Marquis Horizon

Ten stepped floors and 175 units: Marquis Developers leaves Arjan for Dubai South

Marquis Horizon counts 175 apartments, one and two bedrooms only, spread across ten residential floors. The building stacks a basement, a ground floor, a mezzanine dedicated to amenities, then the residential levels topped by a rooftop. Marquis Developers, known so far for Marquis One and its 22 storey tower in Arjan, presents this project as its first address in Dubai South. Handover is set for July 30, 2028, on a freehold basis. The building stands out mainly for its facade, which steps forward and back from one floor to the next instead of stacking identical windows.

Stepped balconies against the desert sun

The brochure describes a wave like facade, with horizontal lines that shift at every level. This choice has practical effects. The projecting slabs shade the windows of the floor below, limiting direct exposure during the hottest months. The staggered geometry also produces terraces of varying depths and cuts down sightlines between neighbours. The developer emphasizes natural ventilation and passive shading to keep interiors cool year round, a claim that will need checking at handover, since no thermal data has been published at this stage.

175 units, no studios and no three bedrooms

The scheme offers only one and two bedroom layouts. No studios to catch smaller budgets, no large family units either. Marquis justifies this narrow focus by pointing to local demand, driven by workers tied to Al Maktoum Airport and the surrounding logistics zones. At 175 units, the building stays modest next to Ellington's Windsor House (424 units in the same district), which points to a smaller owners' association and less pressure on shared amenities. The floor plans highlight natural light and a clear split between day and night zones.

Indoor drop off and an open air courtyard

Arrival by car happens through a drop off area set slightly back, inside the building's footprint, following a hotel style layout. Right behind it, a central open air courtyard brings light and greenery to the ground floor. The double height lobby leads to a dedicated staircase that runs straight up to the mezzanine amenities. Open corridors connect the different parts of the building. This setup turns the courtyard into the residents' main circulation point, whereas in many buildings of this size, communal life is confined to the roof.

Pool on the mezzanine, padel and yoga on the roof

Marquis spreads its amenities across two levels. The mezzanine houses an infinity pool raised above the surrounding landscape, a gym, a multipurpose common room, a gaming room and outdoor lounges built into the podium. The roof holds a padel court, a yoga deck, an open air amphitheater and a barbecue area. A workspace called the Horizon Executive Lounge rounds out the offering with private meeting rooms, useful for residents working remotely. For a building of 175 units, the list runs long, and the service charge cost is worth asking about before signing.

Twenty minutes from Al Maktoum, 37 from Dubai Mall

Al Maktoum International Airport is roughly 20 minutes away by car, and it's this proximity that explains the choice of Dubai South. Its expansion is expected to make it the emirate's main air hub in the decades ahead. Expo City, the district that grew out of Expo 2020, also sits nearby. The historic city center, though, stays far off: figure 37 minutes to Dubai Mall, Palm Jumeirah or DXB Airport, and 35 minutes to The Walk at JBR. The project therefore targets those who work in the south of the city more than tenants attached to Downtown or the Marina.

A test for Marquis in the south of the city

The developer presents Horizon as a beachhead, the first of a series of projects it hopes to build in the district. Its track record in Dubai stays short, with Marquis One in Arjan as its main visible reference. Buyers are therefore partly betting on a mid sized developer's ability to deliver on time in a new area. Competition runs dense in Dubai South, between BT Properties' masterplans in Waada and the compact residences from OKSA or Evera. The stepped facade and the split of amenities between mezzanine and rooftop stand as the main points of differentiation here.