Kengo Kuma Brings Wedyan, a New Nature-Led Residence, to Dubai

Dubai’s residential landscape is moving beyond the familiar language of luxury towers, branded amenities and skyline views. As more people choose the city as a long-term base, developers are beginning to focus on how residential buildings support daily life: privacy, wellness, work, family time, recovery and access to nature.

Wedyan by Al Ghurair Collection is a new 46-floor residential project on Dubai Canal designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. It marks Kuma’s first project in the UAE and the debut of Al Ghurair Collection, the super-prime residential portfolio by Al Ghurair Development.

The project takes its name from the Arabic word for valleys. Its design refers to regional landscapes, including dunes, sand, water and greenery. The tower is wrapped in a layered façade in shades of sand and green, with planted terraces and deep eaves intended to soften sunlight and create shadow across the building.

Kuma’s work is often associated with natural materials, filtered light and a closer relationship between architecture and landscape. At Wedyan, this approach appears in the use of terraces, planting, warm materials and spaces designed around a slower rhythm of living.

The residences include natural stone, timber, floor-to-ceiling glazing, filtered air and water systems, and deep shaded terraces overlooking the canal. Selected homes also include Japanese teahouse-inspired pavilions, which can be used as spaces for meditation, work or private leisure.

The building’s amenities are organised as a series of distinct environments. The ground-level arrival space, called The Oasis, uses greenery and water to create a quieter transition from the city. Other shared spaces include pools, dining areas, a private cinema, a Pilates studio, a golf simulator and a padel court. Higher in the building, The Mountain includes lounges, private dining and office spaces with views across Dubai Canal.

Selected residences include Japanese teahouse-inspired pavilions, designed as adaptable spaces for meditation, creative work or private leisure. Residents decide how they’d like this space to be used.

Above the homes, the building unfolds as a vertical journey of shared spaces, each given its own world. The Cave offers an immersive spa sanctuary, including an indoor lagoon, a hammam, hydrotherapy, a salt room and an ice bath.

The Shore and The Valley are the social heart, easy settings for family, fitness, long lunches and hosting. Together, these spaces support both community and privacy, giving residents different settings for the way they want to spend their day. From a private cinema, a Pilates studio, a golf simulator, a padel court, pools and dining, the amenities feel less like a list of facilities and more like a complete way of living.

At the top, The Mountain offers lounges, private dining and office spaces wrapped in panoramic views, a calm retreat high above the canal. With spaces for meetings, focused work and creative exchange, it responds to the way home, work, and lifestyle are increasingly blending.

The project reflects a broader direction in Dubai’s high-end wellness residential market. For Dubai, the project is also notable because it brings Kengo Kuma’s architectural language into the city’s residential sector. In a market often defined by visibility and spectacle, Wedyan introduces a softer vocabulary: shade, texture, greenery, terraces and a closer connection to the landscape around the canal.

Construction is listed by Kengo Kuma & Associates as beginning in May 2026, with the project currently ongoing.