client/committente: Foresight Development and Project Management

period/periodo: 2008

project/progetto: MTA Associati

The site enjoys a position of outstanding interest along the axis linking Abu Dhabi-Dubai in the proximity of prestigious sites attractive to tourists, within a natural area rich in vegetation.

Opportunities and Constraints

In accordance with the terms of the  Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, the natural course of the coastline and its natural conformation will be preserved.  A continuous longitudinal band defines an area such as Wetland National Park which corresponds in part to the zone affected by tidal activity, Island buffer park, Desert buffer park, those presences the project relates to unobtrusive facilities (a golf course) and compatible vegetation.

The project proposes to develop the area on these principles, enhancing its natural values, introducing native plants and others that will form a richly evocative backdrop for the more prestigious destinations: the Resort and Spa.

Objectives of the Plan

 The presence of the Golf Course is one of the most distinctive factors in the development. The design underlines the shape of the golf course, as to free it as much as possible from the built environment,

The Hotel, the area for the Resort, the Spa and the residential sections are the other characters of the play.

On the basis of these reflections, the Masterplan supplies a rich and balanced framework which facilitates the creation of high quality architecture, the use of a rare heritage of craft skills and conditions of development consistent with the use of local environmental resources.

The presence of the palm grove, at present flourishing on the site, introduces a sense of the landscape which is one of the most valuable factors.

We were inspired by the image of a system in which  the desert landscape would coexist with the luxuriant vegetation of the golf course, following a special system of stratification of the terrain, evoked by the historical drawings of Burle Marx, which prompted the colours and landscapes which should characterize the vegetation of the golf course.

To understand the potential of this image, think for example of a satellite picture, seen from afar where the various fields, surrounded by built “satellites”, recreate a new solar system extending toward the sea. In this layout the main roles are played by the “satellite” communities, the club house and the hotel.

 The layout of the villas is organized by applying a fundamental criteria; the creation of dwelling subsystems which create communities within the complex so as to develop the qualities distinguishing each subsystem and enhance its identity;

The new topography consists of the introduction of wetlands featuring channels, small lakes (kept sweet by phyto-remediation) and palm groves

and of  central nuclei for small-scale stores, restaurants, sales of food and beverages.