What makes The RISE beautiful to come home to

The RISE by Fedo is a ten-storey building of 53 apartments on the urban waterfront of Hulhumalé, near Tree Top. It is small for a building with this many shared spaces, and that is its character: a handful of homes per floor, each with a balcony and a view of the garden or the ocean, and a set of rooms downstairs meant to be lived in rather than admired.

Where it stands

The developer places The RISE in a tranquil waterfront area of Hulhumalé, next to the MPL terminal mosque and near Tree Top. It describes the setting as a peaceful retreat that stays connected to the rest of the city, with ocean views from the building. The desk has not yet stood on the balconies, so read "ocean views" as the developer's description of the ocean-facing homes, not of every flat.

The homes

Every apartment at The RISE has two things written into the plan: a balcony and a dedicated laundry room. The first gives each home an outdoor room. The second keeps the washing out of the kitchen and the bathrooms. The developer describes the layouts as spacious, with a focus on natural light and optimal ventilation.

There are two kinds of home, each in two outlooks.

• Two-bedroom apartments, garden view or ocean view, from 767 to 1,425 square feet.
• Three-bedroom apartments, garden view or ocean view, from 1,110 to 1,496 square feet.

The ranges are wide. A 767 square-foot two-bedroom is a compact home for a couple. A 1,425 square-foot two-bedroom is larger than many three-bedrooms on the island. The ocean-view homes look towards the water. The garden-view homes look inward, a quieter outlook that some tenants prefer to a wide blue that is always there.

Shared spaces with names

What sets The RISE apart on paper is how its shared spaces are conceived. Rather than "residents' lounge" and "function room", the developer has named them for what they are for.

The Nest is a place to sit, with swinging hammocks and comfortable seats. The Hangout is the social room. There are rooms for billiards and karaoke for evenings with friends. The Workshop is a purpose-designed workspace with a library and multi-function rooms, for the resident who needs a quiet desk that is not at home. For the youngest residents, Crawl Space is a play area for infants and Kid's Zone one for toddlers.

Naming rooms is a small design decision, but it reflects a view of how a building should work: each shared space has a use and a mood.

Water and movement

The recreation facilities follow the same pattern. There is a main swimming pool and a separate kids' pool, so lengths and splashing do not compete. A fully equipped gym. And a private jogging trail, which is unusual for a residential building on the island. Add the concierge service and private parking listed in the catalogue, and The RISE is designed to cover a large share of daily life within its own walls.

A boutique mall at the door

The developer describes a boutique retail mall with more than fifty vendors, including dining, banks and other everyday services, "right at your doorstep". The desk has not yet verified the mall's current occupancy, so treat the number as the developer's. If the mall is trading as described, it is the difference between a building with a café and a building with a neighbourhood attached.

Who notices it most

Families with very young children, for whom Crawl Space, Kid's Zone and a kids' pool matter every day. People who work from home and would rather do it at The Workshop than at the kitchen table. And anyone who wants a smaller building, 53 homes, without giving up the facilities of a larger one.