Landscape Magazine by Allan Castro

middle east

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March 2013

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Published by:

This Month EDITOR’S NOTE

MEMedia Publishing FZ LLC IMPZ PO Box 485005, Dubai, UAE Telephone: +971 4 4470927 Fax: +971 4 4470928 Managing Partner Ziad Maarouf Copy Editor John Hampton Sales Manager Boushra Dinnawi Art Director Andy Mondaya Administrative Assistance Sarry Gan Contributors Max Yang James Carnegie Laith Wark Trine Lybech Madsen Francesco Garofalo Mario Piscani Jimena Martignoni Printed by Al Nisr Publishing LLC Webmaster www.pdinventive.com Landscape is distributed free of charge in KSA, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Eqypt, and Lebanon by Emirates Post UAE

Landscape architects are no longer out in the cold!

ne of the most prevalent changes to the Landscaping industry post-recession has been the willingness of architects and developers to bring Landscape architects and planners on board at the beginning of construction projects instead of being consulted only when the project nears completion. According to our profile interviewees in this month’s issue, this new development has meant that the quality and speed of landscape designs have been elevated for the better. Although they note that there is still room for improvement, especially when it comes to changing clients perceptions of design and the use of plant materials. However, the industry is changing and for the better! We have a special feature on how the urban planning of Auckland in New Zealand has transformed the city, decreasing traffic and generally improving the quality of life for the cities 1.5 million residents. We also feature, the Lisbjerg quality green plan-the northern suburb of Aarhus in Denmark, which will be a blueprint for future designs in other cities worldwide. Enjoy the issue and as always your feedback is welcome!

John Hampton For free subscription and to view the magazine please visit our website:

www.landscape-me.com

The First Specialised Landscape magazine in the Middle East

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Contents March 2013- Issue 69

10 Exclusive interview with Mr. Alistair Walby of Al Shamsi Terra Firma 16 Aukland: transportation infrastructure 28 Verdaus residential community 34 Interview with Mr. Rohit Anand - Bin Sabt 40 World’s first “smart” controlled fountain 46 Klitmøller: the good life at the sea 52 Tainan main station Eco- transitional urban device 58 Into the Wild, Playing along the edge of alternate worlds 62 Interview with Mr. Amirali Somji of Silver Fox 68 Lisbjerg: Green Quality Plan

58 68

10 46

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Fitco Mar

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News & Events A

s part of the celebrations of Dubai Municipality with the plantation week of this year, Obaid Salem Al Shamsi and Salah Amiri, Assistant Director Generals of Dubai Municipality have jointly opened the Al Hubab Residential Park which has been followed by the plantation of trees inside the park and public places of Al Hubab. Themed ‘Together we plant the UAE’ and are aimed at educating the entire community on conservation and enhancing plantation and agriculture. Eng. Ahmed Abdul Kareem, Director of Public Parks and Horticulture, Mohammed Al Nouri, Director of Corporate Marketing and Relations and a number of senior officials were present on the occasion. Al Hubab residential park is one of the projects executed by the civic body for the residents of the area. It covers 47,000 m2 of the land and contains a jogging track of 1.8 km, Ghaf local trees and sitting areas. It is worth mentioning that the project uses solar energy for illumination.

During the opening

DM launches 33rd Plantation Week activities Under the them ‘Together we plant the UAE’

Meanwhile, the public squire of Al Hubab stretches in 8,200 m2 which includes a set of games for kids, sitting areas and solar energy lighting system. Total 42 palm trees and 54 shadow trees were planted both inside and outside the park after the inauguration. The park has 182 meters of soil covered areas and 98 feet of bush fence. During celebrations to mark the 33rd Plantation Week, the civic bodies officials announced strategic plans to promote greenery opening 10 parks and green open

public areas during the five-day activities. Ahmed Abdul Kareem, Director of Public Parks and Horticulture said all community parks have free entry and everyone can enjoy it. Through our technical team, we have selected trees that consume less water in our parks.

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‘The activities of second day will start by the opening of Al Warqa Park 2, in the presence of senior officials’, he said. ‘These parks cost millions and have already added hectares of greenery to the city. Plans are on to make more urban areas green’, he added.

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The Irrigation Innovators

TECNIDRO MESC

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News & Events 1,537 Exhibitors from 46 Countries Presented Around 60,000 Trade Visitors Their Products and Services at Messe Essen “That emphasises the significance of IPM ESSEN as the number one. The worldwide range available in the green sector and the international demand encounter each other here,” according to Frank Thorwirth, Chairman and CEO of Messe Essen, and Egon Galinnis, Managing Director of Messe Essen.

he high internationality, the comprehensive range on offer and the presentations of the exhibitors aroused the enthusiasm of the around 60,000 trade visitors to the 31st IPM ESSEN in 2013. The world’s premier fair in the green sector was marked by high satisfaction amongst the exhibitors and the visitors as well as by substantially increased ordering activities. At the fair, over 35 percent of the visitors placed orders directly with the 1,537 exhibitors from 46 countries. Thus, the ordering activities have risen by 16 percent in comparison with the previous year. That was also reflected by the good rating of the economic situation: 88.4 percent of the people surveyed see the economic prospects of their sector as positive, a slight rise compared with last year. Jürgen Mertz, President of Zentralverband Gartenbau (“Central Horticultural Association”), the ideal sponsor of IPM ESSEN, also made a positive assessment: “I am enthusiastic about the frankness of the exhibitors, the partners and the trade visitors in the dialogue with each other. The outstanding success of IPM 2013 is marked by the international spirit: Here once again, important networks were strengthened and

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impressive technical and product innovations were introduced. I am absolutely convinced: The visit to IPM is not only worthwhile but also indispensable for gardeners as a professional group - even now, I am already looking forward to next year!” IPM ESSEN is the Meeting Place of the Decision Takers No matter whether new acquisitions, information about products and services or maintaining business contacts: The decision takers in the green sector came to IPM ESSEN. 73 percent of the trade visitors are involved in purchases and procurements in their companies. In this respect, the Plants exhibition section was popular: Over 73 percent of the people surveyed had a particularly great interest in this, followed by the Technology section with over 36 percent. There was praise for the combination of the four exhibition sections: Plants, Technology, Floristry and Equipment. The visitors also awarded top marks to the high internationality of the exhibitors, to the presence of the market leaders and to the overall range on offer at the fair. New Plants Awarded Prizes at IPM ESSEN Within the framework of the opening ceremony of the fair, Heinrich Hiep, President of Landesverband Gartenbau Rheinland (“Rhineland Federal State Horticultural Association”), honoured exceptional and promising plant innovations as IPM Innovations 2013. The exhibitors had submitted 53 registrations to Zentralverband Gartenbau and the prizes were conferred in nine categories. The brilIiantly white Arabis hybride “Alabaster” (Kientzler) received the mark of distinction in the Spring-

Flowering Plants category. The threecoloured Verbena hybride Lanai ® “Twister Red” (Syngenta Seeds) was honoured as the most attractive Bedding and Balcony Plant. In the case of the Flowering House Plants, the jury was convinced by the compact Senecio cineraria Red Fox “Todaisy” (Dümmen). The Irish red-leaved and hardy new breed Primula hybride “Claddagh” (Fitzgerald nurseries) received the mark of distinction in the Perennial Plants category. As far as the Woody Plants were concerned, the red beech in a bonsai format “Asterix” (Stöckmann) was distinguished as the IPM Innovation 2013. The experts decided in favour of the Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus russellianus) “Rosanne Green” (Sakata) as the outstanding Cut Flower. In the Tub Plants category, the Mahonia eurybracteata “Soft Caress” (van Son & Koot) is the innovation of the year. For the first time, a prize was offered in the Nibbling Fruit and Nibbling Vegetables category. This was conferred upon the cranberry Vaccinium vitis-idea “Red candy” (van Son & Koot). A special prize was awarded to the Magnolia hybride “Cleopatra” (Plantipp) - in the opinion of the jury, an eye-catcher in the spring garden thanks to its flower colour and its growth. Trade Fair Was the Venue for a Large Number of Competitions A large number of other competitions in which the sector provided impressive evidence of its efficiency once more took place at IPM ESSEN 2013. Plants with sales-promoting value added were sought in the case of the Colour Your Life Award. The Hydrangea paniculata “Butterfly” (Diderk Heinje Baumschulen GmbH) won the prize which was organised by Messe Essen and Blumenbüro Holland (“Holland Flower Office”). Due to its particular fragrance, the prize-winning hydrangea attracts butterflies.

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News & Events healing and environmental protection resulting from biophilic design and humankind’s innate psychological and physiological connections with the natural world. “Biophilic design is ‘purpose driven’ design that recognises humanity’s strong link with the natural world, which can be utilized for good,” said Maria Davlantes, senior vice president and CMO of Interface, Inc. “Our hope is that ‘Reconnect Your Space’ inspires compelling examples of leading-edge biophilic design. We appreciate the global emergence of this exciting area and how the broader design community and communities at large stand to benefit through its development.”

Interface is calling on Middle East architects and designers to enter a global biophilic design competition to celebrate the wonders of the natural world.

Interface “reconnect your space” competition invites designs for humans’ deep seated love of nature Carpet tile manufacturer spotlights ‘biophilia’ in design, calls for global design entrants

ome people love Dubai. Others fancy London, Sydney, Beirut, New York, or Hong Kong. While preferences for cities are split, science says that all of us may in fact be hard-wired to love the natural world.

One winning submission will be selected as the most unique, inspiring and purposeful way of reconnecting this space with nature. “Reconnect Your Space” is also intended to foster dialogue, spark ideas and pique global interest in biophilic design for working, playing and living.

Interface, the world’s largest manufacturer, designer and marketer of carpet tiles, has launched a global competition named “Reconnect Your Space” that calls for architectural, interior or urban landscape design entries that put this affinity for nature, known as biophilia, at the forefront. Biophilic design incorporates natural elements into manmade environments in order to help people feel and perform better.

Evidence of biophilic design can be seen in a variety of ways—from New York’s acclaimed High Line linear park built on an historic elevated freight rail line, to the growing popularity of community gardens throughout Sydney, as well as through the ecological approach to building design showcased in Singapore’s Solaris highrise project.

Interface’s “Reconnect Your Space” competition invites Middle East and worldwide architects, designers and students of these disciplines to submit their visions for how biophilia can influence the design of a new or existing space, either inside within built environments or outside in cities.

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In Dubai, the recently launched Mohammed Bin Rashid City will feature a park 30 per cent larger than London’s Hyde Park and a dedicated area to provide an integrated environment for entrepreneurship and innovation in the Middle East region. Research has shown benefits such as productivity, emotional well-being, stress reduction, learning,

Through the competition, designers have an opportunity to bring their biophilic visions to life and help advance biophilic design. Participating entrants can visit the “Reconnect Your Space” page via www.interfacereconnect. com to: • Upload an image (sketch, drawing, rendering) of their vision for reconnecting a favorite space with nature; and • Supply a description of their entry in 500 words or less. One winning entry will be chosen by a renowned panel of judges from the global design community. Judges include: Robert D. Fox, principal at Fox Architects based in New York City; Paul McGillick, editorial director at Indesign Publishing in Sydney; and Richard Weston, professor of architecture at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University in Wales. The panel will select the winner from six finalists determined by social media based voting at interfacereconnect.com. The winner’s prize includes travel and accommodations for four days and three nights to experience firsthand biophilia’s influence in design. The winner can choose a biophilia inspired experience in one of three locations: Singapore, San Francisco in the United States, or Cornwall in the United Kingdom. Among the trip themes are discovering how Singapore is achieving its goal of becoming a “city in a garden”; exploring natural elements within San Francisco’s popular monuments and dynamic architectural and design scene; and delving into the United Kingdom’s Eden Project that explores humanity’s dependency on nature. Visit interfacereconnect.com to review official rules and enter the competition. Interface’s “Reconnect Your Space” competition is open now until Monday 1 April, 2013 at 5:00 pm EST (Tuesday 2 April, 2013 02:00am UAE time). The winner will be announced on 6 May, 2013.

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Interview Can you give us a brief about your educational background and your experience in the GCC area? I studied Landscape architecture at Newcastle University in the UK as a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree finishing in 1987 following a general academic degree in history, politics and economics. I have worked in private practices ever since qualifying including RPS Clouston as an Associate and Broadway Malyan Landscape as a freelance landscape architect before setting up my own company in 1995. However, by 2008 I found myself in something of a rut and spotted the opportunity of working overseas. I had spent some time in Turkey with my previous employer and then six months in Malaysia and had always enjoyed the challenges and surprises of other climates and cultures. When did Al Shamsi Terrafirma first set up business? Alshamsi Terrafirma was established in January 2006. Lionel Fanshawe, the UK director of The Terra Firma Consultancy grew up in the Gulf as a result of his father being in the Royal Navy during the 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. The company is a joint venture between a well established UK Landscape consultancy and a UAE based enterprise, Alshamsi Holdings, not a sponsorship. The connection was made through a third party following work Terra Firma had undertaken in Beirut and at Tittenhurst Park in England for His Highness Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan. One of our Directors, Jamie Liversedge worked in Dubai 20 years ago and he has had continuing involvement with schemes in the region ever since. Although he now runs the Landscape architecture course at Greenwich University he is a frequent visitor to Dubai. I joined the company in June 2008 and became resident director shortly afterwards. How has your business expanded since its inception? It has been a bumpy ride, from a rapid expansion in 2008 to cope with the huge amount of schemes around at the time including a large landscape masterplanning project at Al Falah, Abu Dhabi to the all too familiar downturn in workload in 2009, which caused us to reduce staff numbers. Our main objective was for the practice to expand into other countries in the region. Between The Terra Firma Consultancy in the UK and Alshamsi Terrafirma in Dubai we have now worked in 23 different countries in the world, half of these are from Dubai since the establishment of the practice in 2006.

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A l i s tair wa l by

Resident Director and Landscape Architect of Alshamsi Terrafirma

Alshamsi Terra Firma M a n a r at A l Saa d i yat

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Manarat Al Saadiyat - Aedas Architects, Masterplanners and Architects TDIC, client

projection and resource allocation extremely difficult. I take pride in calculating well thought through and accurate fee proposals in terms of deliverables, programme and time taken to produce documents and drawings and sometimes I have been astounded to later find out what some people are promising for unrealistically low fees. At the same time, professional colleagues in other sectors of construction appear to be able to charge far higher rates. As far as the practice of landscape architecture is concerned, I am pleased to be increasingly working with architects who are willing to involve us with projects from inception rather than being brought into to garnish proposals, which are already fixed in design. Some of the more resilient problems of working in the Middle East remain with the quality of workmanship in landscape construction resulting in large time demands on us during site works supervision.

What are the main challenges of doing business in the current GCC market post recession? We are definitely in post recession mode, as proven with the difficulty in sourcing suitably qualified and experienced staff, and the requests for fee proposals appear to be more frequent and more urgent. However, it is still a challenge to efficiently produce fee proposals and to judge exactly where the market price of landscape consultancy lies. There still seems to be a general culture of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hurry up and waitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; during the inception process of many projects which makes programming, cash flow

In your opinion, what changes need to be adopted in the GCC landscaping industry to become on a par with the rest of the world? More competition in the landscape construction market, more variety in the supply of landscape materials, better trained and managed landscape construction managers. In terms of landscape it would be good to see more of an engagement with sustainability and local context rather than the prevalence to international styles and it could well be the key to producing exemplar work. A willingness on behalf of clients to demand something different rather than landscapes which use the same materials, the same plants and even the same techniques time and again. Having said that I think that there are many really impressive projects in the region that can be seen as world class.

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Photo credit: Aedas Architects, Masterplanners and Architects TDIC, client

Fa n r R e s ta u r a n t, M AS Photo credit: Aedas Architects, Masterplanners and Architects TDIC, client

Interview

Do you think that the international standards for the landscaping industry are too rigid and unrealistic or can they easily be applied when executing projects? No, LEED is the source of Estidama, which provides the necessary drive towards sustainability in Abu Dhabi, British and American standards for materials and workmanship and aspects such as safety and access provide guidance, which is required where none exists in most of the Gulf States. NBS or CSI provide alternative but essential standard structures for specifications. The main issue is that designers and contractors do not always follow the guidance and specifications are not read. What is the most frustrating aspect of your work? And the most rewarding one? Chasing late payment is an endemic problem in the industry and is possibly the most frustrating because it is time consuming and diverts me from the more creative aspects of

the work. The difficulty of getting things built in accordance with drawings and specifications and the commercial pressures to accept lesser materials, unsatisfactory workmanship and ‘unavailable’ stock is compounded when the time allowed for supervision by landscape architects is limited. These are the daily challenges of work, but when projects do come to fruition, the speed of construction, and the time it takes for planting to establish and grow substantially is amazing. It is also a thrill to see landscapes we have designed and seen constructed, occupied and enjoyed by people within a very short period of time. I am also delighted to see the birdlife attracted to the landscapes where previously there was none or at least none that I could see or hear. Who are your major clients and what major projects have you been involved with on their behalf? Some of our early work, prior to my arrival was for the Engineer’s office and we had

Al Falah – GHM Design Ltd, Masterplanning Architects Aldar Properties, client

A l Fa l l a h

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already worked on a number of projects directly for Emaar and other well known developers in Dubai both in the UAE and in the region. We have also worked for Aldar and TDIC on projects in Abu Dhabi and local and international residents on private developments. A high proportion of our work comes as sub-consultants to architects and engineers including local, regional and international companies. One of the earliest projects before my arrival in Dubai was the Marina Sales Centre in Umm Al Quwain for Emaar. This was an interesting project because it is all about making an impact with potential buyers and providing a comfortable atmosphere for sales. The landscape has a little bit of everything including, streetscapes, an entrance plaza, gardens, decks over-looking the coast and a seating area. We worked on the Landscape Concept for Al Falah New Community for Aldar with GHM Design architects based in Abu Dhabi which was a great project and we enjoyed working with architects who were receptive to our ideas and strategies and it felt like we were very much in a partnership with them taking their masterplan forward with respect to the landscape. Another significant project is Manarat Al Saadiyat for TDIC with Aedas architects because it was an extremely fast track project using materials which were available that week, introduced the idea of low irrigation and native like semi-desert planting with gravel areas, ghaf trees and acacias in perimeter and car park areas with more ornamental shrubs, turf and more mature trees in entrance areas. Finally, we worked on Al Muneera at Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi with Waterman International (Resident Engineers), in the role of landscape supervisors. It wasn’t our design but our job

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Landscap

AG Middle East A Certified Class “A “Landscape And Irrigation Contractor In Qatar – Since 1976

36 Years 36

Working Together For The Future Of Green Qatar

Tel. No. (+974) 4441 9099 Fax: (+974) 443 54571

Email: aginfo@agme.com.qa

P.O. Box 3964, Doha - Qatar

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al muneera Al Muneera – Waterman Middle East, Resident Engineers Aldar Properties, client

Interview

was to inspect and supervise the construction of hard and soft landscape including water features. The architectural and engineering design had been developed since the landscape design was prepared so some coordination was required with much of the planting and water features to be refined and rationalized but again it was a challenging project at the ‘front line’ for both supervision and resolution of site design issues. There’s no better way to learn! Where do you see the GCC in 10 years from now with respect to developments and landscaping? I think that the time for ‘cut and paste’ universal landscape design has past and that clients and architects will be demanding site specific designs which reflect more of what the site, the architecture and their visions for the landscape require. I cannot foresee a time when some of the stalled developments in marginal desert areas start again but clearly there are key areas within the city and in particular in core and water front areas where it will be commercially worthwhile to redevelop and

enhance the existing ageing architecture and landscape. I believe these will be regenerated in a much more environmentally and people friendly manner with higher quality design. I look forward to the opportunity of taking part in at least some of these developments. As someone who is well established within the industry, what do you see as the main challenges we face in the next 12 months? I am very pleased to be saying that managing growth for our practice in a more sustainable fashion is one of the biggest challenges we now face. Picking up work with the best clients and best architects is my aim so that we can be part of what I think will be a step change in the best of what is now happening in the region in terms of development. In your opinion, What position does Al Shamsi Terrafirma currently hold in the market? Realistically, we are small player in what is a competitive market in which some very large consultancies operate. However, we like the fact Alshamsi Terrafirma is an independent, exclusively landscape

Umm Al Quwain - Emaar Properties, client

U m m A l Q u wai n

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practice registered with the British Landscape Institute with a key relationship with our ‘parent’ company in the UK and at the same time have the back up support provided by an established and organized local partner. This enables us to punch well above our weight and set up relationships with a variety of key clients and architectural and engineering practices that we admire and want to work with again and again. On a number projects we have been appointed to developed concept designs which have been prepared by international landscape practices based outside of the region, especially with regard to planting and irrigation. Our track record so far has seen us work on projects as diverse as Masdar, the Marina Mosque in Dubai and the Hard Rock Hotel in Abu Dhabi as well as in countries from Algeria, Egypt, Oman, Pakistan and Afghanistan on projects as diverse as individual villas to whole new communities. Our current work includes projects in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Turkey and includes hotels, schools, villas, parks and mixed use and recreational projects and interior landscapes. We hope that the momentum now being experienced continues and trust that we will be here long into the future.

Alistair Walby Resident Director and Landscape Architect Tel 00971 4 321 1133 (128) Fax 00971 4 3211144 Mob 00971 50 758 6115 alistairw@alshamsiterrafirma.ae www.alshamsiterrafirma.ae

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From the Largest Diversified Companies in Middle East

"M +BCFS -BOETDBQF - - $

4VCTJEJBSZ $PNQBOZ PG "M +BCFS (SPVQ

PROJECT : CIVIC SQUARE, YAS ISLAND, ABU DHABI

Civic Square - Yas Island - Home of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix, Grand Vert Intâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in manage of Al Jaber Landscape, completed the Hard landscape, Soft Landscape & Irrigation works in year 2011. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main focus is to design and cover the Hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Radisson Blu, Crowne Plaza, Centro Hotel, etc.) surroundings with a natural greenery and sophisticated hardscape works.

Al Jaber Landscape L.L.C. is experienced in the Landscaping Works MISSION of public spaces for living: places which support a wide range of Enhance our position in the coming lifestyles in high density urban, and lower density suburban, years as the market leader in the environments. The practice has developed a good understanding of landscaping segment in the UAE, the process of physical and social regeneration in new build and Qatar & GCC Countries. existing villas. AJL is equipped with professional & experienced VISION Design Department comprised of creative professionals; aim to create unique experience that meets our clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full satisfaction in To provide value added landscaping services to our customers by Design & Build Projects. creating a successful As Al Jaber Landscape is entering the Qatar market, under its partnership with them throughout parent company, Al Jaber & Partners W.L.L., AJL is progressing its the greenery process. operation of Al Muntazah Street Extension & South Site Wide Infrastructure Project as of the moment. As its operation are based on a unique set of capabilities, safety & quality procedures, providing new technologies, with the highest quality service that maintain its high profile and market leadership through out the Landscaping industry. UAE : P.O. Box 2175, Abu Dhabi | Tel. No. +971-25554300 | Fax No. +971-25553370 QATAR : P.O. Box 23007, Doha | Tel. No. +974-44250444 / +974-4441180 Fax No. +974-44411885 | E-mail : aljaber.landscape@aje.ae | Website: www.aljaber.com I www.landscape-me.com I March 2013

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i n frastru ct u r e MORE DESIGN NOT LESS:

STORY TELLING THROUGH TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE A C I T Y G RO W S

As the city of Auckland has developed both physically, economically and culturally, the infrastructure put in place to serve its rapidly expanding population has become both inadequate and out of step with the needs and aspirations of its citizens. In 2010 the administration of the city which had been divided amongst seven councils was merged to form a unitary authority â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a supercityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to serve its now 1.5 million population. This was intended to put an end to the fractured and small scale thinking that had been perceived to shackle the city and provide a mandate to put long term strategies in place to grow the city on an international scale. Even before this change was made, a real need was identified to form much faster and smoother connections between outlying cities known as Manukau (south); Waitakere (west); and North Shore City (north), now all part of the supercity of Auckland. State Highway 1 (SH1), the main arterial route through the North and South Islands of NZ connected Manukau through Auckland City to the North Shore over the Auckland Harbour Bridge. One motorway (the North-Western) connected the central city to Waitakere effectively putting a stranglehold on the city at peak travel times. To facilitate economic development and improve access around the city the Government has recently constructed

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GATES OF HAAST State Highway 1 Ngaruawahia Bypass Concept and Te Rapa Bypass Concept State Highway 1 Cambridge and Tamahere Bypass Concept (in process)

a ‘Western Ring Route’ connecting the south, west and north and providing an alternate route around the central city and Waitemata Harbour, rather than directly across it on the quaintly sized, but usefully located Auckland Harbour Bridge. The ‘Western Ring Route’ connects State Highway 20 (Southern) to State Highway 16 (Western) and Upper Harbour Highway/State Highway 18 (Northern) effectively providing a second motorway through the narrow Auckland Isthmus. This new motorway alleviates congestion and provides opportunities for expansion and economic development of areas that in the past were physically less accessible and psychologically remote.

CLARKS LANE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY At the heart of this project and key to achieving the goals of the ‘Eco City’ were a variety of design decisions based around the long term ecological health of the environment and its local inhabitants, both animal and human. These included the reinstatement of extensive wetland and waterway ecologies on over 12 stream crossings; construction of storm water detention ponds and pre-treatment of 100% of storm water runoff through vegetated swales and manmade wetlands. Uppermost was concern to protect the existing Waiarohia Wetland. Detailed measures to minimise damage to the environment also included fish passes, plantings for bird fodder and changes in planting compositions to respond to specific site conditions. Substantial reduction of cartage with extensive reuse of spoil on site for contouring was also undertaken. Innovations with reuse of spoil resulted in significant savings in costs and embodied energy. Lightweight materials used for noise attenuation with use of contoured soil bunding reduced raw material consumption significantly.

OLYMPUS FOOTBRIDGE Gates of Haast – a dramatic cable stay bridge crossing in arguably one of NZ’s most dramatic and beautiful mountain environments

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i n f r a s t ru c t u r e

WESTERN RING ROUTE Over the last ten years Jasmax has been involved in the masterplanning and design of much of the Auckland region’s Western Ring Route amongst many other urban and rural roading projects throughout New Zealand. Jasmax is an integrated design practice comprised of specialised teams devoted to architecture, workplace strategies, landscape, urban and interior design. With over 200 staff members located now in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland, the company is the largest architecture firm in the country. The landscape and urban design teams consist of 15 qualified staff. Jasmax has NZ’s only dedicated bridge architecture team and due to the experience and expertise of its urban design unit, it is now a preferred supplier of urban design services to the New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA) responsible for the delivery and maintenance of all major public roading in New Zealand. Jasmax is soon to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and continues to strive to design and construct places that are meaningful, human and inspiring. TELLING A STORY ABOUT A CITY Auckland city’s growth is due in large part to immigration and as such has an ethnically diverse population. This growth has led to marked economic disparity between different parts of the population and this diversity is both geographic and ethnic, with land values varying dramatically between the wealthy inner and northern parts of the city and the deprivation and poverty experienced in the poorer parts of Manukau City in the south. Whilst the intention of the Western Ring Route has been to facilitate growth, and ultimately improve the lives of the city’s poorest inhabitants, its completion has also been hotly contested by many Auckland residents, naturally alarmed at the prospect

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of motorways cutting swathes through their neighbourhoods with particular parts of the route becoming the source of much debate and frustration. Infrastructure projects such as this invariably require an incredible process of diplomacy, delicacy and willingness to engage with diverse needs and ideas. At Jasmax, we strongly believe that the best way to work through the often conflicting viewpoints and ideologies is to use design as a tool both to accommodate difference and to direct the best possible outcomes for all concerned parties. Good design is not about simply gold plating the necessary, it is about ensuring that large scale works achieve their ends with elegance and longevity. Well-designed motorway environments and bridges should not alienate one part of a city from another (as they have historically in Auckland) nor should they sever localised networks; they should rather improve and augment the existing. They should be well proportioned and express a high level of aesthetic and environmental consideration. We believe that well designed infrastructure has the ability to respond to its context and tell stories about people and places. Roads are part of the enduring framework of any urban or indeed rural environment and have the ability to contribute immensely to the future legacy of our cities. Roads should provide a comfortable fit between financial and environmental concerns. Poor design results in a poor contextual fit, ‘misfit solutions’; often drawing unnecessary attention due to poor proportioning, inappropriate ecological choices and consequential failure to thrive or worse; ecological destruction. It results in inadequate responses to adjacent land uses and to provide for future capacity and change. When it comes to large scale projects, more design, not less, needs to be applied to positively benefit a city through increased efficiencies, diverse ecologies, improved amenity and establishment of a strong sense of place.

URBAN DESIGN PROJECTS ARE OPPORTUNITIES: • To improve the legibility of the landscape and urban environment through the use of planting, choice of materials, view enhancement and to reinforce site context; • To improve biodiversity on a local and regional basis; • To greatly improve pedestrian and cycle connectivity; • To integrate public artworks into the wider cityscape; • To shape the travel experience as it unfolds over the journey; • To screen unsightly areas often prevalent along motorway corridors and • To adopt new LID technologies – rain gardens, swales, wetlands and detention ponds to ensure storm water is cleaned, controlled and managed, not simply ‘disposed of’ to the detriment of the environment. Our most successful and most recent infrastructure project is the State Highway 16 and 18 ‘Hobsonville Deviation’, one of the last phases in completing the Western Ring Route. This project goes a long way towards demonstrating best practice with regards to storytelling through transportation infrastructure.

THE HOBSONVILLE DEVIATION PROJECT PROJECT OVERVIEW

The brief was to connect SH16 (dubbed the “Green Route”) with the SH18 Upper Harbour Highway (to be known as the “Gallery Route”) and on through to SH1, thereby closing a gap in Auckland’s Western Ring Route. The route passes through a 9km long green field site to allow for 4 – 6 lanes of vehicular traffic; it is crossed by 5 road bridges and 1 pedestrian/cycle bridge; and includes extensive earthworks,

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i n f r a s t ru c t u r e noise attenuation and large scale planting of waterways, wetlands and coastal edges. It also includes planting native forest ‘screens’ to existing and future development sites with the expansion of metropolitan urban limits (MUL) in the area. ARTS PROGRAMME The brief necessitated the replacement of the existing Hobsonville Road in order to connect SH16 with the Upper Harbour Highway and also necessitated an extension of the SH16 alignment to meet with Brigham Creek Road, bypassing 4km of Fred Taylor Drive.

LANDUSE AND ALIGNMENT EXTENT OF URBAN DESIGN SERVICE We were asked to produce a landscape and urban design masterplan for this large scale roading and infrastructure project. We also prepared construction documentation and undertook observation of the construction of this project. THE ECO CITY At the time this project was evolving, the then Waitakere City Council, under whose remit the site was located, was undergoing a re-branding exercise. Waitakere City Council is named after the magnificent westerly Waitakere Ranges, a vertiginous 25km long escarpment of volcanic cliffs and hills forming a buffer between the Auckland Isthmus and the Tasman Sea. In the popular imagination, Waitakere is ‘The Wild West Coast’. Due to its relative isolation and rugged terrain, it has long been the home of artists, alternative thinkers, renegades, and the passionate surfers who commute for at least 2 hours every day to work in the city purely for the privilege of living at the world class surf beaches of Muriwai, Piha, Bethells, and KareKare that decorate the coastal fringe. Waitakere City Council wanted to build on

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• WATERWAYS AND COASTAL EDGE • SITE GRAIN • SITE CONTOURS

SITE The route passes through cultivated rural lowlands on the edge of the Upper Waitemata Harbour. The gently rolling pastoral landforms are broken by shallow gullies and numerous perennial and ephemeral watercourses in the Totara and Waiarohia river catchments. Landscape features include: • Exposed ridges • Alluvial flats • Gullies, streams and riparian margins • Wetlands • Coastal edges this perception of a free-thinking, idealist populace by branding itself the ‘Eco City’. Auckland Central was famously ‘The City of Sails’ and Waitakere wanted to forge an identity for sustainable development, ecological sensitivity and artistic freedom, hence be known forevermore as the ‘Eco City’. The brief for the Hobsonville Deviation needed to embrace Waitakere City’s ‘Eco City’ brand and also connect with a ‘NorthWest Wild Link’ regional ecological initiative. This project is an ongoing collaboration between the New Zealand Forest and Bird Society and the Auckland Council to establish a ‘green corridor’ that builds vegetative links between

wildlife habitats from the Waitakere Ranges to islands in the Hauraki Gulf, particularly bird sanctuaries such as predator free Tiritirimatangi Island PLANTING PLAN Similarly Waitakere City’s enlightened views on the provision of public art provided Jasmax with the strong impetus to

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i n f r a s t ru c t u r e integrate artworks and art â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thinkingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; into the proposed roading infrastructure and promote opportunities to accommodate unique commissioned public art works. The Jasmax urban design team focused on embedding art projects into the landscape architecture. We also strongly believed that with the help and inspiration of artists we could develop innovative new approaches to the design of large scale infrastructure. Underpinning design was also the strong desire to find the best aesthetic and environmental fit with the existing rural and natural context, to be relevant to both the place and its people. We had to anticipate future development such as housing (Hobsonville and Waiarohia housing estates) and industrial compounds (Trig Road). TELLING STORIES: HOW SPECIFIC LOCALITY CAN DRIVE DESIGN INITIATIVES â&#x20AC;˘ Sensuous Forms: Attention to the retention and reconstruction of gently rolling alluvial landform typology was important in all modified cut and fill environments. Expression of these curvaceous qualities was also transferred to structures such as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wavy Keystone Wallsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and fascia panel retaining walls, corrugated bridge barriers and curvilinear noise attenuation wall alignments. Coordination of curvilinear noise attenuation walls with ground contours delivered a playful relationship between landform contours and walls. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wavy Keystone Wallsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; proved so successful they are now used extensively on similar projects throughout the USA.

â&#x20AC;˘ ROAD PIER CLADDING NOISE WALL ALIGNMENT â&#x20AC;˘ A Living Wall of Green: We had to find a way of defining Waitakere Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Eco Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; model in a highly constructed and constrained roadside environment. This evolved into the branding of SH16 as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Green Routeâ&#x20AC;? to produce a unique and immediately identifiable look and feel as well as a high level of level of environmental performance for this section of SH16. Out of this thinking came the design of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Green Retaining Wallsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. An NZTA first, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Green Wallsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; are comprised of perforated concrete fascia panels with so named â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bones of the Earthâ&#x20AC;? formwork designed with artist Caroline Robinson hiding soil bags to grow and sustain plantlife in a vertical environment. Overland flow paths are manipulated to direct moisture from above to soil bags behind the retaining walls thus maintaining soil moisture content and allowing a nutritive substrate for the growth of a living wall of vegetation. These were designed in collaboration with Aurecon to clad 7m + high vertical bridge abutments and retaining walls under the Hobsonville Road Bridge.

HOBSONVILLE

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sinton Windowsâ&#x20AC;? by John Radcliff (in memory of the historic Sinton House); SINTON WINDOWS FOOTBRIDGE AND SINTON WINDOW â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ceramic Walkâ&#x20AC;? by artists John and Kate

Ă&#x201C;ÂŠaĂ&#x2013;ZĂ´fĎ&#x20AC;g Ă¸ÂŞÂ°VAĂ&#x2030;Â°â&#x20AC; Ă&#x2DC;dGĂ¤Ă&#x2030;cĆ&#x2019;Âľe !?ĂĄÂŤÂŠÂŤĂ&#x2018;ÂŁdGĂ&#x2030;fĂ´XĂ&#x2030;ĂŚe

GREENWALL CONCEPT GREENWALL CONSTRUCTION GREENWALL â&#x20AC;˘ Putting Art into Architecture: To give SH18 a unique character that would connect this stretch of road with its past, present AND future, it was to be branded the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gallery Routeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. A dedicated arts advisor, Caroline Robinson was brought onto the project team to procure, brief and manage artists

KEYSTONE WAVY WALL

on behalf of the contractor and Waitakere City. The Gallery Route was intended to accommodate an intensive and on-going arts programme. Implicit was the integration of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cultural memoriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; references to local industries long departed and notable buildings since demolished which were to be projected into the physical existence of the proposed structures. Examples of this initiative include:

McLean. Twin lines of ceramic tiles either side of the Clarks Lane Footbridge feature tyre imprint and images commemorating the historic clay extraction industry and the site pre and inter-construction.

ĂĄĂ¨dE Ă&#x2021; s r d Ă&#x2021; vK rFM ÂŹW U'Ă&#x2021; W Ă¨Ă&#x2021;d B Ă&#x2021; CERAMIC WALK Utilised by ceramics manufacturer â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Crown Lynnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, (an iconic brand in the history Ă&#x2030;dO WOD Ă¨Ă&#x192; Ă˘d of New Ă¤Ă¨Ă? Zealand,) the nearby clay quarry was a key part of local industry during Ă&#x2030;d Ă&#x2021;Ă¨ the first half of the 20 W Ă?U Ă&#x160;U UJ S C. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ceramic Walkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is still to be completed. L% UN `O Bright orange and yellow glazes also used by Crown Lynn Â&#x161; WOFO d UM inspired the colours th

chosen to enliven noise attenuation walls, and the steel structure of Clarks Lane Footbridge, otherwise cheerfully known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;banana bridgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This footbridge will provide connection to a proposed future NZ Museum of Ceramics. Jeff Thompsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Westie Momentsâ&#x20AC;? design on noise attenuation walls also â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;localisesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the

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Blends naturally with any environment and landscape composition simple and elegant

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i n f r a s t ru c t u r e physical infrastructure and delivers NZ’s largest land art installation. (The staged and ongoing implementation of this initiative is subject to future funding).

WESTIE MOMENTS SKETCH WESTIE MOMENTS RENDER WESTIE MOMENTS CLOSE UP

• The Long View: Protection of view pathways connects the roadways with off-site landmarks such as Rangitoto Island and the CBD skyline to the east. Clarks Lane Footbridge was designed to be visible for the length of the project as a reference for wayfinding. • Roads Aren’t Just for Cars: Integration of cycle and pedestrian linkages along and across the project through bridges and safe footpaths to improve connectivity and activity around the motorway. (The cross flow routes have been implemented, however the route along SH16 and 18 is delayed in anticipation of future funding from Auckland Council.) BUILDING ON DESIGN SUCCESSES Whilst investment streaming continues to be an issue on the relatively small scale infrastructure projects undertaken in New Zealand, at Jasmax we firmly believe that utilising transportation infrastructure as a vehicle of investment in both the environment and civic structures will enhance the perception of Auckland as an ‘Eco City’ and instil a real sense of pride of place. Only more design, not less, can achieve a world class roading system with true longevity and appropriate interconnectedness.

Background: The New Zealand Roading Procurement Process: Jasmax currently provides landscape and urban design services to the NZTA in the form of ‘design frameworks or LUDMs’. These are a new procurement tool being developed by NZTA to test the feasibility and impact of high volume roading projects on communities and the environment. These look for mitigation opportunities to capture and enhance any potential benefits of proposed infrastructure. In NZ, large scale roading projects are broken

• Ecological Initiatives: Reinstatement of waterway, wetland and coastal ecologies and pre-treatment of all storm water in an extensive network of vegetated swales and detention ponds was fundamental to the success of the scheme. Over 750,000sqm of native re-planting was undertaken to maximise biodiversity and to perform a key role in the Auckland region’s North-West Wildlife Link initiative. Experimentation with mixes and spacings of plants to reduce costs and speed up establishment was undertaken to ensure the best outcome for vulnerable new planting schemes.

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into stages to fit government funding cycles. Projects are typically in the region of $100m - $200m with large scale projects of over $1b being less frequent. Lack of investment in rail networks has meant that roads continue to drive growth patterns in Auckland and around the country so NZTA continue to extend and increase capacity of roads to accommodate growth, which is currently at 25,000 new residents per year. NZTA utilise two main procurement methods to award large scale infrastructure projects: D&C (Design and Construct) or Alliance. The former is a lowest price wins scenario. This can result in cost cutting of non-essential landscape works and other environmental improvements. The Alliance, or partnership model is often used for high risk, complex projects. It is better able to achieve environmentally sensitive outcomes due to larger budgets and improved transparency of process and costs. All parties share the risks and rewards of an Alliance project, such as savings, early completion bonuses and cost overruns. Due to the retraction of the economy over the last 4 – 5 years the landscape and urban design content of projects in New Zealand has been trimmed to reduce expenditure and importantly, reduce visibility of what are perceived as ‘unnecessary costs’. This is based on the false perception that non engineering design services are preoccupied with gold plating infrastructure whereas the baseline is good enough to move people and goods efficiently.

A Proven Track Record of Transportation Infrastructure Projects We have had the opportunity to apply our experience to some of NZ’s most significant roading projects: State Highway 20 – 1: Manukau Extension. $200m, 6km long, 6 bridges, 500,000sqm of native plantings, storm water treatment trains. MANUKAU EXTENSION State Highway 20: Manukau Harbour Crossing Duplication. $280m, 7km duplication of Harbour Bridge, 2 new footbridges, concrete formwork noise attenuation, 90,000sqm of planting, upgraded underpass/crime spot in collaboration with artists. MANUKAU HARBOUR CROSSING

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out to the City Gateway to provide a wooded parkland environment to drive through.

VIEW 4 BARRINGTON State Highway 20/16 Waterview Connection. $1.2b, 6km. Design of all bridges and structures for feasibility HENDON PARK

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George Bolt Memorial Drive (Approach Road to Auckland International Airport): NZ Gateway – “First Light” (concept design only) for $90m, 6km upgrade of roading. Concept based on NZ receiving first light of day with Taniwha (mythical guardian creature) portal structure over motorway underpass approaches

TANIWHA PORTAL State Highway 16: Waterview to Royal Road Widening Specimen Design. 8km, works being tendered out in stages for construction Northern Toll Road bridges and structures. Award winning Hillcrest Road Bridge HILLCREST ROAD BRIDGE State Highway 16 Causeway Upgrade. $200m, 5km. Concept based on sensitive coastal ecologies and high profile cycle infrastructure. CAUSEWAY PATIKI BRIDGE Onehunga Foreshore Masterplan and Landbridge

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ONEHUNGA FORESHORE LANDBRIDGE Christchurch Southern Motorway. $150m, 7km. Concept based on extending the qualities of the Garden City and Hagley Park in particular

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Residential Vill as

Verdaus residential community V

erdausâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first residential community projects, 560 Villas located in Dubai Silicon Oasis, United Arab Emirates. We recently returned to 560 Villas to review the performance of the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open spaces. We were pleased with the way planting had matured to create pleasant parks and streetscapes. Particularly satisfying was the observation of safe driving speeds adopted within the community. This was an intentional outcome of the streetscape design.

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A park in 560 Villas

Initially the streetscapes looked sparse.

Firs t of many residen tial communi ti e s

Shortly after registering the company Verdaus were commissioned to design the streetscapes, eight parks, and a community centre within this 55 hectare (135 acre) residential community. After completing this project, which helped establish Verdaus, they were awarded a string of other significant residential and mixed-use community projects. Today, Verdaus’ portfolio includes projects such as Dubai Silicon Oasis Phase 2, 558 Villas in Dubailand, Veneto East in the Waterfront, the Dubai World Trade Centre Precinct, and parts of The Wave in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

Early feedb ack

Over the years it has been great to receive positive feedback on this residential community. It’s rewarding to witness how the streetscapes and parks have matured. However it is not unusual for newly completed landscape projects to draw less than favourable reviews. Immediately after project completion we were in regular communication with the project director from Dubai Silicon Oasis. He had received feedback that the landscape wasn’t meeting expectations, “the plants were too small, there was not enough greenery”.

T i m e f or l andsc apes t o mature

It takes years for a landscape project to be fully realised. While a building project should look it’s best on opening day a landscape project can often appear sparse. Plants and trees take time to grow and mature. Landscapes get better with age and people develop relationships with landscape spaces over time.

Smaller size nursery s t ock

For projects in the UAE, Verdaus often recommend planting smaller size nursery stock. This is because plants grow much quicker in warmer climates. The developer saves on cost and the smaller nursery stock soon grows to a size large enough to make an impact. Furthermore, smaller sized nursery stock often suffers less shock after planting.

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Residential Vill as Well designed l a n d s c a p e s often appea r n at ur a l

Well-designed landscape spaces often appear as though they happen naturally, without serious thought or consideration. Creating better places for life is one of the pleasing aspects of landscape architecture.

Residential s t re e t d e s i g n

When the plants became large enough compliments started to come in

Wa i t s i x m onths!

We estimated it would take six months for the planting to become large enough to influence public opinion. Those early phone conversations with the project director are well remembered. Each time we advised the project director to wait â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not a favoured pastime in Dubai during the fast paced construction boom. We assured him that perceptions would change as the planting became established. Accepting this advice did not help his immediate

problem - meaning he would continue to face pressure while the plants grew. We, of course, felt much empathy. To this day we are grateful for his patience and foresight. Only recently we were talking in good humour about those early days, remembering the shared pressure. Criticism began to fade out towards the end of the six month period. As the plants grew Dubai Silicon Oasis started to enjoy positive feedback.

Residential street design is an important area where landscape architects can benefit the design of communities. In 560 Villas Verdaus collaborated closely with the architects, Archgroup, to create a network of streetscapes and open spaces that encouraged walking and bicycling. Understanding how driver behaviour is influenced by streetscape and landscape design, enabled Verdaus to use a number of techniques to reduce driving speeds within the community. Each decision was a part of an integrated design. The width of the road itself (carriageway) strongly influences driver behaviour. Wider roads encourage faster driving speeds. The width of the larger roads in 560 Villas was reduced from the original design. The main access road was originally designed as a dual carriageway with two lanes each

Parks now fully mature have become pleasant and enjoyable spaces.

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R eside n tial V illas

Drivers move a slower speeds on narrower carriage way. This carriage way was reduced from 7m to 5m.

This approach, applicable to residential streets, is promoted by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (USA).

P erfor m a n c e based review

3.5m wide – makeing each carriageway 7m wide. Verdaus proposed to reduce each carriageway from 7m to 5m, and remove the centre line marking.

R eside n tial streets

It can be illuminating to review the performance of landscape projects years after completion. We recently returned to 560 Villas to observe how the streetscapes and open spaces were performing. During our visit we observed that bicycling and walking were popular, particularly for the children of the community.

This behaviour, while seeming completely natural and spontaneous, was the goal and outcome of several conscious design decisions such as the narrower carriageways, tree planting close to the kerb, feature paving at intersections, and raised pedestrian crossings. Along the main access roads vehicles generally travelled in single file. However the 5m width accommodated two vehicles when required. Vehicles slowed down to pass. Reducing driving speeds in this way was a variation of the “stop-and-yield” approach.

It was satisfying to observe the amount of bicycling and walking within the community. This demonstrated success in creating a more pedestrian friendly community. The performance based review was a method of measuring this success.

Co n c lusio n

Overall we were satisfied with the outcome of 560 Villas. Planting had matured to create pleasant parks and streetscapes. Particularly satisfying to observe were the safe driving speeds within the community. This was an intentional outcome of the streetscape design adopted by the developer Dubai Silicon Oasis and the design team. In revisiting the community to observe driver behaviour Verdaus conducted a brief performance based review. Verdaus recommend performance based reviews as a method of measuring success of residential communities and other landscape projects.

Laith Wark RLA AILA ASLA: Partner/Projects Director Verdaus Landscape Architects PO Box 75672,Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 345 2650 Fax: +971 4 345 2651 www.verdaus.com Bicycling is one of the favoured modes of transport within the community.

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interview Sports and leisure activities have today become an important part of our lifestyle - be at home, a t work or outdoors! Sports and leisure activities have today become an important part of our lifestyle - be at home, at work or outdoors!

When did your company first set up business in the Region? Sabt Group commenced business in 1984.

Ro h i t A n a n d

Chief Executive Officer Sabt Industry and Bin Sabt Sports & Leisure LLC.

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What is your company’s Main Activities & Services (Please elaborate extensively) We are currently engaged in sports and leisure infrastructure activities which is a very niche segment business with a handful of key players in the U.A.E. Our portfolio of products consists of sports floorings, equine flooring, playground safety flooring, children play equipments, team sports equipments, auditorium, stadium and sports hall seating, electronic scoreboards, sauna and steam room installations, joinery work such as cubicles, lockers, pergolas, street furniture and wooden flooring for commercial as well as sports use. We have executed over 1000 projects till date in the UAE and overseas countries.

We do all kinds of sports flooring, both in polyurethane and acrylic for indoor as well as outdoor sports areas and safety surfaces. These flooring have been used in parks, community facilities, educational institutions’, hotels, clubs, residential and commercial buildings and equine facilities. How has your business expanded since its inception? Our humble beginnings go back to 1980s when the company was started with the business of timber trading. In 1987, we installed 12,000 sqm. of maple flooring system for sports halls in the U.A.E. which was believed to be the world’s single largest order for such surfaces at that time. We have significantly expanded our portfolio of activities since inception and today provide a comprehensive range of services from design to post sales maintenance. Over the last two decades,

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the company diversified into sports flooring, sports equipments and later on into joinery activities and other sports related infrastructure. We are also capable of doing civil works associated with construction of sports facilities. Today we are considered as a one-stop-shop for all sporting infrastructure needs. Today the â&#x20AC;&#x153;SABTâ&#x20AC;? brand name is synoznymous with quality, trust and service. This is amply demonstrated by the impressive list of our clients who have repeatedly done business with us over many years. We have executed some of the most prestigious and largest projects in the GCC countries. We source our materials from reputed international suppliers who are leaders in their respective fields. Couple this with the fact that we have a seasoned team of engineers, draftsmen and skilled workers; we are able to offer our customers very high quality products and post sales service. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION and PRODUCT INNOVATION is the core to our business philosophy. We have a strong focus on meeting customer needs not only during the project execution stage but also providing finest after sales services. The outcome is a product that consistently outperforms the competition. What are the main challenges of doing business in the current Middle East market? We find working across borders in the GCC countries as a major challenge. While we are a U.A.E. based business, we have executed several projects in other GCC countries, albeit on a limited scale. We have not been able to expand in these countries

as much as we desire. The biggest limiting factor is the regulatory environment where a local sponsorship is mandatory to setup a new business in each of the countries. This necessitates setting up of execution capabilities in each location in order to service the local market rather than using the resources available at the core location (which is U.A.E. for us). If GCC had a unified model similar to EU, it would make movement of manpower and materials easier within GCC, thereby making SMEs operate more efficiently on a regional basis.

How important is it for the regional landscaping industry to adhere to International standards when completing projects? Today the customer demands quality product and quality service everywhere and the regional landscaping industry is no exception. Completion of projects to International standards becomes even more imperative as the cities in the GCC envision themselves to be at par or better than benchmark cities of the world such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Toronto, Sydney etc.

Play Equipment

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interview

Chain Link Fencing

What are some of the major projects that you have been involved within the past years? One of the iconic projects we did recently was the Meydan Race Course in Dubai where we installed 43,000 sqm of equine rubber flooring and 14,000 sqm of rubber wall mats. We also built the Meydan Tennis Academy from scratch in a record time of less than 2 months. We did most of the joinery works (cubicles, lockers and benches) at the prestigious Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Sports Complex. We recently completed installation of jogging tracks for Dubai Municipality at Awir Park and for RTA at the Dubai SkyDive facility in Dubai Marina area. We have been involved with several projects with Abu Dhabi Municipality, Al Ain Municipality and the Western Region Municipality where we have done jogging tracks, cycle tracks, installation of children play equipments, rubber safety flooring, multi-purpose sports courts and outdoor furniture at several locations in the city of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Madinat Zayed and Gayathi. We are proud to say that we have a majority share of all the cycle track projects undertaken in the U.A.E. We did our first cycle track installation in Abu Dhabi Corniche in 2006 and even after 6 years, the facility remains in prim condition. At the moment, we are in the middle of completing installation of a 15,000 sqm cycle track for Department of Transport in several locations in the city of Abu Dhabi. This demonstrates the confidence that our customers have in our products and services. Please outline your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans for the future including new products and developments? We see exciting time for our business in the coming years. There will be expanded opportunities in public facilities, education, hospitality and real estate sectors. We have expanded our focus in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Western Region. In order to meet the challenges of these opportunities, we are strengthening our resources and our product portfolio. We have been working towards improving our product portfolio by improvising existing items through new technologies as well as adding new items to our portfolio. With increased focus on environment, we have introduced environmental friendly, non-toxic water based sports surface systems which use recycled and post-industrial components in each of its formulations. This choice minimizes the exploitation of wood and petroleum resources.

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I Equine Flooring

Equine Flooring

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BI PO Te

One example is a new type of rubber flooring for outdoor use which has the capability of lowering the surface temperature by as much as 15 degrees. This will be fantastic for hot Middle Eastern climatic conditions and would be excellent around swimming pool deck, walkways etc. The concept of sports facilities for senior citizens or physically handicapped persons is relatively uncommon in our part of the world. We are now actively promoting outdoor play/fitness equipments for such people and have introduced a comprehensive range for various ages and needs. So far our focus had been on projects with institutional customers such as Municipalities, RTA, ADEC, MPWH etc. We are now focusing on retail segment such as private villas, offices and fitness/spa centers. What special memories and incidents would you like to share with landscape magazine reader? One project which is very dear to me and will always be a memorable one is the equine

Demountable seating

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SPORTING EXCELLENCE

BIN SABT SPORTS AND LEISURE LLC PO Box 109094, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 2 644 0303 Fax: +971 2 644 1123 Email: info@sabtmmk.ae

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SABT INDUSTRY LLC PO Box 53734, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 347 2701 Fax: +971 4 347 2453 www.sabtgroup.com I www.landscape-me.com I March 2013 37

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interview

Jogging Track

flooring installation at the Meydan Race Course. The entire project had a tight completion deadline and was running against time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; too much to do and too little time! Moreover, our work was the finishing work, ie, it could be done when other civil and MEP works had been completed but there was no time for such sequential activities. Considering the urgency of the project, the various contractors, consultants and the client threw full support behind the project and co-operated with each other to ensure the availability of the facilities for hosting of World Cup as per the schedule. To me personally, it was the ultimate demonstration of how team work, dedication, and commitment can translate nearly impossible goals to highly successful outcomes. How do you per see the future opportunities related to the landscape & playground business in the coming years? Sports and leisure activities have today become an important part of our lifestyle - be at home, at work or outdoors! Hence sports and leisure infrastructure segment offers tremendous opportunities in the coming years. The U.A.E. government has shown unrelenting commitment to address the health and obesity issues impacting the population of this country. Development of sporting facilities, public parks etc. will remain vital in tacking these issues and this will contribute to the growth of business in our industry. Another area of focus for the U.A.E. leadership is development of sufficient and good quality educational institutions. Over 100 new schools are expected in the next 3 years. Good sporting facilities in school have today become an integral part of the education system. This sector will offer new opportunities for our business. The uptick in the economy will result in revival of the real estate sector in the U.A.E. and we are already beginning to see action in previously stalled projects. This sector again offers tremendous scope for sports and leisure infrastructure industry.

Cycle Track

Multi Purpose Court

Gym Floor

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W a t e r Pa r k s

Crystal “smart” controlled fountain

rystal, the world leader in water feature technology with offices in the Middle East and throughout the world, has helped create an innovative “Smart” fountain at the newly regenerated Washington Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The water feature is the first in the world where the public can make the fountain “dance” by selecting the music. The Musical Water Feature Automation System spontaneously transforms any audio directed to it into self-choreographing musical fountains. Using their mobile

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devices, visitors to the park can select music for the water feature to dance to, which can be heard on the park’s public speakers. Washington Park recently reopened following an extensive regeneration project for the surrounding neighbourhood, which saw the park expand from six to eight acres, with the 7,000 sq ft interactive smart fountain at its heart. Using over 130 of Crystal’s sequencing ChoreoSwitch devices, Washington Park opened to great fanfare on July 6, 2012. Paul L’Heureux, director of Crystal

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W a t e r Pa r k s

commented: “This is a truly ground-breaking water feature, and we’re expecting to see many more “Smart” fountains at commercial venues from now on. It demonstrates that modern water features aren’t just to look at but can take public engagement to the next level. They are pioneering entertainment devices that can interact with people, creating experiences that make destinations memorable. This was a significant public space regeneration project for Cincinnati and I am pleased Crystal could play a part.” Interactive Experience The park now contains one zone named the “Walk of Fame” experience, which combines classical music, arts education and the interactive Smart fountain. Located right outside the steps of Cincinnati’s famed Music Hall, the Walk of Fame is the only project of its kind in the world and promises to become a tourist destination for the region. The Walk of Fame experience

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begins with pavement stones engraved with names of Hall of Fame inductees – similar to the Hollywood Stars! But the Walk of Fame is about learning, fun, and classical music, so it doesn’t stop there. Mobile devices can be used in the park to learn about Hall of Fame inductees by reading bios, seeing pictures, listening to educational audio tours, and by playing music through an interactive mobile jukebox, which broadcasts music through the park speaker system. In addition to making the fountain dance, visitors can also use their mobile devices to request short musical excerpts, which can be listened to privately or be heard in eight zones throughout the park via its public speakers. Washington Park is 150 years old and is located in the centre of Cincinnati. The recently completed regeneration project lasted almost two years.

Further Information on Washington Park “The Walk of Fame in Washington Park is an interactive classical music application that is integrated into a major urban park redevelopment project. Located right outside the steps of Music Hall, Cincinnati’s primary concert hall (home of the Symphony, Opera and Pops), the Walk of Fame is the only project in existence that combines classical music, mobile technology, public spaces, and a dancing fountain. The Walk of Fame experience begins with pavement stones engraved with names of Hall of Fame inductees – similar to the Hollywood Stars! But the Walk of Fame is about learning, fun, and classical music, so it doesn’t stop there. Users in the park will be able to scan a code to get to our Walk of Fame mobile website on their mobile device. On the device, they will see all the content for Hall of Fame inductees currently on our

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website (pictures, bio, links, movies), with the addition of historical/educational audio tours which are being produced by WGUC 90.9 FM, our Cincinnati classical music radio station. Users can listen to these tours on their devices.

will then see the following message: “Play music sample”:

If users wish to hear a short music sample (3 minutes or less) of an inductee, they click a music icon on their device. Users

If users select choice one, they will be able to hear the music played on their phone/device through the device’s speaker or headphones.

1. On your device 2. On the park’s speaker system 3. Through the dancing fountain

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W a t e r Pa r k s technology, so that the fountain jets and lights will move and react to the music being played! Users will be allowed to share their musical selections on facebook, twitter and other social networking platforms. In addition, we will build a Walk of Fame website so that users worldwide can access the music samples and content from any browser. Please visit this site to read updates about the process of creating the Walk of Fame in Washington Park and to learn about the many community partners who have worked together and volunteered their time and services to make this project possible for our city. Together, we will make quite a splash!”

Water Feature Project Team

Owner: Cincinnati Park Board and Cincinnati Center City Development Corp (3CDC) Design Engineer: Aquatic Creations Inc Show Controls & Programming: H20arts Installer: Southern Aquatics Inc Premium Water Feature Products: Crystal

If users select choice two, the music selection will be sent to our virtual jukebox, put in a queue prioritized by order selected and/or popularity (if more people in the park simultaneously select the same example, it will move to the top of the list). The music will then be played through the park’s public speaker system in the Walk of Fame zone! If users select choice three, the selection will be added to the queue, and will play through the park’s public speaker system in the Fountain zone. The fountain is an interactive water feature that also acts as a splash park in the summer months. When the music plays through the fountain system, it will trigger dancing fountain

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C o a s t a l Pa r k The project in Klitmøller is part of a larger plan for ‘The good life at the sea’ in north Jutland. The plan includes projects for Klitmøller, Nørre Vorupør and Krik, all smaller coast and fjord cities.

Klitmøller – the good life at the sea

he projects are located at a place in Denmark where you can feel the nature and climate has great power. This has been the premises for inhabiting this place, and the connection to the sea has given the small cities their livelihood in form of fishing. Now the fishing industry is much decreased and the cities are now in a new era with focus on tourism. One of the great new attractions is windsurfing, and the area is being called cold Hawaii, because of its excellent location for wind and waves.

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Klitmøller is the first project to be completed. The city is simple and appealing with characteristic white clear cut houses out to the sea and modest fisher boats in different colors lying on the beach. In this project the focus has been on establishing good facilities along the coast and access to the beach and sea. In Klitmøller the surfers has a strong hold on the area, and in the warmer part of the year, the city is filled with surfers on windy days. In addition to new facilities for the surfers the locale fishers

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and the tourist has had a great influence on the plan, and the challenge has been to make space, access and facilities to all the users. The projects consists of three elements, the tribune to the west, the ramp to the east and in between the two a promenade that connects the sea to the city. The tribune works as a large seating area that is connected to a ramp. On the tribune you can find your own little spot to sit and admire the surfers or take a rest after a hard â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the sea. The tribune functions not only as a seating area

but also as a coastal protection and the stairs on the tribune keep the water away from the houses behind. In connection to the tribune the surf- and multi house called Hummerhuset is located; the house contains facilities for the surfers, bird watchers and functions as a logical meeting point. On top of the house there is a large terrace, and from here you can get at great view over the sea, the tribune and the promenade. When the windsurfing world cup visits the city both the tribune and Hummerhuset is a central part of the event.

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C o a s t a l Pa r k

On the ramp, to the east, you get a great connection to the beach both for pedestrians, disabled and cars with boats. On the edges of the ramp large wooden logs works as fencing and seating and gives a clear boundary to the ramp. In connecting to the ramp elements for skaters are built in, so that seating and edges can be transformed to a skater paradise. The promenade connects the two attraction point, and along the promenade benches, special maritime lightpoles and stairs to the

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beach are the main features. Halfway on the promenade a fishing boat is located; you can visit the boat and feel like a captain. In connection to the promenade there are small parking areas. The main material in the project is in situ casted concrete with characteristic dancing lines that works as a pattern but also as a natural breakpoint for the concrete. The material works well in the rough climate, because it can resist the wear and tear the climate gives to any material here.

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In 2012-2013 the projects in Nørre Vorupør and Krik will be constructed. Project name: ‘The good life at the sea’ Klitmøller Client: The municipality of Thisted in collaboration with Realdania Location: Klitmøller, north Jutland, Denmark Area: 5.700 m2 Design period: 2009-2010 Construction period: 2011 Completion time: 2011 Design: Preben Skaarup Landscape Building design: Force4 Project team: Preben Skaarup, Michael Hammelsvang Jørgensen, Mogens Dueholm, Jan Nielsen og Karen Marie Fisker Langkjer Winning awards: 1. Prize in parallel competition

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or composted material provide a home for unwanted plants and will actually encourage weed growth. Healthy Plants: ENVIROMULCH promotes a healthy environment for successful plant growth. • Our mulch meets the industry standards for particle size and minimum fines, this ensures that the groundcover still provides the air flow that plants needs. The free flow of air minimizes the incidence of plant disease. Meets International standards:

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• Reduces landfill requirements. • Reduces irrigation water requirements • Mulch is available when and where you need it with minimal cost whether loose, in Jumbo bags (1-2 cubic meter), or 50 liter bags. • The recycling of wood to mulch reduces UAE waste to landfill. Available in different colours: ENVIROMULCH comes in 4 distinctive standard colours. Brown Red Black Gold • All colours utilise ‘Firechief’™ fire resistant coatings, are non toxic and non staining. • Other colors are available upon request Applications Weed suppression Moisture retention Decorative Dust control Erosion control Play ground Horse arena For Orders and Inquiries, please call 04-388 1533 or E mail: valeed.nazim@desertgroup.ae

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Untitled-1 1

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International Design

Tainan main station

Eco-transitional Urbanism

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Brief Project Description:

he vision responds to the extending

aim of positioning Taiwan in general, and Tainan city in particular, as a major historical based tourism destination, contributing Taiwanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic diversification from its current infrastructure lead planning system.

Maxthreads Proposal For: International Urban Design Competition - Urban Redevelopment Project at Tainan Main Station Area, Taiwan Competition Organisers: Bureau of Development Tainan City Government, Taiwan (R.O.C.) & INTA (International Urban Development Association). Company Name: Maxthreads Architectural Design and Planning Project Title: Eco-Transitional Urbanism Prize: Second Prize Project Team: Max Yang David Millar Samya Kako

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International Design

Maxthreads: Tainan Main Station TMS Sustainability System Canopy Typologies Diagram

Tainan main station master plan is imagined as a cultural based community and nature intervention, with sustainable residential development and the potential for natural habitat areas. It aims to be a cultural and vibrant edutainment intervention as well as a secluded haven of peace and tranquillity. Tainan main station is conceived as a new gateway of Taiwanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history.

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Tanseeq

International Design

Maxthreads: Tainan Main Station TMS Circulation Diagram

The proposal aims to reconcile community and biodiversity. It will act as an eco-transitional urban device, transferring and linking the diversity of the surrounding urban districts and programmes. The concept behind the master plan proposal derives from the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original function as transportation node. The proposal will maintain the areas historical identity, whilst providing a boundary free and a self-sufficient urban planning, incorporating a number of sustainability systems. Maxthreads: Tainan Main Station Master Plan

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pa r k s

Into the Wild

Playing along the edge of alternate worlds Into the Wild is a playground design by dmau and Openfabric, which recently won the Dutch sustainable playground design competition organised by the Richard Krajicek Foundation and Architectuur Lokaal. The design is located in a modernist post-war neighbourhood in Leiden. The competition asked for ideas of how to incorporate sustainable thinking into the design of sports playgrounds.

Into the Wild outside park

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Into the Wild inside park

n response to this the design concept juxtaposes a man-made exterior with a wild natural interior. Each place creates an environment for a different type of play; the formal exterior is a place for sports and structured games; tennis, basketball, 5-a-side football, 60m sprint and the long jump. While in

the wild interior children are encouraged and free to construct and destruct their own play spaces amongst the trees using natural materials such as fast growing willow. A small pavilion sits in-between the two worlds and will act as a storage space for sports and building materials. A neighbourhood sports leader will supervise the pavilion and materials. A boundary “ribbon” separates the two worlds; the “ribbon” becomes a play landscape incorporating traditional playground elements into its undulating and curvilinear form. This form references traditional romantic landscape park and garden design in The Netherlands, it protects the internal wilderness and creates a number of unique play-scapes that link the different worlds; a climbing canyon, a hill with tunnels and slides, a pond with a beach, a curved seating stand facing the main sports area. This is the place where children learn through play to navigate between the different worlds. A balanced relationship between the man made and natural worlds is the essence of sustainability and forming an understanding of this dialogue through participatory play and creative interaction is an essential childhood experience currently missing in many urban areas.

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pa r k s Design development diagrams:

1.We consolidate the green to create an interior island of wilderness planted with mature trees and pioneer species the space is left to grow and develop naturally. 2.The exterior is a uniform playing surface for more formal games and sports. The materialisation of the surface will enhance the contrast between the exterior and interior. 3.The shape of the green island is adjusted to accommodate different sports and create spatial variety in the interior. 4.The boundary â&#x20AC;&#x153;ribbonâ&#x20AC;? is transformed to incorporate traditional playground elements; swings, slides, tunnels, climbing walls, water and ramps, these offer different ways to navigate between the two worlds.

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PHASE 1. PIONEERS The first step is to prepare the substrate with different soil typologies, this is important in order to allow a varied natural landscape to develop. Within weeks pioneer weeds will colonize the central area. Different species will enhance the “wild” aesthetic of the playground. To create a ‘ready effect’ and accelerate the natural process we will plant some mature trees. In addition dead tree trunks and log walls will provide places for biodiversity and materials for children to build with and create their own world. Areas with sand and water will increas the variety of natural play experiences. Common pioneer species are: Centaurea maculosa. attracts biodiversity. Rumex crispus. Becomes vivid red when dries. Phragmites australis. Will colonize wetter areas Tree selection: Salix viminalis. The flexible branches will be used for small constructions. Betulla papyriphera. Has a nice playful bark. Populus alba. Solid tree perfect to be climbed. Robina pseudoacacia. Crataegus monogyna. Fagus sylvatica.

PHASE 3. SHRUBS AND PERENNIALS The children’s initial constructions might have evolved into castles or simply faded into the undergrowth which will after 2 years have been taken over by shrubs and perennial plants when the soil, after been enriched by the pioneer weeds, will be ready to host more exigent planting. This changing landscape and new dense vegetation will increase biodiversity and provide new opportunities for play and learning about nature. Willow branches can be weaved together to create a variety of tunnels and small constructions stronger trees will be able to hold climbing ropes and offer hiding places..

Into the Wild:Into the Wild Diagrams

dmau and Openfabric www.dmau.com www.openfabric.eu Location: Leiden, The Netherlands Architects: dmau + Openfabric Project team: Daryl Mulvihill, Francesco Garofalo, Barbara Costantino Client: Richard Krajicek Foundation Geolocation: 52°09’29.45” N 4°27’38.92” E Use: Playground Area: 4,650 m2 Budget: 450,000EUR Design year 2012 – ongoing

PHASE 3. TREES The final stage of the process is characterised by the maturing of the initial trees and the growth of new trees. The variety of trees will enhance the experience and opportunities for play within the wild playground. By allowing nature and childrens’ imagination to colonise the space, a self maintaining wilderness is created that will be a lasting memory for those that experienced its creation.

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I n t e r vi e w

THE EVOLUTION OF POOL WATER TESTING Amirali Somji

General Manager Silver Fox Contracting Swimming Pools & Landscaping

When did your company first set up business in the Region? And what are the main activities and services? (please elaborate extensively) Silver Fox began operating in the UAE back in 1981 as a general contracting company that undertook small modifications, extensions, demolitions of homes but this did not last very long as a unique opportunity came about to acquire some ready-made pools by a gentleman who was leaving the country. One thing lead to another, and suddenly everything we did revolved around pools. A maintenance and service division was born very quickly in order to take care of all the pools we were building. As soon as I joined the family business, I went on a shopping spree for reliable suppliers and manufactures to align with – today we represent some of the largest brands in the pool industry. Landscaping and water testing are our latest projects that are both a couple of years old – this is obviously something a lot of our clients have been pressing us for years. We finally decided to move ahead with both projects taking the market situation as an advantage. How has your business expanded since its inception? Silver Fox started as a 2-man business 3 decades ago, today we are 200strong and continuously growing. The group now has dedicated companies and divisions to cater to anything and everything related to pools, spas, waterfeatures, water-testing, landscaping and equipment trading. Can you tell us about your company’s plans for the future including new products, services or developments? We are working on some very exciting projects – unfortunately we cannot reveal any information on this at the moment. But very soon we will be bringing to the table more solutions and products within our line of business. What are the main reasons why pools become blurred? Is Chlorine the solution? Pools become blurry because of 2 reasons chemical imbalance and/or physical impurities. Some examples: a. Chlorine – low levels or absence of chlorine/or sanitizer.

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b. High levels of phosphate - phosphate is an important nutrient required for the growth of algae/organisms. c. High levels of Stabilizer – will not allow chlorine to work effectively due to the lack of ‘free’ chlorine. d. High levels of Hardness e. Heavy bacterial contamination f. Heavy sand storms and other construction activity near the pool g. Newly built pool or newly grouted pool - if not cleaned properly Chlorine is NOT always the answer, while it solves a lot of problems, not all are solved with chlorine alone. There are many other parameters to keep in check, that’s where a lab test will come in handy once in a while. What microorganism and possible pollutants that swimming pool water can get? Pollutants invade the pool water through various sources such as swimmers, surroundings of the pool environments and the different types of water sources used to fill the pool. Most of the pollutants come in the pool water through the excretion of the human body such as sebum, sweat, dead body cells, urine, sun tan lotions and cosmetics along with decaying plant matter, fertilizers, contamination with soil, bird droppings, etc. These pollutants mostly contain ammonia, urea, phosphates, and other nitrogenous compounds that are regularly oxidized by chlorine (or other oxidizers). Ammonia and urea combined with chlorine produces chloramines. Chloramines are the main cause of burning eyes and strong stench of chlorine. Most of the pathogenic pollutants found in the swimming pool water are algae, fungi, bacteria, viruses and parasitic protozoa. The pathogenic pollutants enter the pool water though swimmers, bird droppings and contamination of the soil. These pathogenic pollutants may cause diarrhea, ear, eyes, throat infections and skin rashes to young children, elderly people and people with weak immune systems. They are more susceptive to these infections. As you can see, it is easy to have a contaminated pool, and we therefore suggest carrying out a microbiological test once in a while to make sure the swimmers in your pool are safe from harmful bacteria.

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I n t e r vi e w What recommendation or advice you can share on how to maintain swimming pools, fountains or any water features? a. Pool water should be chemically balanced and regularly tested to ensure they are within the chemical and microbiological parameters. b. Chemical testing and balancing will help protect the pool water from contamination from pollutants that retain in water. c. Chlorine (or other sanitizer) levels must be continuously monitored based on environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, humidity, sunlight, rain, wind, evaporation and bather load). Failure to do so can cause the water to turn murky or green due to the growth of algae. d. Over chlorination is harmful for the swimmers, pool fixtures & hardware. e. Pool systems (Filtration, cleaning, vacuuming netting, brushing, backwashing, chemical levels) should be regularly monitored, checked and maintained to avoid undesired consequences. What are the main installation challenges? And how to prevent water leakage? There is no rocket science to pool construction – quality materials mixed with quality workmanship will yield years of trouble free pool enjoyment. All our pools are fitted with hand-selected materials from all over the world, and come with a minimum 2-years warranty on items such as filters, pumps and colored lights. We use only the finest grade waterproofing materials from BASF and have yet to experience a leak. What are some of the major projects that you have been involved within the past years? Silver Fox concentrates only in residential pools – we do not carry out any commercial works unless under special circumstances where we simply cannot say no. For example, we built a pool for an operations manager at a very prominent contracting company in Dubai, who would simply not take no for an answer to build a pool at one of his commercial building projects. Other prominent projects include a school in Jumeirah, a schhol for special needs in Jumeirah, a 5-star hotel in Sharjah, a 5-star hotel in Zanzibar, a 5-star hotel in Dar Es Salaam, neumerous water features for hotels, resteraunts, offices, public spaces, and hundereds of private pools across Dubai and East Africa. How do you see the future opportunities related to the landscape, irrigation and swimming pool business in the coming years? It really depends on how much we are willing to extend ourselves towards our customer’s specific requirements. The trend nowadays is unique; unlike the boom time, clients are now aware of the competition, and are also willing to get works done, at a reasonable price, yet demanding top-notch quality and service. If suppliers are able to provide a combination of these two, there is a lot of existing work, and more coming up in the near future. People will never stop beautifying backyards. While there isn’t much you can do with pools, there is a lot to offer in terms of landscaping and landscape maintenance.

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MODERN AND CLASSIC LIGHTWEIGHT PLANTERS

Modern lightweight planters with the identical look and feel of original Terrazzo. The wide range consists of ageless shapes and forms and creates a unique atmosphere in your garden or living. Available in small to XX-large suitable for garden and project business. Classic lightweight planters and ornaments are indistinguishable from the original weathered concrete. The combination of a unique finish with a romantic atmosphere is a special addition to every classical garden. The collections are innovative, with an emphasis on quality and durability. Our company name has changed from Capital Ornaments to Capi Europe.

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1/30/10 1:34:55 PM Landscap Land Sec2 Land 3/27/10 7:41:43 PM 1/30/10 1:34:55 PM Landscape 10/2/10 1:40:36 11/27/10 1:20:35 PM 3/1/13 PM Landscap Sec1 Land Sec2 Lan 3/27/106:27:24 7:41:43 PM Sec1 Landscap Landscap 10/2/10 1:40:36 11/27/10 1:20:35 PM Landscap 1/29/11 3:10:22 PM 1/27/12 5:21:26 12/1/12 1:39:25 PM Landscap 1/29/11 3:10:22 PM 1/27/12 5:21:26

1:34:55 PM Landscape Dec'10 Section_2.indd 41 Landscape-Apr10.indd 33 Sec2 Landscape-Aug09.indd 45 00 3:10:22 7:41:43 PM 1:34:55 PM Landscape Oct'10 Section_3.indd 1:40:36 1:20:35 PM March'13.indd Landscape Dec'10 Section_2.indd 41 Sec1 Landscape-Apr10.indd Sec2 Landscape-Aug09.indd 45 Feb'12.indd 47 7:41:43 PM Sec1 Landscape December'12.indd 51 53 Landscape Oct'10 53 1:40:36 1:20:35 PM Landscape Feb'11 Section_1.indd 37 PM Feb'12.indd 476733 5:21:26 1:39:25 PM Landscape Feb'11Section_3.indd Section_1.indd 37 3:10:22 PM 5:21:26

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Pa r k s

Lisbjerg Green Quality Plan

View of the Randersvej strip

The Lisbjerg Green Quality Plan is an overall strategy towards developing the areas of a new city for about 10.000 inhabitants, outside the centre of Aarhus, the second biggest city in Denmark.

he layout of the new city is dominated by large green areas laid out in a fan, that references to the old typical danish star shaped pattern. The Green Quality Plan gives out guidelines for the green areas defined in the already fixed master plan. The areas inside the new city will have a high quality of landscape, but also around the city there will be close to forests, lakes and meadows.

View of the sports forest

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View of strip no. 4: Lisbjerg - landscape quality plan

Meadow Lisbjerg: landscape quality plan

The focus points in developing the plan, has been on how to make space for modern living, with focus on closeness, health, identity, togetherness, sustainability, nature and history. In connection to the focus on sustainability it has been of great importance to focus on handling the rainwater and on how the surplus land from building the city can be used on site as land formations that will give the city identity. The landscape in the new city shall be the element that connects the high density housing with mixed appearance. The landscape has to be a significant space that is heterogeneous, active, challenging and inviting. The city’s green spaces should basically be thought of as social spaces that provide people to interact with each other. Parks, sports fields and playgrounds are central meeting places in the new city. It is the kind of place where the very important informal and random encounters between people occurs.

The plan is divided in to different landscape characters; the forests, the strips and the avenues. The forests lie in the edge of the plan and connect the new city to the existing forest and works as a buffer between the new city and the highway. The avenues works as connecting roads/ paths, that makes the underlined star shape visible, and as connections between the strips. The avenues in the star shape, has their centre in the town common. The avenues, that connects the strips crosses the other avenues.

The strips work as nearby recreational areas that will encourage to everyday activity, different nature experiences, and make space for peace and contemplation. The strips will have a large variety that will give each area its own identity; this will be good not only for the sense of belonging but also towards a better orientation in the new city. In the strips there are laid out a number of different characters and functions all connected by paths. The different functions in the strips are: sports, lakes, ‘superfurnitures’, fruit grooves, historical elements, land formations, water features, meadows, nature, town common and lots more.

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Pa r k s

In the strips the management of the rainwater will give the spaces an extra dimension with the sound and feeling that water provides. By making water a key element it creates other advantages. Water sounds have a meditative and relaxing effect on people and it can also serve as an element you meet around. To create a feeling of identity in the strips,’ superfurnitures’ are scattered almost randomly throughout the new urban area. ‘Superfurnitures’ are huge permanent elements designed so simple that they are not perceived as art, but will invite to be sat or climbed upon. Today the city is slowly being developed and over the next 20-30 years it will be finished. The Green Quality Plan will be a guideline every time a new housing area is being built in the new city of Lisbjerg. The landscape in between the houses will be developed alongside the housing and sometimes even before.

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Project name: Lisbjerg – Green Quality Plan Client: Aarhus Municipality Location: Lisbjerg, Jutland Area: 120 ha. Design period: 2009 Completion time: 20-30 years Project team: Preben Skaarup Landskab

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New Current Projects Project Name

Sohar University Expansion Project - Phase 2

Lebanon Waterfront City - Phase 1

Description Construction of a new facility comprising student welfare and services building that will consist of dining halls, recreation centres, computer laboratories and student halls, including several indoor and outdoor sports facilities such as a football ground and a separate physical education building, as part of Sohar University expansion project - Phase 2. Development of Lebanon Waterfront City, a master-planned mixed-use community comprising six towers, various pedestrian plazas and a lively marina promenade - Phase 1.

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+971 2 634 8495

Client

Country

Consultant

Contractor

Status

Sohar University (Oman)

Oman

ME Studio Engineering Consultancy (Italy)

N/A

New Project

Majid Al-Futtaim Group (Dubai)

Lebanon

N/A

New Project

The District Development Project - Saadiyat Island

Development of The District - a world-class retail destination comprising three levels with indooroutdoor shopping and dining venues.

Tourism Development & Investment Company - TDIC (Abu Dhabi)

UAE

N/A

New Project

Bab Al-Bahrain Old Market Rehabilitation Project

Carrying out rehabilitation of Bab Al-Bahrain Old Market.

Bahrain Real Estate Investment Company B.S.C (Edamah)

Bahrain

N/A

New Project

Dragon City Retail Project - Diyar Al Muharraq Development

Construction of Dragon City shopping mall with initial capacity for up to (100 Nos.) Chinese companies and businesses.

Bahrain

N/A

New Project

Hilton Hotel Project - Jabal Omar Housing Development

Construction of five-star Hilton Hotel comprising (500) rooms.

Saudi Arabia

N/A

New Project

The Address The Boulevard Tower Construction Project - Downtown Dubai

Construction of 340-metre, 63-storey The Address The Boulevard Tower comprising a 5-star hotel and serviced apartments consisting of studios, one-twothree and four-bedroom apartments.

Emaar Properties PJSC (Dubai)

UAE

Atkins International (Dubai)

Al Nekhreh Contracting Company L.L.C - ANC (Dubai)

N/A

Current Project

Labour Compound Project

Construction of a labour compound comprising a total of (15) buildings consisting of (816) bedrooms, (24) kitchens, leisure areas and all necessary services, including a mosque, a car washing facility, an administration area and a workshop.

Ecisa Compania General de Construcciones SA (Spain)

Qatar

N/A

Harinsa Contracting Company W.L.L (Qatar)

Al Buraimi University Campus Project

Construction of Al Buraimi University Campus comprising buildings for administration, teaching staff, three colleges, laboratories and foundation programme.

Ministry of Higher Education (Oman)

Oman

N/A

Larsen & Toubro (Oman) L.L.C

N/A

Current Project

Foremarke School Project - DuBiotech Science Park

Construction of Foremarke School, covering a total area of 26,000 square metres, with capacity to accommodate (1,280) children.

Evolvence Knowledge Investments Ltd. (Dubai)

UAE

Brewer Smith Brewer Gulf (Dubai)

Brookfield Multiplex Constructions Middle East L.L.C (Dubai)

N/A

Current Project

NMC Specialty Hospital Project - Khalifa City

Construction of New Medical Centre (NMC) Specialty Hospital comprising basement and ground floors, as well as three upper floors, capable of accommodating (250) beds, featuring (23) specialties.

New Medical Centre Group - NMC (Abu Dhabi)

UAE

Society Technology House Consultant (Abu Dhabi)

Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (Abu Dhabi)

Current Project

Al Nakheel City Project - Phase 1

Development of Al Nakheel City featuring housing units, an airport, a seaport as well as industrial and trade facilities.

Basra Governorate (Iraq)

Iraq

Dewan Architects & Engineers (Iraq)

N/A

New Project

Manufacturing Facility & Training Centre Project - King Abdullah Economic City Phase 1

Construction of a manufacturing facility to produce a range of products for residential, commercial and industrial sectors, including construction of a training centre.

Johnson Controls International (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Arabia

N/A

New Project

Workers Hospitals & Health Centres Construction Project

Construction of 3-storey, 120-bed hospitals and single-storey health centres.

Private Engineering Office (Qatar)

Qatar

N/A

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China Middle East Investment & Trade Promotion Centre (Chinamex) Jabal Omar Development Company (Saudi Arabia)

Current Project

N/A

New Project

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Landscape F

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• Landscaping development the hard and soft scape • Irrigation • Horticultural supplies, lawns and specimen plants • email: info@zaidg.com • PO Box 4756 Riyadh 11412, KSA • email: dubai@zaidg.com • PO Box 181581 Dubai, UAE • website: www.zaidg.com

RIYADH: King Khalid Airport Road: Tel. No.: 00966 (1) 4655555

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KHOBAR: Coast Road Tel. No.: 00966 (3) 8590066

JEDDAH: Al Andalus Tel. No.: 00966 (2) 6686666

DUBAI Sheikh Zayed Road Tel. No. 00971 (4) 3296630

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