The Residences

DIFC's Milestone Transformation Of Zabeel District

The Residences at DIFC Zabeel District are the product of the largest demand-driven expansion of Dubai International Financial Centre, an extended downtown. The project sets a mixed-use urban master plan to combine residential, commercial, and cultural use in a single connected space. The district represents a paradigm shift for DIFC that moves beyond the current financial focus to create a complete digitised environment where business, learning, entertainment, and living are blended within its urban landscape. Glass towers, landscaped public spaces, and social hubs that function without a hitch are woven into buildings to reinforce Dubai’s position as a global business destination.

DIFC Zabeel District – Phase A includes around 1.1 million square feet of project site area and approximately 3.7 million square feet of total GFA, spread over 16 buildings on five plots. Phase 1 consists of 463 luxury residences, a boutique hotel with 200 keys, and a members’ club, plus an anticipated workforce of nearly 20,000, including approximately 1,200 residents. Phase A will be delivered in 2030, which provides a structured schedule for the long-term acquisition planning.

Masterplan Composition and Urban Infrastructure

The overall masterplan includes circa 6.8m sq ft GFA of office, 1.2m sq ft GFA innovation space, 1.6m sq ft residential, and a further 450,000 sq ft GFA earmarked as hotel use. College and university institutions represent 730,000 sq ft of GFA, and the best in education and retail space provides 1,000,000 sq ft allocation. The AI Campus also provides 80,000 sq ft GFA of conferencing facilities to support the district’s innovation-led character.

A continuous 2 km landscaped experience, the Inner Circle promotes well-being and connectivity with open space allocation of around 20% of the site. Crossroads, sports facilities, and pop-up retail are activated to form a multi-layered public realm. The experiential spine is integrating retail, sound, and storytelling: by doing so, the district will become an immersive urban experience rather than a traditional business precinct.

Residential Offering and Lifestyle Integration

The Residences in DIFC Zabeel District are intended to offer the ultimate lifestyle experience with a sophisticated mixture of functionality and comfort living in an advanced urban jungle. The masterplan includes a 33,000 sq ft GFA stable, a mosque of 38,000 sq ft, and a K-12 school with an enrolment capacity of around 1,000 students; also including an Art Pavilion (80,000 sq. The overall population of the district would support an employment level of ~75,000 and a resident population of 10,000, which forms a sustainable variety of economic and social activation.

Planned for the development is an AI Campus and Innovation Hub touted as the world’s largest, along with Class A office towers and boutique hotel elements. Residential and mixed-use can also take advantage of some integration with this, benefiting from the close proximity to work, culture, and education coming all together at a master-planned address. The Residences at DIFC Zabeel District is a prime and strategically-located property for any institutional or private purchaser looking at big scale mixed use site in Dubai, in an expansion of one of the world's most prominent financial centres.