Riviera Residences Tower 2

The Basel architects behind Tate Modern design a 404-unit tower on Reem Island

Riviera Residences Tower 2 counts 404 units spread across a ground floor and 34 storeys. The number itself is nothing unusual for Al Reem Island. What sets this apart is the name attached to it: Mered has handed the design to Herzog & de Meuron, the practice founded in Basel in 1978 that has built more than 600 projects in 40 countries. This tower forms the second phase of a waterfront residential scheme, recognisable by its curved facade lines and iridescent cladding. Sales are set to launch on 11 November 2026, with handover expected in the second quarter of 2030.

Herzog & de Meuron signs the curved facade

Herzog & de Meuron rarely takes on residential work in the Gulf. The Swiss firm has built in London, Hamburg, Beijing, New York and Geneva, with a portfolio spanning museums to stadiums. For Riviera Residences, the developer points to the Mediterranean Riviera as its reference point. In practice, that translates into a facade with flowing lines and an iridescent finish that shifts with the light. Inside, the marketing material promises natural timber flooring, travertine-style finishes with built-in lighting, and wood-finished closets. Kitchens come fully fitted, with built-in Bosch, Siemens or equivalent appliances.

Two-bedroom units make up more than half the building

Two-bedroom apartments form the backbone of the project: 209 units, or roughly 52% of the total, averaging 142.59 sqm including balcony. The 135 one-bedroom units average 86.12 sqm, a generous size for the category. There are also 44 three-bedroom apartments of around 182 sqm and a single duplex at 174.73 sqm. Higher up, the scale changes entirely. Eight Bay Villas range from 268 to 677 sqm, six Sky Villas from 588 to 980 sqm, and a single penthouse reaches 1,680 sqm. This mix targets both buy-to-let buyers on the smaller units and a high-net-worth clientele for the fifteen outsized residences.

Four pools across 4,900 sqm of amenities

Mered lists 52,883 square feet of shared space, close to 4,900 sqm. The building has four pools: two for adults, one dedicated lap pool and a children's pool. The wellness area brings together a sauna, hammam, spa with ice bath and sensory shower, plus an outdoor cold plunge with misting. On the fitness side, residents get two indoor gyms, an outdoor strength training terrace, a padel court and outdoor crossfit and yoga zones. An events hall with cinema, an open-kitchen café and a business lounge round out the offering, alongside a waterfront retail promenade at the base of the tower.

Mered, from Pininfarina to Herzog & de Meuron

Mered has built a habit of pairing its towers with a recognised design name. At Dubai Internet City, the developer is building Iconic Tower, a 66-storey project designed with Pininfarina facing Palm Jumeirah. Riviera Residences applies the same logic in Abu Dhabi, swapping a car designer for an architecture firm. The strategy makes sense on Reem Island, where new supply is plentiful and often indistinguishable. It does, however, raise the bar on execution: an iridescent facade with complex curves costs more to build and maintain than a standard curtain wall. Buyers would do well to track progress on the first phase's construction.

Between ADGM and the Saadiyat cultural district

The tower sits within the Abu Dhabi Global Market zone, the financial centre that turned Reem Island into the capital's new business district. The Saadiyat cultural district (Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim, Zayed National Museum) is around a ten-minute drive away. Reem Mall, The Galleria, Sorbonne Abu Dhabi and schools such as Repton and GEMS are listed at 5 to 15 minutes. Yas Island is 20 minutes away, the international airport 30. Dubai remains roughly an hour by road, making this a workable base for someone splitting their week between the two emirates.

Launch in November 2026, handover in 2030

Sales open on 11 November 2026, with a 50,000 AED expression of interest required to secure a place. The payment plan follows a 50/50 structure: half during construction, half on handover, with 5% due at booking. This structure is standard for Abu Dhabi and does not include a post-handover option. It leaves roughly three and a half years between launch and the expected handover in the second quarter of 2030. The developer notes that further details will be released at a later date, so buyers should check floor plans and payment schedules carefully before committing.