IT’S FULL SPEED AHEAD FOR ULTRA-EXOTIC AUTOMAKER BUGATTI’S FIRST RESIDENTIAL PROJECT, A WIND-WHIPPED HIGH RISE IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES’ CITY OF GOLD

BY AMANDA MCCOY

Once home to a humble 19th century shing village, the golden sand dunes of Dubai now support one of the world’s most dazzling cityscapes, a post-modern crop of architectural marvels and manmade super-feats. Here, superlatives pour from the city like a rainstorm. Under the watchful eye of the 163-floor Burj Khalifa – the tallest tower on the map – the skyline spans gravity-defying proportions (think the Zaha Hadid-designed ME Hotel, featured in INDUSTRY March 2022), novel silhouettes (a la the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, the highest hotel on the planet), and artifi cial wonders like the Dubai Marina, a canal city and the world’s largest manmade marina. So when a pair of magnifi cents like hypercar marque Bugatti and leading property developer Binghatti teamed up on a headline-churning project, the UAE’s City of Gold provided the perfect setting.

Unofficially announced at a hotly anticipated May press event at Dubai’s Coco-Cola Arena, Bugatti Residences is an upcoming 42-story, ultra-luxurious citadel set to rise in Business Bay, dubbed the Manhattan of the Middle East. Established in 2003, the ever-expanding central district serves as a beacon of the city’s dynamism and growth, featuring a blend of swanky high-rise residential, retail, commercial, and entertainment venues all dancing alongside trendy lounges, boutique hotels, and buzzy eateries. While the unveiling whipped headlines into a frenzy, Bugatti isn’t the fi rst supercar luminary to inscribe its name on a residential tower (Bentley, Aston Martin, Porsche, and more all have concepts in the works), but when the fabled French auotmaker revealed the renderings of a curved-glass, hyper-form facade reminiscent of a Chiron-meets-the-French Riviera, the world erupted with wonder. “With this partnership, we will follow the words of Ettore Bugatti: ‘If comparable, it is no longer Bugatti,’” noted Bugatti CEO Matt Rimac during the unveiling.

The tower will comprise 171 Riviera Mansions along with 11 gloriously over-the-top Sky Mansion Penthouses, plus a bevy of resort-style amenities. The curved all-glass facade affords towering, floor-to-ceiling windows swathing each home, offering a sweeping panorama of iconic city landmarks, from the Dubai foundation to the king Burj Khalifa. High ceilings, oversized balconies, and open-plan living spaces create a bright, airy ambiance perfect for soaking up the desert sun. Interiors are fashioned after Bugatti’s hypercars, featuring a medley of decadent natural materials like slab marble, rare woods, and mixed metals that refl ect and play in natural light. Gleaming steel columns, for instance, rise from white and gray speckled marble oors, while bathroom fl oors, vanities, and freestanding soaking tubs are all cut from the same stone. Kitchens feature azure-tinted backsplashes that juxtapose custom white stone countertops and bespoke wooden cabinetry with a built-in wine cellar.

A long center island offers ample room for four barstools to enjoy a leisurely breakfast or pre-dinner canapes amid views of the bay. Each home is decorated with bespoke furniture from Bugatti’s atelier, including free-form sofas, glass and marble accent pieces, tufted leather California king beds, and contemporary gas fireplaces. Color palettes are soft and neutral to complement the glass and metal skyline that pours in through the oversized window walls.

There’s an array of bespoke floor plans spanning two, three, and four-bedroom mega-homes, and all feature oversized living spaces, double walk-in wardrobes in the master bedroom, formal dining rooms, and Jacuzzi tubs. Select plans also include a dedicated lobby and maid’s quarters. Large, sinuous terraces are standard equipment, twisting around the home like a snake, offering a front-row seat to the mouth-gaping show that is Dubai’s ever-swell-ing skyline.

The iconic French Riviera, defined by glamorous beach resorts, lavishly languid afternoons, and the lapping blue waves of the Cote d’Azur, served as inspiration for the tower’s shared spaces. Residents will be granted exclusive access to a private manmade beach club that would feel at home in Cannes, featuring a massive swimming pool, Jacuzzi, BBQs, manicured gardens, and squash courts.

There will also be a gold-tinted welcome lobby, full-service wellness spa, state-of-the-art fitness club, chef ’s table for private gastronomic experiences, private valet, and member’s club, plus bespoke chauffeur, butler, and concierge services. As the mastermaker behind the world’s fastest production car (the 1,600-horsepower Chiron reached 304 mph on Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track in 2019), Bugatti expects its residents to prize their precious wheels, thus a pair of innovative garage-to- penthouse lifts will transport denizens directly to their homes without ever leaving their BOXMARK Gaucho seats.

Each unit will feature a dedicated three, fi ve, or seven-spot space for two, three, and four-bedroom homes, respectively. Once safely nestled in its resting spot, the car is put on display in the home via floor-to-ceiling glass, offering three-dimensional home décor in titanium and carbon fi ber. An offi cial launch date and pricing had yet to be announced at press time.

Bugatti Residences Business Bay bugattiresidences.com