Challenge
Gardens of Waves, an unique approach to innovative placemaking, inspired by Bahrain – the land of the two seas. The two waves provide memories of the sea that once was located on site.
What is Placemaking?
Public spaces should be at the heart of every community, in every city. Placemaking is a way of inspiring communities to transform their public spaces by improving them into healthy & inspiring places. This process will strengthen the connection between communities and the places they share.
The challenge was to provide a variation of spaces which cater for a variety of activities. The heart of the waves is the most active where one can eat/drink, meet, celebrate, read, relax, laugh…simply to enjoy the modern Manama lifestyle. The programme of activities within the landscape such as the national archive and the children’s museum will attract a large number of visitors. In addition to proposing a design that is attractive, innovative in placemaking and has a strong sense of place, another challenge was also to create an accessible place that addresses all modes of transport.
By providing a basement parking we create a car free environment and in addition to this the landscape is utilised above buildings thereby maximising the soft to hardscape ratio.
client
Kingdom of Bahrain’s Ministry of Culture
What we did
Urban Design, Architecture & Landscape Design.