Dubai waterfront

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Coordinates: 24 ° 57 '20.3 ​​"  N , 54 ° 54' 34"  E

Construction projects in Dubai, in the southwest "Waterfront" according to the current planning status, status 2008

Dubai Waterfront is the name of a huge construction project in the emirate of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates . It is to be realized 30 to 38 km southwest of the city of Dubai on the coast and border with Abu Dhabi under the project leadership of Nakheel and was presented by Sheikh Muhammad .

Planning idea, master plan

If completed in the mid-2020s at the earliest, Dubai Waterfront would be the longest man-made bank on earth. The project is an accumulation of circled construction areas interspersed with canals , inner water areas and six medium-sized artificial islands jutting out into the sea , which in addition to luxury hotels , residential buildings and villas also house local shops, parks and marine traffic facilities.

The master plan for the extremely compact heart of the planned city , the “Waterfront City”, which is only 1.7 square kilometers in size, comes from the “Office for Metropolitan Architecture” (OMA) of the Dutchman Rem Koolhaas .

According to the latest information (as of mid-2008), the new district of Dubai Waterfront will have a population of between 1.2 and 1.5 million people after its completion and will be divided into 10 relatively self-sufficient districts. With a total area of ​​440 km², the area would be larger than Cologne (405.15 km²) and almost half the size of Berlin (approx. 890 km²). The connection to Dubai City is to be established with an extension of the Dubai Metro , which has been in service since September 2009 ; A fast connection to Dubai-World Central International Airport, which is currently under construction, is also planned .

Ecological aspects

The central theme of this test- tube city , especially the waterfront city with its high-rise buildings, is intelligent density . Koolhaas and others have studied the economic construction methods of traditional Arab cities and believe that the relaxed, space-consuming construction method of western urban landscapes of the 19th and 20th centuries leads to an ecological trap: today's per capita expenditure for public space is increasing in the face of unchecked urbanization can no longer be maintained in the 21st century. It therefore makes sense to intelligently organize the necessary new density (not tightness) right from the start: the new postulate is the height, density and narrowness of the buildings; it is to be realized in the Persian Gulf. Project leader Nakheel praises the planned city as an "Ecopolis" due to the extensive sustainability principles that are aimed for. One also believes that it will be able to attract the growing number of investors and companies who adopt the guidelines for ecological management ( Kyoto Protocol ).

It is questionable whether the set goal of density outside the center will actually be achieved. Seen as a whole city, Dubai Waterfront only reaches a density of 3,409 inhabitants / km², which corresponds to that of suburban communities in Germany . Dense cities and districts in the western world such as Paris , Manhattan or Prenzlauer Berg quickly reach densities of 20,000 inhabitants / km² and more (without taking the suburbs into account).

Design project

As the center of this large commune, the almost square-cut inner city with some very high skyscrapers is to be created. The central artificial island will have high and dense buildings with around 7 million square meters of gross floor area, enough space for around 310,000 jobs. Here the southern tip (downtown) of Manhattan is emulated, so only 92,000 people will live in this “modern day metropolis”. The design envisages a grid of the island square in only 5 × 5 street blocks, the connection to the mainland is made by four bridges.

South of the area expiring Dubai Waterfront development, the already under construction Arabian Canal ushered in the still open countryside to work in a southern loop through upgraded as building desert 75 bit long km to the east in the Dubai Marina again in the sea flow out.

According to Koolhaas and his colleague Reinier de Graaf, this imagined new, allegedly improved downtown Manhattan has additional "human-friendly" features: short walking distances and the ban on individual traffic, shady installation of the high-rise buildings primarily in the south, arcades at the building feet, trees, sun sails above and objects in the street that cast shadows. The approximately 140 square kilometers of the mainland development surrounding the city center will form four functionally oriented districts: Boulevard, Madinat Al Soor, The Resort, The Marine.

The aim of the entire hydraulic engineering work in Dubai, including the Arabian Canal, is to extend the natural coastline of the Emirates Dubai, which is only 80 km long, many times over in order to preserve as many of the popular and well-salable waterfront properties as possible. In Dubai, a total of over 1000 km of new artificial coastline and another 400 km of newly emerging shoreline on the Arabian Canal are expected. As a by-product, the diversely branched and interconnected navigable water areas result in additional transport routes that will relieve the traffic in Dubai, which has become critical.

Construction progress, global economic crisis

Status of construction work in autumn 2008: The Palm Jebel Ali offshore to the east is about to begin construction work , the approximately 2 by 10 km coastal strip from the port of Jebel Ali to the southwest is being developed. For this purpose z. Currently an inland canal almost 6 km long, excavated similar to the Dubai Marina . It is supposed to give the planned city districts “Canal District” and “Veneto” varied perspectives and increased leisure value. Preparations have started for the construction of the six artificial islands off the coast.

Due to the financial crisis , most of the preparatory work was discontinued at the beginning of 2009, in particular the expensive island embankments are suspended. In contrast, in the summer of 2009 the houses in the first sections of the landside quarters “Veneto” and “Badrah” will be built according to plan.

More artificial islands in Dubai

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Helen Staude: "Billions for the problem child" On: ZenithOnline.de April 12, 2010.

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