The Arc, Shams Abu Dhabi: Complete Residents’ & Buyers’ Guide (2026)

Sub-district: Shams Abu Dhabi  |  Area: Al Reem Island  |  City: Abu Dhabi

The Arc: Shams Abu Dhabi’s Mixed-Use Residential Building with Healthcare, Childcare & Mall Access in One Address

The Arc is the fourth and lowest building of the iconic Gates complex in Shams Abu Dhabi on Al Reem Island — a 22-floor mixed-use mid-rise that stands apart from the three 66-floor supertall Gate Towers in height, configuration, and the specific combination of in-building amenities it delivers. Where Gate Tower 1, Gate Tower 2, and Gate Tower 3 are defined by altitude, sky bridge connection, and panoramic views, The Arc is defined by what occupies its podium and lower floors: the Burjeel Day Surgery Center — one of Abu Dhabi’s most comprehensive private outpatient medical facilities — and Redwood Nursery on the 5th floor, giving The Arc a live-work-learn-heal character that no other building in the sub-district replicates.

The Arc was developed by Sorouh Real Estate — now managed by Aldar Properties — and completed in 2014 as an integral part of the wider Gates complex. Its 991 apartments are configured exclusively as studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units. A dedicated sky bridge connects The Arc directly to Shams Boutik Mall — Waitrose, a community pharmacy, Mosaic Nursery, and 82 retail outlets — providing The Arc’s residents with the most direct covered access to the sub-district’s primary retail hub of any building in the Gates complex. The three supertall Gate Towers connect to Boutik via a separate covered walkway at podium level; The Arc’s sky bridge connection is its own direct elevated link.

For residents whose daily life is shaped by medical appointments, childcare logistics, and the routine convenience of having a supermarket, pharmacy, and nursery within walking distance of the same building, The Arc delivers a concentration of essential services that makes it a genuinely distinct proposition within the Shams sub-district — less about the view from the 50th floor, more about the quality of daily life at ground and podium level.

The Arc: the only building in Shams Abu Dhabi with a comprehensive private medical clinic AND a nursery within the building itself, directly sky-bridge connected to Shams Boutik Mall. 991 apartments — studios, 1-bed, 2-bed — at the most accessible asking prices in the Gates complex.

Burjeel Day Surgery Center: Healthcare Within the Building

The Burjeel Day Surgery Center occupies The Arc’s podium — a fully operational private outpatient medical facility covering a comprehensive range of specialist disciplines: general practice, internal medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics, ENT, dermatology, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, dental care, diagnostic imaging (X-ray, ultrasound, MRI), laboratory services, and day surgical procedures not requiring an overnight hospital stay. For The Arc’s residents, access to a GP, a specialist appointment, a blood test, a physiotherapy session, or a dental check-up requires no car journey and no bridge crossing — the facility is in the building’s own podium, accessible via the lift.

This in-building medical provision has specific practical value for families with young children (paediatric and GP consultations without a drive), residents managing chronic conditions requiring regular outpatient monitoring, professionals whose schedules make hospital parking and travel-time logistics genuinely costly, and anyone who values the ability to respond to a non-emergency health concern the same day without planning a trip across the island. Burjeel Day Surgery is managed by Burjeel Holdings — one of the UAE’s leading private healthcare operators — under standard private health insurance agreements accepted by the majority of UAE employer healthcare plans.

For inpatient care, emergency services, or major specialist procedures requiring hospital admission, Reem Hospital on Al Reem Island provides 24-hour emergency and inpatient services. On the main island, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) — the UAE’s Cleveland Clinic-affiliated tertiary centre — and Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) — the UAE’s largest hospital under Mayo Clinic affiliation — are approximately twelve to sixteen minutes by car from The Arc. Corniche Hospital‘s specialist maternity services are accessible in the same timeframe.

Redwood Nursery: Childcare on the 5th Floor

Redwood Nursery occupies the 5th floor of The Arc — an early childhood education facility within the building for residents with children from six weeks to four years of age. For Arc families with infants and toddlers, the nursery removes the morning school-run logistics that define the daily schedule of most working parents on Al Reem Island: no car, no road crossing, no weather exposure on the walk to drop-off. The nursery run is a lift journey.

Redwood Nursery operates under the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) curriculum framework and provides an early years programme with qualified teachers across age-appropriate learning environments. For families whose primary daily childcare stress is the nursery logistics rather than the nursery curriculum, The Arc’s 5th-floor provision is a daily-life simplification that residents with young children consistently identify as the building’s most immediately practical advantage. Mosaic Nursery in Shams Boutik Mall — accessible directly via The Arc’s sky bridge — provides an alternative nursery option within the same covered walking distance for Arc residents.

The Sky Bridge Connection to Shams Boutik Mall

The Arc’s dedicated sky bridge connecting it directly to Shams Boutik Mall is a structural feature that distinguishes The Arc’s daily retail access from every other building in the Shams Gate District. The sky bridge provides an elevated, covered, weather-protected route from The Arc’s upper podium level to Boutik’s interior — bypassing the ground-level road and plaza environment entirely. From any residential floor in The Arc, the route to Waitrose, the community pharmacy, the Boutik food court, and the mall’s 82 retail outlets is: lift to podium level, sky bridge across, inside Boutik.

The three Gate Towers also connect to Boutik via a covered ground-level walkway, but The Arc’s sky bridge represents a distinct architectural connection — the building was designed with this link as a primary feature of its Boutik relationship rather than as a secondary route. For Arc residents, the covered sky bridge removes weather as a barrier to the daily Waitrose run, the pharmacy visit, or the after-work dinner in the Boutik food court. Community Pharmacy within Boutik provides prescription and over-the-counter pharmacy services at walking distance, complementing the Burjeel Day Surgery Center’s in-building clinical provision.

Architecture & Building Overview

The Arc stands 22 floors above ground — significantly lower than the three 66-floor Gate Towers it accompanies in the Gates complex, but visually linked to them by the sky bridge that connects it to Shams Boutik Mall and through the shared podium infrastructure that ties the entire Gates complex together. The Arc’s curved form and contemporary specification mirror the Gates complex design language — porcelain flooring, floor-to-ceiling double-glazed windows, marble kitchen worktops, high-quality European bathroom fittings — while its lower floor count makes it the most accessible altitude-to-price entry point in the complex.

Studios at The Arc occupy the 6th floor as larger units with terraces and green areas (699 to 1,255 sq ft) and appear in more compact configurations across the standard residential floors. One-bedroom apartments split between balcony configurations (822 to 1,072 sq ft) and terrace configurations with larger floor areas (1,410 to 1,563 sq ft). Two-bedroom apartments across the building range from 1,205 to 1,536 sq ft. All units feature the shared Gates complex specification standard with the contemporary neutral interior palette common to the Sorouh/Aldar development generation.

Unit Types, Sizes & Specifications

Studios (387–1,255 sq ft): A wide size range reflecting two distinct studio types. Standard residential-floor studios are compact (387–699 sq ft) with sleeping and living area, open kitchen, and bathroom. Sixth-floor studios with terraces and green areas are significantly larger (699–1,255 sq ft), with outdoor terrace space that makes them functionally more akin to one-bedroom apartments in liveable area. The 6th-floor terrace studios are among the most distinctive configurations in the Shams sub-district — a studio classification that comes with substantial private outdoor space.

1-Bedroom Apartments (822–1,563 sq ft): Two configurations. Balcony units (822–1,072 sq ft) include a master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, powder room, laundry room, living and dining area, open kitchen, and balcony; some include a dressing room. Terrace units (1,410–1,563 sq ft) are significantly larger, with a terrace and green area rather than a standard balcony, making them the building’s most spacious one-bedroom option. One-bedroom apartments with larger floor areas in The Arc match or exceed the floor area of standard two-bedroom apartments in some competing sub-district buildings.

2-Bedroom Apartments (1,205–1,536 sq ft): Standard two-bedroom configuration with master and second bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms, guest bathroom, living and dining area, kitchen, and either a maid’s room or utility room. The Arc’s two-bedroom units occupy the upper portion of the building’s residential stack and represent the building’s largest configurations.

Buying Property in The Arc: The 2026 Market

The Arc is fully freehold for all nationalities, registered with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport. Standard acquisition costs of 5–6% apply for cash buyers. Within the Gates complex, The Arc’s 22-floor scale and studio-to-two-bedroom unit mix position it as the most accessible price-entry point — lower asking prices than the 66-floor Gate Towers while sharing the same complex infrastructure, podium amenity programme, and Aldar management framework.

Indicative Sale Prices — The Arc (2026)

Studios (387–1,255 sq ft): Current asking prices for studios in The Arc range from approximately AED 800,000* to AED 1,000,000*, reflecting the range from compact standard-floor studios to the larger 6th-floor terrace configurations.

1-Bedroom Apartments (822–1,563 sq ft): Asking prices start from approximately AED 850,000* for standard balcony configurations and reach AED 1,399,000* for upper-floor or larger terrace configurations based on current listings.

2-Bedroom Apartments (1,205–1,536 sq ft): Current listing data for two-bedroom sale prices in The Arc is limited. Prospective buyers are advised to check current listings directly for up-to-date two-bedroom pricing and availability.

Service Charges & Investment Context

Service charges at The Arc run at approximately AED 15–18 per square foot per year, covering the shared Gates complex amenity programme — pools, gyms, sports courts, security, concierge, and building management — under Aldar’s institutional framework. District cooling (Tabreed) is billed separately from stated rents as standard across The Arc. Studio and one-bedroom configurations at AED 800,000*–1,000,000* acquisition prices with the rental range detailed below represent the accessible yield entry point within the Gates complex. The Best Areas for Investment in Abu Dhabi guide provides broader comparative investment context.

Renting in The Arc: The 2026 Market

The Arc’s rental market reflects its mixed-use in-building profile — the combination of Burjeel Day Surgery, Redwood Nursery, and the Boutik sky bridge creates a specific resident profile weighted toward families with young children, healthcare professionals working in the sub-district, and residents who have specifically chosen the building for its daily-life service concentration rather than for altitude or Gulf views. This profile tends to support stable tenancies with above-average lease renewal rates, as the building’s in-building conveniences create switching costs for residents whose daily routines are organised around the nursery on the 5th floor and the clinic in the podium.

Indicative Annual Rents — The Arc (2026)

Studios: Current asking rents for studios in The Arc range from approximately AED 67,000* to AED 134,000* per year, with the wide range reflecting the significant size difference between compact standard-floor studios and the larger 6th-floor terrace configurations.

1-Bedroom Apartments: Current asking rents range from approximately AED 70,000* to AED 148,000* per year across balcony and terrace configurations. Standard balcony one-bedrooms cluster at the lower end of this range; larger terrace configurations command the upper end.

2-Bedroom Apartments: Current asking rents for two-bedroom apartments in The Arc range from approximately AED 77,000* to AED 148,000* per year based on current listings. The overall rental range across all unit types is approximately AED 59,999* to AED 155,000* with an average annual rent of approximately AED 93,197*.

District cooling is billed separately from all stated rents. Tenancies are registered via Tawtheeq. The Arc’s proximity to the Burjeel Day Surgery Center makes it a preferred address for healthcare professionals working within the facility, some of whom prioritise The Arc specifically for the zero-commute to their workplace — an occupancy dynamic that supports consistent rental demand independent of the broader Shams sub-district market.

Building & Shared Complex Facilities

The Arc’s residents access a shared amenity programme across the wider Gates complex podium: multiple swimming pools including a lazy river and jacuzzi, five professional-grade fitness centres distributed across the complex oriented toward different training disciplines, a multi-purpose sports court, a jogging track, a community park (Gateway Park), a covered children’s play area, a first-aid medical station, a prayer room, and basement and podium parking with card-access security. The Burjeel Day Surgery Center and Redwood Nursery in The Arc’s own building supplement the shared amenity programme with the in-building services that define The Arc’s residential proposition.

The sky bridge connecting The Arc to Shams Boutik Mall provides direct covered access to Waitrose, Community Pharmacy, Mosaic Nursery, and the Boutik food court and retail outlets. Al Maya Supermarket in The Arc’s ground-level retail area provides an additional grocery option for residents who do not wish to use the sky bridge for daily essentials. The Arc’s position within the wider Gates complex also gives residents pedestrian access to the shared podium infrastructure connecting all three Gate Towers — a community breadth that extends well beyond the 991 apartments of The Arc itself.

The Arc’s Position Within the Gates Complex

The Arc’s 22-floor profile within the Gates complex creates a natural community dynamic: residents who prioritise the in-building services (Burjeel, Redwood, Boutik sky bridge access) over the altitude and view premiums that the 66-floor Gate Towers deliver. This is not a compromise — it is a deliberate residential choice for a segment of the Shams sub-district market that values the daily-life convenience concentration that The Arc uniquely provides. The view from the 18th floor of The Arc is not the same as the view from the 50th floor of Gate Tower 3; what The Arc offers in exchange is a GP appointment, a nursery drop-off, a Waitrose run, and a pharmacy visit that can all be completed before the Gulf-view resident has finished their morning coffee.

The Gates complex sky bridge connecting Gate Tower 1, Gate Tower 2, and Gate Tower 3 does not directly include The Arc in its sky bridge circuit — The Arc’s own sky bridge connects separately to Shams Boutik Mall. Arc residents access the Gate Tower sky bridge amenity deck via the ground-level podium connection to the wider complex rather than via a direct elevated link. This distinction in circulation does not affect Arc residents’ access to the shared amenity programme, which operates across the full complex from the podium level.

Location & Access

The Arc shares the Gates complex vehicular access infrastructure and occupies the same Al Reem Island position as the three Gate Towers. Drive times to key Abu Dhabi destinations from The Arc are broadly equivalent to those from Gate Tower 1, 2, and 3.

Key Drive Times from The Arc

Shams Boutik Mall: Directly accessible via sky bridge — no drive required.

Al Maryah Island / ADGM / The Galleria: 9–14 minutes.

Abu Dhabi City Centre / Corniche: 9–14 minutes in normal traffic.

Reem Mall / Snow Abu Dhabi: 5–8 minutes.

Saadiyat Island: 15–22 minutes.

Yas Island: 25–32 minutes via Airport Road E20.

Abu Dhabi International Airport: 20–27 minutes.

Dubai (Sheikh Zayed Road E11): 45–55 minutes in light traffic.

Public Transport: Gate Towers Bus Stop is approximately two minutes on foot from the Gates complex, served by Bus 7 and Bus 63.

Schools for Arc Families

Redwood Nursery on The Arc’s own 5th floor is the most immediate early childhood option — lift access from any residential floor for families with infants and toddlers up to four years of age. Mosaic Nursery in Shams Boutik Mall is accessible via The Arc’s sky bridge for an alternative nursery option within the same covered walking distance. Repton School Abu Dhabi — British National Curriculum, KG through Year 13 — faces the Gates complex entrance for a minimal drive. Nord Anglia International School provides an island-based alternative with Juilliard arts and MIT STEM enrichment. Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi is approximately four minutes from the Shams Gate District for residents with higher-education connections. The Arc’s in-building nursery provision is the sub-district’s most operationally convenient early childhood option for working parents whose primary constraint is morning logistics rather than curriculum choice.

Abu Dhabi From The Arc

The Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island — one of the world’s great universal museums — is fifteen to twenty minutes. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is fifteen minutes. The Galleria Al Maryah Island‘s waterfront dining — Zuma, LPM, Roberto’s — is ten to fourteen minutes for Abu Dhabi’s finest restaurant evenings. Yas Island’s entertainment complex is twenty-five to thirty minutes. Jubail Mangrove Park is approximately twenty minutes for kayaking through Abu Dhabi’s protected mangrove waterways. Reem Central Park on the island provides immediate green outdoor recreation. Reem Mall — Snow Abu Dhabi, VOX Cinemas — is five to eight minutes.

The Arc as an Investment

The Arc’s investment case within the Shams sub-district rests on a combination of accessible acquisition pricing, the in-building services that support above-average tenant retention, and the Aldar management framework that underpins consistent building maintenance and community quality. Studios at AED 800,000*–1,000,000* and one-bedroom apartments from AED 850,000* represent the most accessible freehold entry points within the Gates complex. The rental range of AED 59,999*–155,000* per year with an average of approximately AED 93,197* provides the income basis for yield calculations that prospective investors should verify against current listing data and individual unit pricing.

The Arc’s tenant profile — weighted toward families with young children and healthcare-adjacent professionals — tends to produce longer average tenancies than buildings without comparable in-building service concentration. The 5th-floor nursery and podium medical clinic create genuine switching costs for resident families whose daily routines are organised around these services, reducing void risk and turnover costs relative to buildings where the tenant’s attachment is primarily to the address or the view rather than to operationally integrated daily-life services. The Best Areas for Investment in Abu Dhabi guide provides broader comparative context for the Abu Dhabi residential investment landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions: The Arc

1. What is Burjeel Day Surgery Center in The Arc and what services does it offer?

The Burjeel Day Surgery Center occupies the podium of The Arc and is operated by Burjeel Holdings, one of the UAE’s leading private healthcare groups. The centre provides a comprehensive range of outpatient medical services including general practice, specialist consultations across multiple disciplines (internal medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics, ENT, dermatology), physiotherapy and rehabilitation, dental care, diagnostic imaging (X-ray, ultrasound, MRI), laboratory and blood testing services, and day surgical procedures not requiring overnight hospital admission. It accepts the majority of UAE employer health insurance plans. For Arc residents, the facility is accessible via the building’s own lift — no car journey, no bridge crossing.

2. What is Redwood Nursery and which floor is it on?

Redwood Nursery is an early childhood education facility located on the 5th floor of The Arc. It operates under the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) curriculum framework and accepts children from six weeks to four years of age. For Arc residents with young children, the nursery is accessible via the building’s lift — effectively eliminating the morning car journey that forms the primary daily logistics challenge for most working parents on Al Reem Island. Mosaic Nursery in Shams Boutik Mall — accessible via The Arc’s sky bridge — provides an alternative nursery option within the same covered walking distance for Arc residents who prefer a different curriculum provider or whose child’s age group is better served by Mosaic.

3. How does The Arc’s sky bridge to Shams Boutik Mall work?

The Arc has its own dedicated sky bridge connecting it at podium level directly to the interior of Shams Boutik Mall. The bridge is enclosed and covered, providing weather-protected access from The Arc to the mall without requiring residents to leave the building complex at ground level. From any residential floor in The Arc, the route is: take the lift to the podium level, walk across the sky bridge, and enter Boutik directly. The Waitrose supermarket, Community Pharmacy, Mosaic Nursery, food court, and the mall’s 82 outlets are all accessible via this route. This is a distinct architectural feature from the covered ground-level walkway that connects the three Gate Towers to Boutik — The Arc’s sky bridge is an elevated, separate link.

4. What is the unit mix and how large are apartments in The Arc?

The Arc has 991 apartments configured as studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units. Studios range from approximately 387 to 1,255 square feet — the very wide range reflecting two distinct types: compact standard-floor studios and larger 6th-floor studios with terraces and green areas. One-bedroom apartments split between balcony configurations (822–1,072 sq ft) and terrace configurations (1,410–1,563 sq ft). Two-bedroom apartments range from 1,205 to 1,536 square feet. There are no three-bedroom, four-bedroom, or penthouse configurations in The Arc.

5. What are the current sale and rental prices in The Arc?

Based on current listings, studio apartments are asking approximately AED 800,000* to AED 1,000,000* depending on size and floor. One-bedroom apartments are asking from approximately AED 850,000*, with upper-floor listings reaching AED 1,399,000*. Two-bedroom sale data is limited — prospective buyers should check current listings directly. For rentals, studios are currently asking approximately AED 67,000* to AED 134,000* per year; one-bedroom apartments AED 70,000* to AED 148,000* per year; and two-bedroom apartments AED 77,000* to AED 148,000* per year. The overall rental range across all unit types is approximately AED 59,999* to AED 155,000* with an average annual rent of approximately AED 93,197*. District cooling is billed separately from all stated rents.

6. How does The Arc differ from the three Gate Towers?

The Arc and the three Gate Towers share the same Gates complex infrastructure — shared podium amenities, shared developer (Aldar), and connected pedestrian circulation — but they are distinct residential propositions. The Gate Towers are 66-floor supertalls with sky bridge penthouses and panoramic high-altitude views; The Arc is a 22-floor mid-rise. The Gate Towers have studios, 1–3 bedroom apartments, townhouses, and sky bridge penthouses; The Arc has studios, 1-bed, and 2-bed only. The Arc’s distinctive advantages are its in-building Burjeel Day Surgery Center, Redwood Nursery on the 5th floor, dedicated sky bridge to Shams Boutik Mall, and more accessible acquisition prices than the Gate Towers’ upper-market configurations. Residents who choose The Arc typically prioritise these daily-life service advantages over the altitude and view premium that the Gate Towers deliver.

7. Is The Arc suitable for families with young children?

The Arc is among the most operationally family-suitable buildings in the Shams sub-district specifically for families with infants and toddlers, for the straightforward reason that Redwood Nursery is on the 5th floor. No other building in the Shams Gate District offers an in-building nursery. For families whose youngest child is under four years of age, the daily logistics of nursery drop-off and pick-up — which typically involve a car, a car seat, parking, and a commute — are reduced to a lift journey. The Burjeel Day Surgery Center‘s in-building paediatric consultations compound this advantage: routine child health checks, vaccinations, and sick-child appointments are handled in the building. The sky bridge to Shams Boutik Mall adds the Waitrose baby and child product range and Mosaic Nursery’s alternative provision to the building’s own family service infrastructure.

Explore The Arc’s Neighbourhood & Related Guides

The Arc is part of the Gates complex in Shams Abu Dhabi alongside Gate Tower 1, Gate Tower 2, and Gate Tower 3. Other Shams buildings covered in our guides include Sky Tower, Sun Tower, The Bridges, and Shams Boutik Mall. Full island overview: Al Reem Island area guide. Investment context: Al Reem Island vs Saadiyat Island.

* Prices marked with an asterisk are sourced from Bayut and Property Finder as of 25 February 2026. Figures reflect asking prices at time of writing and may have changed. Always verify current prices before making any property decision.