Oceanscape

Sea-view townhouses set on the podium, each with its own private pool

Oceanscape stacks three uses into a single building: three levels of retail, sea-facing townhouses above the podium, and two 32-storey residential towers rising from the centre. DAMAC Properties completed the development in 2013 on Al Reem Island, within the Al Shams district of Abu Dhabi. The scheme mixes one to three-bedroom apartments, two to four-bedroom townhouses and commercial space, all facing either the Gulf or the mangroves. The facade works with horizontal lines and a rhythmic composition, in a restrained contemporary style. What sets the project apart is this deliberate layering of functions on a waterfront plot just 300 metres from downtown.

One private pool per townhouse, all facing the Gulf

The Oceanscape townhouses sit on the upper level of the podium, above the retail floors and below the towers. They are arranged over two storeys and come in two, three and four-bedroom layouts. Every single unit faces the sea and comes with its own private pool, an unusual feature for this type of collective housing. The brochure also lists home automation, a dedicated health club, a hammam, a sauna and a massage room. It is a product built for expat families who want a house-style layout without giving up the waterfront or the services of a managed building.

Two 32-storey towers and an infinity pool over the mangroves

The apartments occupy two twin 32-storey towers standing at the heart of the development. Layouts range from one to three bedrooms, all with Gulf views. The standout amenity is an infinity pool overlooking the mangroves and the sea, paired with a pool deck. DAMAC also included a children's playroom with an attached audiovisual centre, a leisure and billiards area for adults, a hammam, a sauna and a relaxation room. Units come with home automation and electronic access control, and a smart elevator system serves the floors from a double-height lobby with a guest lounge.

Al Shams, a Venetian-style canal district on Al Reem Island

Al Shams is a planned precinct made up of ten districts on Al Reem Island, sitting between mangroves on one side and a long waterfront on the other. The master plan includes a canal network that the brochure compares to Venice and to San Antonio's Riverwalk, complete with water taxis and floating restaurants. Reem Central Park and LLH Hospital are less than 10 minutes away, downtown Abu Dhabi around 15 minutes, and Khalidiyah Mall roughly 20 minutes. The international airport is a 20-minute drive. The neighbourhood also offers cycling paths, open parks and playgrounds, in keeping with the project's family-oriented profile.

Marble and timber finishes, standard DAMAC specifications

The technical specs list a reinforced concrete structure and a flat concrete roof, with aluminium and glass windows and doors. Living and dining rooms get marble or high-grade ceramic flooring, bedrooms get timber flooring or ceramic. Master bathrooms are finished in marble, with a granite vanity top, a long bathtub and a mirror. The dry kitchen arrives fitted out with cabinetry, a solid worktop, a hood, a hob and a stainless steel sink. This is DAMAC's standard specification sheet for deliveries from this period, without a fashion-house label or branded collaboration, unlike the developer's more recent towers.

A completed building, not a plan on a scale model

Oceanscape offers an advantage that few DAMAC schemes can match: it has existed since 2013. A buyer can see the actual building, the real views, the condition of the common areas and the day-to-day running of the 24-hour concierge service. Covered, CCTV-monitored parking spans the ground floor and the first two levels. Boutique retail occupies those same three floors, with restaurants, cafes and specialty stores built into the structure. For an investor, that changes the equation: you are assessing a built and occupied asset, not a brochure promise. Title is freehold, open to foreign buyers on Al Reem Island.