23 Marina

«In Dubai Marina, no small units. Only family luxury, only a private pool for every owner.»

— HIRCON INTERNATIONAL · 2007 BRIEF

In 2005, Hircon International — a Dubai developer of Indian origin — acquired a plot in Dubai Marina for a project with an unusual brief for its time: a residence-only skyscraper where every unit is large, family-oriented, with a private pool. No studios, no 1-bedroom. Only 3- and 4-bedroom layouts, plus penthouses. The architectural contract went to KEO International Consultants — the largest engineering-architectural firm in the UAE with its own school of high-rise design.

KEO proposed a solution that required redesigning all engineering: every unit gets a balcony with a built-in swimming pool of 8–25 m² of water. This meant every floor carried tens of tonnes of additional load (water, filtration equipment, drainage). The structural scheme: a reinforced concrete core in the centre + a perimeter ring of columns.

An additional complexity was elevators. All 23 Marina units are large (220+ m²), and each requires immediate access without long waits. KEO planned 62 elevators — a record number for a residential building of this scale. The ratio gives one elevator per 4–5 units — almost on par with luxury hotels.

Construction started in 2007. The 2008 crisis hit Hircon as it did most local developers: delayed payments, halted works. By 2010 the object was 70% complete. Final handover took place in March 2012. Particular attention was paid to pool QC: each of the 289 pools underwent individual hydraulic testing for leak-tightness and load before residents moved in.