Challenge
Dubai becoming a sustainable city is no longer a choice, it has become a necessity. The Sustainable City will be the first Net Zero Energy community in Dubai.
In 2013 Baharash Architecture was appointed as Lead Designer for Phase 2 of Dubai Sustainable City.
The following statement was provided by our client, Diamond Developers:
Baharash Architecture was selected out of the prominent group international companies invited for a design competition for an outstanding Master plan concept for the phase 2 of Dubai Sustainable City. The vision of the city encompasses three main pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic and social. The master plan is technically very thorough, exceeding the best practices in environmental building technologies accompanied with construction efficiencies and innovative architectural typologies of the landscape and land use that have resulted an outstanding economic viability. The city provides very high margins of social interaction focusing primarily on strong community connections and environmental stewardship.
Competition entries were received from USA, Lebanon, Jordan, UK, and UAE. The overall city was Master Planned by an Australian planning firm. The city was then divided into two phases, with the phase 2 work included in this International Competition format.
Phase 2 of Dubai Sustainable City consists of a Mixed Use Zone, A Juma Mosque, an Institute for Ecological Engineering, a museum & planetarium, a “Green” School for K-6, an Eco-Resort, Country Club and Equestrian Centre.
Dubai Sustainable City will be the first residential community of its kind in Dubai and is expected to meet the highest environmental standards by adopting a sustainable approach in its quest to become a regional leader in eco-tourism and global environmental protection.
Elements of Dubai Sustainable City and amenities:
- Residential area of 500 townhouses and courtyard villas inspired by the urban form and heritage of Dubai’s old ‘Bastakyia’ district consisting of several urban themes at 3 and 4 bedroom options
- Sustainable Engineering and Research Institute and Training Centre for sustainable practices, and a nature inspired ‘Green School’ from Kindergarden to Grade 6
- Eco-resort of 143 bungalows and individual units, deluxe sustainable hotel and resort with a world class natural spa centre
- Tourist attractions such as a Planetarium and a grass Amphitheatre for hosting events
- Natural ‘biodome’ greenhouses, organic farm and individual garden farms for local food production
- Variety of sport and leisure facilities such as Community Centre and the Equestrian Club, biking and shaded jogging trails across the city
- Convenient essential facilities such as clinics, bank, Juma mosque and a traditional souk
- Dubai’s Sustainable City will be powered by 600,000 Square Feet of Solar Cells. Read more here.
Project update:
The project, which is officially known as “The Sustainable City in Dubai”, has gone on to achieve much success since our appointment as the Lead Design Consultant in 2013. Below are some of the key achievements:
- Voted as the best green project in GCC by Emirates Project Magazine, beating notable projects such as MASDAR.
- Voted as one of the top 10 Sustainable projects in GCC, by Construction Week Online.
- Winner of the “Green Building of the Year” award at the Emirates Green Building Council 2016 Awards.
- Winner of the “Best Residential Development” and “Best Residential Property” award at the Arabian Property Awards 2016.
- Winner of the “happiest community” in Dubai at the first Gulf Real Estate Awards 2017.
- Winner of the ‘Best Mixed-Used Development in Dubai’ and “Best Residential Development in Dubai” at the Africa & Arabia 2017 Property Awards.
- Winner of the ‘Best Mixed-Used Development in the Middle East’ at the International Property Awards 2017.
Many notable international delegates ranging from politicians to city officials and environmentalists have visited the Sustainable City and continue to do so. Most recently, Leonardo DiCaprio visited the project in January 2017.
The most important achievement from the Sustainable City was the launch of a new hub, dedicated to providing education and insight on sustainable development. Baharash Architecture was the first company in MENA region to create a knowledge hub for sustainable development. The hub will explore new solutions & strategies to facilitate the progress on sustainable thinking in the region. The Knowledge Hub for Sustainable Development can be accessed at https://www.baharash.com/knowledge/
Project location:
Client
Diamond Developers
What we did
Master planning, Architecture & Landscape.
Concept Design & Schematic Design.