A communal plaza and stepped terraces encourage residents to spend time together outdoors at Pixel, a cluster of seven staggered housing blocks in Abu Dhabi by Dutch studio MVRDV.

Located in Makers District on the capital city's Al Reem Island, the development comprises 525 apartments alongside various public amenities organised around a public courtyard.

It was designed by MVRDV to challenge typical housing developments in the United Arab Emirates, which the studio said often prioritise luxury over community.

"With Pixel, we challenged the residential typologies that have become the norm in the UAE", said MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs.

"Instead of nondescript, isolated towers made palatable by a veneer of luxury finishes on the interior, Pixel makes it possible for residents to spend some time outdoors, become friends with their neighbours, to invite visitors for a meal in the restaurant in the plaza," added van Rijs.

"It encourages a way of life that is not only enjoyable but environmentally and socially more sustainable than the alternatives."

Pixel is the first project to be completed in Makers District, which developer Imkan has created on Al Reem Island to become "the new heart of Abu Dhabi", MVRDV said.

According to the studio, the design aims to reflect the area's "innovative, cosmopolitan spirit of Makers District".

The seven high-rises that make up the development are organised around the edges of the site, creating space for the central plaza. The tallest reaches 92 metres in height.

From the plaza, residents and locals have access to a range of eateries and shops at ground level, and facilities including a gym, a healthcare clinic, a nursery and offices on the first floor.

MVRDV has arranged the Pixel towers to maximise shade and encourage breeze throughout the plaza while ensuring there are links to the beach and neighbouring waterfront developments.

Facing the plaza, large windows and terraces break up the forms of the towers, reducing their visual impact and giving rise to a pixelated look – giving the project its name.

Lining the courtyard-facing facades are shade screens formed of tiles in 14 different pastel shades, modelled on the iridescent surfaces of pearls and nodding to the United Arab Emirates' history of pearl trading.

"The facades facing this plaza are what truly bring the project to life," said MVRDV.

"At their bases, the towers crumble into 'pixels', spilling out into the plaza to create terraces and bay windows," the studio continued. "These extend the living spaces inside into the public realm, encouraging residents to enjoy the outdoors in the cooler months of the year."

Completing Pixel's plaza are a range of water features and greenery, designed to help cool the landscape. In the future, further greenery is planned for the roofs of the towers.

On the outer elevations of the towers, the cladding is formed of concrete panels with contour-like patterns developed by artist Nicole Martens to evoke oyster shells.

"In a nod to Abu Dhabi's heritage, the development is envisaged as an oyster, with a hard outer shell that sequesters a delicate pearl inside," said MVRDV.

Inside, Pixel contains 525 apartments of varying sizes and prices, ranging from more affordable studios to spacious, luxury three-bedroom homes.

According to MVRDV, this is hoped to encourage "contact between people from different walks of life" at Pixel.

MVRDV is a Rotterdam-based architecture studio that was founded in 1991 by van Rijs, Winy Maas and Nathalie de Vries.

Its other recent residential projects include Ascension Paysagère, a hill-like housing project in France that was designed for a "variety of income levels", and The Canyon in San Francisco, which is organised around a central public space.

The photography is by Jon Wallis.