is RCR´s attempt to rethink the Gulf skyscraper—a region often characterised by high-intensity opulence. Rather than replicate that formula, they have responded with thoughtful restraint.
Despite being vertical, Muraba Veil resists the anonymity of most towers. RCR’s devotion to human scale and atmosphere ensures that even the tallest floors feel connected to the earth and sky. From a distance, the tower seems to hover, rising from the desert, 22.5 meters wide and clad in a shimmering stainless-steel mesh. This operable veil acts as a dynamic screen, referencing the traditional mashrabiya without limitations. It filters sunlight, moderates wind, and breathes with the building’s rhythms. Every apartment has control over its own veil, adjusting it in response to changing light, temperature, and mood. More than a performative detail, the veil is central to the building’s ethos: softness in structure and adaptability in design.
Privacy here is a spatial philosophy. The 131 residences have been distributed so there are never more than three homes on a single floor while the four-bedroom XL and five-bedroom penthouse occupy an entire floor. There are no shared corridors and no neighbouring doors. A private elevator opens directly into each apartment’s vestibule, creating an immediate sense of entry and seclusion. Residents are not passing through a communal lobby or waiting for an elevator alongside others. Arrival is quiet and wholly one’s own.
Within the apartments, space flows with an intuitive calm. Double-height ceilings, floor-to-ceiling glazing, neutral tones and the use of locally inspired materials echo the desert’s palette, facilitating a fluid transition between domains. Customisable glass panels allow residents to open or enclose rooms according to their preferences, making every floor plan an evolving proposition. In larger configurations, residents can enjoy sprawling outdoor terraces with private pools—spaces that feel more like sky gardens than balconies. These residences function as an alternative to the villa model, but with added discretion: no neighbours overlooking your garden, no clustered blocks breaking the skyline. There is light, there is openness, but most importantly, there is solitude.
Even the tower’s footprint nods to traditional Gulf typologies. Private arrival spaces reinterpret the inward-looking courtyard house—a typology that historically responded to the desert’s climate by creating shaded, breezy microclimates within thick outer walls. Here, those courtyards have been translated into lush planted atriums and stepped terraces that help regulate temperature and frame views. Local plant species and water features soften the ground plane, creating areas for slow movement, contemplation, and rest.
One of the most distinctive aspects of Muraba Veil is its immersive wellness offering. Far from the standard luxury tower gym, the building houses a subterranean spa influenced by nature’s codes and curves. Light filters in through perforated walls, dancing across experiential pools. The hydrotherapy stations, steam rooms, and relaxation areas contribute to a setting that feels more aligned with a retreat than a residence. Adjacent, a high-spec gym offers state-of-the-art equipment and filtered fresh air—making daily routines feel anything but ordinary. The rooftop also hosts a 48-metre-long lap pool and an intimate restaurant with a seasonal menu influenced by Middle Eastern flavours. There’s a private area exclusively dedicated to residents and their guests.
Throughout the building, air quality and environmental performance have been carefully considered. An advanced air purification system ensures a constant flow of clean, filtered air—a rarity in many high-rises, especially in cities where dust and humidity are part of daily life. The operable veil and natural ventilation strategies reduce the building’s reliance on artificial cooling, reinforcing its ecological intelligence.
What’s most impressive about Muraba Veil, however, is how these innovations feel effortless. You notice them in the quiet of the corridor-free layout. In the way that a door slides silently to the side. In the air, which smells neither processed nor perfumed. Its location further enhances this sense of balance. Tucked into the quieter edge of the Dubai Water Canal, the tower benefits from proximity to some of the city’s most walkable areas—a rarity in a place often defined by its highways. Residents can stroll along the canal, dine at independent cafés, or cycle toward Safa Park and the Jumeirah coastline. Kite Beach is less than ten minutes away, offering swimming, paddleboarding, and of course kite surfing while the nearby art galleries and wellness hubs of Al Quoz provide cultural and social depth.
As cities around the world grapple with what it means to live well in dense environments, Muraba Veil offers a powerful proposition. Not just a tower, but a typology—a vertical refuge rooted in cultural memory, architectural precision, and lived experience. One that reminds us that true luxury is not about abundance, but about control over your environment, your pace, and your privacy. In the words of its creators: “Architecture should not impose but accompany”.
Source of Article and all Credits to : Luxhabitat
