Shoring works have been completed on the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed Oystra, facilitating construction activities to progress on the landmark luxury waterfront project by UAE-focused real estate developer Richmond on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah.
The milestone coincides with the opening of Richmind’s new luxury Experience Centre in Jumeirah, Dubai, designed by global architecture and design firm Gensler. Together, the two developments signal a new phase for Oystra, bringing its architectural vision closer to reality while strengthening direct engagement with prospective residents, investors and partners, says the developer.
Oystra is a 128,000-sq-m seafront development of 950 one- to four-bedroom apartments, duplexes, penthouses, and waterfront villas, as well as extensive shopping, dining and leisure amenities. It will feature curated wellness facilities, a beach club and spa, and a signature dining destination elevated at the project’s peak, encircled by Ras Al Khaimah’s first and only 360-degree infinity pool, offering some of the most dramatic views on Al Marjan Island, according to Richmind.
The development has been conceived around an elevated residential experience, with carefully considered spaces dedicated to leisure, wellbeing and waterfront living.
Oystra’s sculptural 20-storey waterfront towers are set within its 42,000-sq-m site of landscaped gardens, courtyards, swimming pools and beach club overlooking the bay.
Designed by ZHA to give more than 75 per cent of its apartments unobstructed views of the sea, Oystra’s fluid geometries incorporate large balconies and terraces shaped to echo the rippled patterns carved by waves in sand. These balconies serve as seamless extensions of each apartment’s living space while also shading the interiors from direct sunlight.
The development connects directly with Al Marjan Island’s tree-lined coastal promenade, giving residents direct pedestrian access throughout the island via this sheltered shoreline walkway cooled by the prevailing north-westerly winds blowing inland from the sea.
Located just steps from the UAE’s first integrated resort, Wynn Al Marjan Island, the project broke ground in late November last year and construction activity has maintained steady momentum over recent months, says Richmind.
The project is scheduled for handover in 2029.
Oystra brings together a world-renowned team of partners for the project. ZHA leads the visionary design, introducing a sculptural, fluid architectural form inspired by the sea and sky, while Dewan Architects + Engineers translates this ambition into technical reality through innovations such as the 40-m curved steel truss that preserves ZHA’s purity of form.
HBA will deliver hospitality-grade interiors, while Cracknell will create a landscape that becomes an extension of the architecture and the seafront environment.