Landscape magazine september 2015

middle east

sept. 2015

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middle east

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sept. 2015

EDITOR’S NOTE n this issue we take at several projects designed

with a community feel – one of which is designed by

Gensler architects who are responsible for creating a campus retreat at Deloitte University in Texas. Another

on page 30, goes behind the Sin El Fil Urban Square project. The public park in Lebanon features children’s

playgrounds and an open air amphitheatre designed to facilitate weddings, outdoor games and picnics.

Also in the issue, we put Dubai based design firm, desert

INK in the spotlight and discover the challenges they face

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in the GCC region as well as revealing new projects. We

also featured SLA Architects for a sustainable future, turn on page 16.

On page 44, SIS Pitches share their step by step guide to laying a synthetic pitch using the latest technology.

John Hampton

The opinions and views contained in the articles in this publication are those of the contributors and not necessarily of the publishers. The publishers cannot be held liable for any mistake or omission enclosed in the publication.

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 Our magazine is available in app store and google play, search under Landscape Middle East.

Published by:

MEMedia Publishing FZ LLC IMPZ PO Box 485005, Dubai, UAE Telephone: +971 4 4470927 Fax: +971 4 4470928

I Managing Partner: Z iad Maarouf Amine I Copy Editor: John Hampton I Sales Manager: Boushra Dinnawi I Administrative Assistance: Sarry Gan I Art Director: Ramon Andaya I Contributors: Kim Wakeman, Julie Boldt Mark, Saresa Anthonissen, Stephanie Kowalski, Alessandra Gucci, Gerard Evans, Julie Eakin I Printed by: Al Nisr Publishing LLC I 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

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Contents September 2015 - Issue 99

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Westin Doha Hotel & Spa

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Interview with Mr. Duncan Denley Managing Director of desert INK

30 34 42 44 48

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A sustainable future

The Sin El Fil Urban Square Le Green Metal Riva Split Waterfront Tough and Natural by SIS Pitches Deloitte University

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News & Events

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nternational Business Council reports that the United Arab Emirates remained the undefeated heavy weight champion of retail by possessing the largest shopping Mall in the world as well as the about to be, Future largest shopping Mall in the world. The current Dubai Mall, about which hosts about 600 retailers and over 12 million sq ft (equivalent in size to more than 50 soccer pitches), confirms its place as the world’s largest current mall. This miniature kingdom hosts a waterfall, theme parks, an Olympic-sized ice rink, “dancing” fountains, an aquarium, an indoor souk and even malls within the mall such as La Galleries Lafayette from France and Bloomingdales from the U.S. If

Mall of the World The Mall will be located right across the street from the 2.4-million square foot Mall of the Emirates which hosts the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort and snow park.

this wasn’t enough to draw visitors to Dubai, the city has just unveiled plans to build an even bigger and better mall called the Mall of the World.

The 48-million square foot “Super Mall” will break records for the world’s largest shopping mall and the world’s largest indoor theme park, as well as host a three-million square foot wellness center to take care of medical tourists. The eight-million square foot Mall of the World will have 100 hotels and a seven kilometre long shopping street which is meant to make customers feel as though they are walking on Rodeo Drive or London’s Oxford Street.

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To top it off, Abu Dhabi has also caught in on the action by starting to develop its own 1 Billion Dollar Retail Project called the Reem Mall. The mall is set to be the largest hypermarket in Abu Dhabi and will be complimented with outstanding leisure activities.

The talented company behind the interior design for all 3 of these projects is none other than the well-renowned, m2 (m- squared). Rashid Doleh, the Co-founder and Managing Partner will be attending the Leaders in Design MENA summit to share his invaluable knowledge on a discussion entitled: Storytelling in Retail Interior Design. The summit organised by International Business Council will be the only event in the region to host the CEO’s and Founders of the most prestigious and highestgrossing international and local Architecture and Design firms under one roof to discuss business opportunities, trends and explore the potential that the region has to offer.

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w w w. c e m e r. c o m . t r export@cemer.com.tr +90 I232 853201587 04 www.landscape-me.com September 5

News & Events Play Planet assumes as a customer-driven company within the furniture industry, construction and landscaping.

Furthermore, the company holds a totally new approach to the market: “We don´t care for products alone, we offer integrated solutions. We perform unique bespoke projects, combining our technical strength and experience with creativity and innovative ideas. We are always one step ahead, persistently seeking excellence. We don´t want to meet the client´s expectations, we aim to exceed them!” – States landscape architect Milva Maggioni, Play Planet´s CEO.

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ue to the constant setbacks in worldwide economy it is mandatory a serious cost control with minimal waste.

As such, there is a need for cost effective differentiating projects supported by sustainable concepts. The quality of the chosen products and services provided become absolutely crucial to the good management of public funds and private investments.

Play Planet Lda, a Portuguese company operating very actively in the UAE, offers an integrated, comprehensive and coherent service, which includes the design and building of exclusive outdoor and indoor spaces, according to international standards of safety.

May it be a Theme Park, an Adventure Park, a Water Park, a Golf course, Playground, Food court, Chill out area, Sport zone, Science garden, Interactive station, Health check-up point, or even an Artificial beach amidst the mountains … you name it, Play Planet has done it!

Play Planet

Basically if you can dream it, Play Planet can do it.

Such labour requires dedication, responsibility, commitment and technical accuracy in several working fields. For that, Play Planet holds a multidisciplinary team, with specialists covering different technical expertise, from Landscape Architecture, Product and Graphic Design, Civil and Agronomic Engineering, Ergonomics, Marketing, Management, up to Applied Mathematics Statistics and Operational Research. This eclectic but cohesive team work in close collaboration for the design of innovative products and dynamic spaces, adapted to the peculiar conditions of each specific situation, main users and surrounding environment, according to their cultural or historical legacy without ever losing sight of safety standards and applicable norms.

At the production phase Play Planet counts on the unique talent of artists specialized in sculptures, modelling and realistic paintings.

Additionally, the company holds several construction, installation and maintenance teams, operating daily and worldwide.

Some of the company workers are also holders of CAP - Certificate of Pedagogical Aptitude Trainer - being able to provide technical training in several technical fields. Thus, this company promotes regular training and consultancy on Design, Construction and Maintenance of Playgrounds and Sport areas, covering various topics. This service is also available for the UAE. Its customers comprise cities, public agencies, hotel chains, shopping centers, multinational corporations and other private entities to the general public, basically, all people seeking unusual solutions at a level-headed price.

Play Planet is developing several projects for the UAE and the Middle East. In the next couple of months Play Planet will be installing one of its creations in Sharjah, an Interactive Theme Playground, so you will be able to see its crew around.

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TigerTurf is the leading manufacturer of synthetic turf surfaces

Designed for sport, landscape and leisure applications

www.tigerturf.com

I www.landscape-me.com I September 2015 t: +971 4 810 3111 e: MEinfo@tigerturf.com

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News & Events

Sunset Parklet receives Special Recognition in Urban Design Award San Francisco, United States INTERSTICE Architect’s “Sunset Parklet” was awarded the Special Recognition in Urban Design from San Francisco’s AIA 2015 Design Awards Program.

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he Sunset Parklet is a new public amenity designed for two local community oriented businesses in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset district on the Judah light-rail transit line. INTERSTICE Architects’ designers took on the controversial 50 ft long site (2.5 parking spaces) as a pro-bono project to help the Other Avenues Whole Food Co-op Market and the popular Sea Breeze Café develop and realize a simple, well detailed and synthetic solution to their multi-headed program demands and complex public process hurdles - which was in difficulty and losing momentum.

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An ambitious program included seating for eating, a community gathering space, a heavy bicycle parking component, dogs, children’s play, durability and low tech construction, while remaining whimsical, playful and engaging for all of their diverse constituencies and a host of desired seasonal, day, and nighttime activities.

The community stakeholders did not want just another “pen for tables and chairs”. They were concerned that it acknowledges the nearby Ocean Beach, and ocean vessels that historically trafficked just blocks away – without being reducible to a Disney-ish interpretation of a “boat themed parklet” which would seem trite.

INTERSTICE explored the common sculptural aspects of these seemingly divergent formal strategies to arrive at a uniquely San Francisco solution. SF Topography in contrast to the regular SF Street grid became a guiding metaphor for the projects development. Despite a deceptively regular street grid, San Francisco’s topography is famous for its undulations (like waves or sand dunes). Four streets cut from different parts of the city’s fabric would hardly matchup when placed next to one another. They would create juxtapositions along their sectional edges, and this became the operational device for how the Parklet would be articulated.

A 50 foot long site was conceptually divided into 4 equal 18” parallel strips which start aligned at the uphill eastern edge - to create an MTA approved Bike Parking platform. Like a coastal edge they continue flat, beach-like, until they suddenly diverge vertically to follow seemingly independent programmatic objectives. Each of

the four “street” strips undulate and double back upon themselves becoming seats, lounge chairs, tables, benches, planters, and accessible areas of ground and circulation along the entire length of the Parklet until they all reunite to form a raised planter that shields the windward western edge like the prow of an ancient long-ship.

Individual Strips rise and fall creating complex adjacencies as they pass each other enfolding opportunities for a wide variety of programs and a rich diversity of formal “readings”. The final result is unique and exciting in its formal

abstraction, while at the same time comforting and highly functional. From some angles it resembles a large barge, or freighter carrying its passengers to the nearby beach, while from the pedestrian approach, it offers a warm complex wood environment as a refuge from the concrete sidewalk in which to relax, play, gather with friends, tell stories, eat lunch, or simply occupy a quiet corner alone with a book surrounded by swaying native grasses.

Constructed of sustainable and reclaimed materials in Compliance with DPW’s Guidelines,this new

addition to the popular and growing SF Parklet program challenges the notion of a “café Patio” – to produce an elegantly articulated work of sculptural mass that galvanized the greater community around both its political support, and its funding over a grueling two year process to become point of local pride. … As one local observed, when interviewed for the recently held NACTO international cities conference which featured this newly completed amenity: “it’s not like then other parklets … It’s more like a big sculpture … kids just can’t stop climbing all over it.”

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News & Events

Introducing the E region’s very own sustainable paving

VABOUND by Making Ground is a smooth, seamless and highly decorative stone carpet system, which encapsulates decorative aggregates to form a homogeneous surface. This exciting paving solution also offers far more benefits than most traditional paving methods in terms of practicality; it is quick to install, fast-curing, flexible enough to be crack resistant, and UV resistant.

What is most refreshing about EVABOUND is its design flexibility, there seems to be no boundaries to create free flowing seamless designs without any cut pieces. The design possibilities are endless, from natural decorative stones that are in keeping with the local environment, to bespoke colour ranges, perfect for creating stone carpets. This system has a large selection of natural and coloured aggregates to choose from, which are available in different materials, shapes and sizes, resulting in endless product combinations and design possibilities.

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In synergy with the region’s goals of promoting sustainable developments, Making Ground shares the same passion.

The company’s aim is to provide a sustainable paving system that takes advantage of local raw materials whilst still meeting the high international standards and expectations set by the industry.

“We specifically set up the company to focus on sustainable landscaping systems in the GCC region and are extremely proud and excited to have developed the region’s very own sustainable paving system (EVABOUND). Our goal was to create a practical and sustainable solution for the region, using local materials and without simply importing other products, and we are very pleased with the result.” Explains Ryan Evans, Operations Manager, Making Ground.

EVABOUND is made up by a nonhazardous solvent free resin, which encapsulates decorative stones. The high performance resin coats each stone with an adhesive binder, which has a bond strength greater than concrete and a stone hardness greater than most granites. The resin also provides an excellent chemical resistance to common problems such as petrol, oils, chlorine and salts that are a particular concern in this part of the world.

Advantages Sustainable, Fast Installation, Seamless, Minimal Maintenance, Anti Slip, Bespoke Colours, Hard Wearing, Highly Decorative, UV Stable, Permeable, Smooth Finish, Chemical Resistant With so many advantages to the system, this paving is proving to be a popular solution for not only new projects, but also existing areas requiring renovation due to other poor performing materials, and the product range complies with LEED & ESTIDAMA ratings.

Anti Slip / Skid EVABOUND is the perfect anti-slip paving solution around swimming pools due to its smooth and seamless finish, ideal for bare feet. The system’s open structure allows air, water, and water vapour into the voids which reduces the temperature, as well as allowing water to drain through to eliminate water pooling.

Durability The EVABOUND system is well suited for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. It is also one of the only systems that can be installed directly onto asphalt or concrete (new or existing). An added bonus being that it can help to reduce the heat island effect that concrete pavers or exposed asphalt has on the environment. A slight variation of this system has recently been used for the Yas Links golf course cart paths, which has been very well received.

Permeability Permeable paving such as EVABOUND, reduces the problems caused by standing water and the impact that storm/irrigation water has on drainage systems. EVABOUND is compliant with SuDs (Sustainable Urban Drainage) as the system’s open structure allows the water to drain through and contribute to storm-water control.

Colour Making Ground have the ability to match virtually any RAL colour, allowing far more design flexibility than any other outdoor paving. Coloured EVABOUND can be used for creating patterns, shapes, logos and themes to further enhance your project. Playground and theme park designs are just a couple of examples to benefit from this solution.

Glow in the Dark Making Ground has recently added EVAGLOW to their growing range of systems. Combining their resin bound paving system with the latest in photoluminescent pigment technology, a special aggregate mix has been created that charges in natural or artificial light and glows in the dark for hours at a time. This has made it a hugely popular solution across Europe for areas where light pollution is of a concern, plus it eliminates the need for electricity and power to street lighting.

Making Ground’s product portfolio does not stop at resin bound aggregates, their polyurethane systems also extend to rubber crumb systems including jogging and running tracks, equestrian flooring, playgrounds, and sports pitch shock pads.

Making Ground will be exhibiting at the Leisure Show in Dubai World Trade Centre, stand 1 G39 from 28th to 30th September 2015. www.making-ground.com info@making-ground.com Tel. 04 451 6983

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Hotel

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and 5 standalone bungalows, each with its own private plunge pool and landscaped frontage. The standard rooms start at a spacious 50 square meters, each one complete with a 4 piece bathroom.

The hotel and spa building design revolves around a series of modern guest blocks, interconnected to the public area and set at a maximum 9 stories high. There are 365 luxury rooms including standard hotel rooms, suites, penthouses, presidential suites

A striking gateway landscape has been designed by InSite to welcome guests and facility users to the hotel; a prominent landscape frontage set back from the street, accentuated by the elongated water feature and fountains wrap the main drive. A stream of water which originates at the entrance driveway meanders through the entry foyer and continues its way throughout the resort, terminating in a unique wave pool. The theme of water flows

he Westin Doha Hotel & Spa is a unique 5+ star destination resort situated in the prime area of Al Sadd in Doha, Qatar. The resort has been conceived as a luxurious green oasis for visiting guests, offering an exclusive, indulgent setting and retreat with a variety of lounging areas and al fresco dining on ground floor terraces.

Lap of Luxury

Westin Doha Hotel & Spa A unique 5 Star Destination Resort

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throughout the landscape is designed to provide a cooling effect for guests at this urban oasis.

The sense of a verdant sanctuary is emphasized by generous areas of mature exotic trees and shrubs, interspersed with approximately 30 different water features and swimming pools, including an infinity pool which is a prominent feature in the center of the leisure area

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Hotel The amenities areas house luxury and exclusive retail boutiques, the 2,400 square meter ballroom with a seating capacity for 2,000 people, a business center, two high end and exclusive restaurants, an all-day dining restaurant, a club lounge, executive lounge, and cigar and cocktail bars. In addition, the hotel offers a health club with indoor and outdoor pools, a landscaped atria and a roof terrace garden for cocktail parties.

of the resort, and a koi pond which is positioned at the entrance of the world class Thai restaurant – both authentic design features within the resort. The choice of timeless natural materials in the hardscape, bespoke resort furniture and dramatic lighting further define the iconic nature of the resort environment.

Public and private terraces culminate in the Grand Ballroom Terrace, a third of a hectare of open air, landscaped event space. This provision will accommodate a host of events and exhibitions enhancing the hotel as a key destination within the city.

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During the design process, locally sourced materials were specified to reduce travel costs and carbon footprint.

Plant stock had a growing season locally to acclimatize prior to its installation at the site, thereby reducing plant loss and enhancing the visual impact of the landscape for the opening day. LED technologies for landscape lighting were utilized where possible. Connection and recirculation of the water features ensure reduced water use, just as an acoustic treatment to all drainage pipes within the occupied areas control noise produced by the water flow, thus maintaining a quiet and tranquil environment within the guest areas.

InSite is a division of KEO International Consultants (KEO) - leaders in planning, design, engineering and project management solutions, bringing innovation and inspiration to the built environment for over 50 years across the Middle East region. InSite prides itself in providing locally based, world-class landscape architecture, urban planning, and urban design services. We offer new life and vitality to sustainable urban spaces and holistic landscape designs, whether it be a mega-project urban development or a uniquely personal green living space.

KEY SERVICES Site Selection + Feasibility Analyses Vision + Concept Planning Landscape Architecture Design Design Documentation Development Strategy Master Planning + Urban Design Design Guidelines Authority Approvals BIM Services, Quantities + Costs Site Supervision Irrigation

InSite is a dynamic and creative team of design professionals providing world class landscape architecture, urban planning and urban design services from the earliest visioning through all stages of design and delivery.

The InSite team is dedicated to designing and implementing unique and inspiring urban and rural environments that live in balance with their natural and cultural surroundings.

We believe that a sound master plan is the foundation of an economically and socially successful development, just as a sustainable and distinctive landscape is a cornerstone of an environmentally and aesthetically successful project.

InSite, PO Box 27594, Abu Dhabi, UAE T. +971 2 417 3000, F. +971 2 417 3001 A Division of KEO

info@insiteinternational.com www.insiteinternational.com

P L A N N I N G

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sustainable solution

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A Sustainable Future

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s the sustainable future based only on endless solar and windmill parks? At SLA they think not.

The future offers added value by combining sustainable solutions and aesthetic design. The future has a triple-bottom-line of sustainability; environmental, social and economic.

The future thinks about resources in new ways. SLA want to export the circuitdesign approach behind the project

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Green Footprints to the Middle East and show that sustainability means big business and looks great too.

SLA have 20 years of international experience designing urban spaces, landscapes and cities from a method which is currently in great demand: SLA approaches sustainability as a trinity of environmental, social and economical perspectives.

Basically the idea is to promote environmental

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sustainability by making it socially and economically attractive. Nowhere is this idea more relevant than in the Middle East, characterised by development and growth, and where the risk of compromising environment, community feeling and cultural heritage is always present.

When asked if they are not a bit out of their comfort-zone in the Middle East they reply that they are rapidly and

successfully expanding and planning a new, local office in Dubai. This interdisciplinary Scandinavian office of architects, biologists, urban planners, art majors and designer’s works from a clear philosophy - sustainability is the minimum. They are driven by the desire to enhance the quality of everyday urban space in the Middle East to make it a truly livable place for people.

From social and cultural tensions to issues regarding water management, heat islands, air pollution, biodiversity, general population health and climate, high quality public spaces are essential to achieving truly livable cities and healthy economic growth.

The future has a triplebottom-line of sustainability; environmental, social and economic.

SLAs methodology for sustainability is site-specific, yet universally applicable.

While most people think sustainability is about complex technology, advanced engineering and futuristic design, the most fundamental aspect of sustainability is according to SLA, the materials.

Sustainability is about more than replacing coal and oil. SLA works with and applies nature’s processes in order to create optimised, comfortable and engaging urban spaces and utilise the natural and local environmental impacts of water, sun, wind, trees and scale. This approach is more holistic about the entire production chain and the projects’ entire lifespan.

From production and construction to the recycling and re-use of all components,

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sustainable solution

a longstanding glass-blowing tradition which results in glass waste which SLA used as top layer of the park’s paths. This lowers resource costs, CO2-emission, waste disposal and the harvest of nature’s resources. At the same time it anchors the park in local cultural history and provides an aesthetically appealing glittering look.

The underlying foundations are made from local demolished buildings. That way the adjacent building sites got rid of waste material which was given a new function, and local industry thrived from processing it before use. A path made out of Bornholm,

by Bornholm and for Bornholm. the design becomes an eco-system which is highly adaptive, efficient and sensuous.

SLA has recently finished a park on Danish Island, Bornholm - a real-life laboratory of innovative, sustainable solutions applicable to our every day operations.

The design experiments with green circuit solutions which have a self-perpetuating positive impact.The walking paths at the Green Footprints are made with no imported or raw materials.Bornholm has

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SLA works with and applies nature’s processes in order to create optimised, comfortable and engaging urban spaces and utilise the natural and local environmental.

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Green Footprints optimises topography.

Surplus soil from building construction is utilised to shape the landscape to allow water to run to the lowest point where it becomes an active participant in the landscape and creates lush water ponds.

The water slowly soaks into the ground, irrigates the plants and contributes to a recreational natural atmosphere.

Even the paths contributes to water balance: the binding material is a 100

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sustainable solution

pyrolysis system where it is burned. The residual product is both bio char, which is amazing fertiliser for the park and its kitchen garden, and gas, which can be used to produce electricity. The heat from the process warms Green Solution House – the hotel which owns the park – and the hotel both minimises its amount of garbage and makes a positive returns on sustainable investments.

The up-cycling of local material obviate any need for mining, burning, repository, export and import. Hence it is costefficient, green and, in addition, provides a unique look rooted in local culture, nature and history. Local industry thrives on providing the material and on the tourism which is spurred by Bornholm’s new brand as frontrunner on sustainability. Up cycling instead of down cycling, based on circuit design and “Cradle to Cradle” principles, thus has a triple-bottom-line.

According to SLA, the Middle East is extremely ambitious and the potential for making a sustainable impact is enormous, because the slate is somehow cleaner.

There are no dogmatic presuppositions, so it is easier to push the boundaries for innovation.

Currently, the office is working on several projects where it embraces local plant species, and other design elements, which creates a site specific design and lowers outdoor temperature significantly.

Some of their techniques include “masscooling” which is cooling of the air via, for instance, specific types of concrete which reflect the sunlight back out of the micro-environment. Mass-cooling can also be obtained via materials and angles for canopies. The techniques lower the temperatures of the air with six to eight degrees Celsius and simultaneously contribute to sensuous experiences with light, reflections and colors.

percent vegetable binding material which, unlike oil-based Bitumen, doesn’t pollute the water which falls on it. It is permeable so that the sparse water can sink through it - into the ground - instead of evaporating.

All leftover food from the building is collected, grinded and transferred to a

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Up cycling instead of down cycling, based on circuit design and “Cradle to Cradle” principles, thus has a triple-bottom-line.

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Another very important aspect involves choosing local plants. In the Middle East there is a richness of native species but still there has been a tendency to prefer foreign, exotic plants. These are very water consuming and not regenerative, meaning that they must be continually replanted, and irrigated drop-by-drop.

This is both costly in maintenance and environmentally unsustainable.

With the right combination of water

management, water accumulation, soil and aggregation, water use can go down by 50 percent.

An added benefit to the commitment to local species and natural solutions is that they greatly contribute to giving the Middle Eastern cities locally rooted identities. This is important if new metropolises like Dubai are to stay places in which people will want to live and do business. According to SLA, if the Middle East is to become an exemplar for the rest of the world, it must not only show great financial growth but also how to build a new, attractive and humanistic city from the bottom up from generic ‘space’ to unique, vibrant and sensuous ‘place’.

To SLA the Middle East is much more than palm trees. Its culture and

nature have so many layers, and there is an extreme variety of interesting phenomena and materials which can contribute to making the Middle East a frontrunner on sustainable and interesting cities. The methodology which SLA advocates and work with, means to incorporate all of these considerations without any financial, environmental or social trade-offs.

Name: Green Footprints Location: Bornholm, Denmark Service: Masterplan, landscape design Client: Green Solution House Designer: SLA Architects Completed: 2015 Area: 65.000 m2 Type: Commission Collaborators: GXN, Steenbergs Tegnestue, Ramböll Image credits: SLA Architects

Cover on-structure planting areas & protect waterproof membranes Allows catchment water to drain underneath cells Cells capture & store valuable water Secure trees & shrubs in any location Connect & stack cells to build up planting areas

Salon de Pinos, Madrid

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interview

desert INK sought to create a network of outdoor rooms defined by Hatta stone walls tree-bosques and shade structures.

These spaces provide shaded gathering places for visitors and residents alike in this predominantly desert environment

vehicles into a city streetscape design with road engineers. Landscape Architects are generally quite good at seeing the ‘big picture’. As I always say to the desert INK team; we know a little bit about a lot, so don’t be afraid to chip in to the discussion when it veers outside of landscape architecture territory. Our insights are often welcome as we frequently bring a different perspective.

Can you give us a brief about your educational background and your experience in the GCC area?

I spent five years studying Landscape Architecture at Sheffield University in the UK and loved every minute of it! It perfectly combines my interests in science, human behaviour, architecture and geography.

Having spent my fourth year at an industry placement in Chicago, I knew I wanted to work overseas. Upon graduating in 2002, I therefore looked into the regions which were developing fast and would provide me with the best experience. The middle east was already on my radar, since some family members were already living in Dubai, and so I took the plunge, joining a growing landscape consultancy practice. I was thrown in the deep end, and immediately started managing my own small projects. I relished the responsibility, and was amazed that people respected my ideas and actually listened to what I had to say! Soon I was on site, managing the implementation of several construction projects, and that’s where you really learn what works, and what doesn’t. From there on in, I have been lucky enough to travel across the region working on some amazing projects and learning every step of the way from consultants such as structural designers, architects and project managers. I find that if you keep your eyes and ears open, you can pick up an awful lot of very useful information from your fellow consultants.

Before long, you can find yourself able to hold an in-depth discussion on subjects which are way beyond your mandate as a landscape architect. I can now talk sensibly about load distribution and structural slabs with engineers, or how best to integrate

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Duncan Denley Managing Director desert INK

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More recently, I find myself learning a whole new range of skills; those of running a successful business. I have a great relationship with Desert Group’s CEO, Michael Mascarenhas, who has taken me under his wing and continues to invest in my development as a business leader.

Michael is an impressive character, and I respect that he’s been involved in so many different kinds of business. Most landscape professionals are passionate about their work, and often struggle to remain objective and business-like. Michael ensures that we don’t only focus on landscape, but look around us and learn how other businesses are reinventing themselves with amazing success. Under Michael’s guidance, we are now renowned for re-thinking our processes and how we approach a project, client or proposal. We look at what the others are doing, and say “lets do something different”. We sat down as a team when we were preparing for the launch of the desert INK and asked ourselves ‘what do we want to be known for?’. We all came back with the same answer; we wanted to be famous for innovation and creativity.

We came up with the slogan ‘we want to be the rock-stars of the design industry’.

Most people laugh when we tell them this, and this is fair-enough! It sounds more than a little cheesy, and tends to leave people

desert INK’s innovative design for the Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club utilises xerophytic species and local materials to create an inspiring new vernacular for the region.

with a slightly bemused look on their face.

It means that we want to write our own songs, not cover other people’s. We want to be famous for our distinctive work and question the established ‘rules’. This is where we are headed as a company, and we stand by our slogan!

When did desert INK first started business in the region?

In a legal sense, we started in June 2015, but the team have been together since 2008 in the capacity of Desert Landscape’s design team. June marked our incorporation as a stand-alone landscape consultancy at Dubai Design District (D3). We’re currently fitting out our new offices which we designed ourselves. We saw no reason why we shouldn’t design interiors, so we did! We approached the design of the office as we approach a landscape. How do people

want to use the space? What activities will people carry out? How should it look and feel? We’re confident that it’ll be a great place to visit and work and can’t wait to move in.

What can you say about the landscape industry in the GCC countries?

The landscape industry in the GCC is still in its infancy in my opinion. As a profession, I think it’s fair to say that we have looked outside of the region for our inspiration and ideas. While this is well and good, desert INK are keen to create a new landscape vernacular which is inherently middleeastern. I’m not talking about fake souks and wind towers, but a brand of landscape architecture which is inspired by the materials, vegetation, culture and history of the region. Working with local materials will not only allow us to create something

These before and after shots illustrate a great example of designer and contractor working together to create a unique vision at the Oxygen project

which looks like it belongs here, but it will be inherently more sustainable. Plants which do not need the huge investment of an extensive irrigation system to survive for example, and stone which can be sourced from quarries an hour away from the job site.

If you take a look at places like Arizona or Australia, they have successfully developed a recognisable style which is place specific and sustainable, so there is no reason why we shouldn’t do the same.

What are the main challenges of doing business in the current GCC market?

It goes without saying that the short project timeframes are probably the biggest challenge for us here in the GCC. Each time a new project is completed in record time, the bar is raised further and clients expect the next project to be delivered in less time.

While the slower-pace of development in

desert INK utilised site-excavated sand, rock and gabions in creating landforms to enclose the visitor’s views in greenery

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interview other regions would certainly frustrate me, I do think that we would have cities that fit together a little better if we had time to plan and consider the impacts of our projects before breaking ground.

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?

We must understand and master our local environment, rather than applying techniques, design styles and materials imported from more familiar climes.

Once we truly understand the region’s plants, soils, microclimates and culture, and implement designs with these factors in mind, we are ready to be recognised

on a world-stage. We must stop fighting against the environment, and instead work with it. To this end, Desert Group are pushing forward. Our founder, Julian Lee is a fantastic resource for us here, having studied the region’s landscapes more than any other. Julian’s book ‘Landscape Plants of Arabia’ is an encyclopaedic collection of plant data gathered over thirty years he has been in the GCC. Julian works closely with Desert Group’s nurseries company, Wahat Al Sahraa (W.A.S.) in bringing native and adapted species into production. desert INK are likewise working closely with the team at W.A.S. to incorporate these species into our designs, so you’ll see new species finding their way into our constructed designs in the next year or so. As a group,

we’ll be leading by example, and will be the pioneers of a new, sustainable approach which will take hold across the region.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

There is nothing quite like walking through a landscape that you remember designing.

Each decision you made. The time you stayed late into the night with the structural team, figuring out how to accommodate those specimen trees on the roof deck.

To walk through that landscape that has previously only existed in the heads of a select few designers, is a real pleasure. All of the headaches, late nights and heated discussions fade into the background, and you are overtaken by a sense of achievement.

Water features are located only in those areas which enjoy maximum exposure to visitors

Local materials feature heavily in desert INK’s design for the Festival City Riyadh project

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interview

Located along the view axis of the main internal spine, this animated water feature will draw visitors outside to enjoy the park-like setting of the mall landscape

Can you brief us on your recent activities and the major projects you have you been involved in their design and/or execution?

We were delighted to partner with our sister company, Desert Landscape to design and build the new Akoya Oxygen sales centre for Damac recently. Construction was completed earlier this year, and it was a great example of how designers and contractors can produce something amazing if they work together. The client was keen to create a very green landscape, but also had sustainability goals. We therefore enclosed the visitor experience in a ‘valley’ of billowing Pennisetum grasses, using site spoil to generate raised berms. Into these berms, we set gabions filled with stone excavated from the site. The result was not only cost effective, but was extremely successful in that the visitor was provided with a green viewing corridor without having to irrigate vast swathes of landscape.

We also completed the design for a new high-rise office tower for the Landmark Group in Dubai Marina recently. You’ll see our design being implemented as you turn

Horse trails and drinking troughs were incorporated into the wider landscape to ensure that the horses and riders are catered for in addition to providing life and animation to the resort’s users

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interview off Sheikh Zayed road to head towards the marina. We created an entry experience which blends the external and internal environments along with three levels of rooftop gardens. The rooftop gardens are particularly interesting, and will provide outdoor recreation, event and dining space for Landmark employees.

Finally, please conclude by evaluating desert INK position in the market and share any relevant information about new design concepts and /or current projects?

The future looks bright for desert INK. We’ve partnered with a number of great clients, who keep returning to us with evermore interesting projects and we seem to be successful in pushing boundaries to achieve our vision. There are loads of exciting projects on our drawing board presently.

We’ve just come back from Aqaba, Jordan, where we are undertaking the design of a residential community which looks over the red sea. Construction commences there this week, so we should be returning in about a month to check on the progress. We’re putting our money where our mouth is there, and have developed a simple palette of local materials alongside the local consultants and contractor. This will result in a distinctive design style which truly belongs to the region. desert INK are also presently working with the Al Futtaim company to design a massive lifestyle mall in KSA. The client was keen to break away from the traditional mall concept, and create a mall which encourages

visitors to enjoy it’s surrounding landscape.

Malls, like casinos, tend to be entirely introverted, but RTKL, the mall’s planners are keen to ensure that visitors are engaged in activities and events both inside and outside the mall. We’ve incorporated interactive water play, tree top adventure parks and open spaces for events within the landscape.

The mall is adjacent to the ancient ruins of Al Diriya, which is a world heritage site so the language of the landscape is designed to very much sit in harmony with the ruins.

We’re actually planning a sound and light show which projects the story of the city onto the ruined walls during the evening.

Mall visitors will therefore learn about the site’s historic context and the culture which founded the city.

We’re very active on Facebook, so we encourage readers to follow us and see what we’re up to each week.

The impressive new Festival City development in Riyadh is set to reinvent how malls relate to their landscape surroundings

This rusted-steel water feature at the Oxygen site was designed by desert INK and constructed by sister company, Desert Leisure within the space of just a few months

A wadi feature forms the spine of the rear park, incorporating wet-play and naturalistic zones populated by marginal water plants

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urban Park LIfe escape

The Sin El Fil Urban Square The Sin El Fil Urban Square is a “public park� encompassing a public playground and numerous resting and recreational areas which haves been created, established, designated, maintained, provided and set

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aside by the City and for the purposes of public rest, play, recreation, enjoyment or assembly. The Sin El Fil Garden has something for everyone; it allows people of different ages and ethnicities, and social

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by: Francis Landscapes

backgrounds to converge.

It is an outlet for relaxation, meditation and contemplation set amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, a place of charm and grace. The visitor is greeted at the

entry by an axial path amidst two manicured green carpets adorned by wooden pergolas bejeweled with jasmines. Here wooden benches create the perfect semi-shade seating areas. The finality of this open green space is two contiguous water basins that reflect the surrounding city-scape and carry the visitor to the opposite edge of this urban square, through an amphitheater-like stepped seating area decorated with poplars

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urban escape

and into the children’s play area - a sandy pit ornamented with swings and slides.

A winding gravel trail meanders along the various parts of the project, linking adjacent spaces and taking the visitor from the children’s play area to the main gathering space through a serene bamboo-planted secluded area into a side hilly garden dressed in grass where one can lay down and enjoy the blue sky above. The green breathing space alleviates the congested atmosphere of the capital. Vegetation is an important element of the overall composition, the green hues of the plants including ground covers, shrubs, climbers, and trees which complement the water mirrors and wooden urban furniture.

Well-placed children’s playgrounds and water gardens are surrounded by beautiful jacaranda, pine and poplar trees. Love birds in artful cages are dispersed throughout this public garden that includes an open air amphitheater suitable for accommodating various special events including weddings, picnics, and outdoor games.

Project Name: Urban Square Completion date: 2001-200 Location: Sin El Fil – Lebanon Area: 5,000m²

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Natural irrigation water reduction with the World´s most efficient Mineral Moisture Retaining Soil Additive.

Successfully implemented and proven in the most challenging landscaping projects in the Gulf.

Zeoplant L.L.C. - P.O.Box #72412 - Dubai - U.A.E. - Telephone: +971 4 447 3588 - Fax: +971 4 447 3587 I www.landscape-me.com I September 2015

info@zeoplant.com - www.zeoplant.com

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L andsc ape s tructures

Le Green Metal F

The French company Metal Vert takes another step from its roots in garden architecture to new designs of metal structures tailored for the needs of XXIth century landscapes.

ounded in 1989 by Bernard Joly in Poitou-Charentes in the centerwest part of France, the company has made its success throughout Europe by providing strong and elegant iron structures for city parks and private gardens. From the smallest gazebos to the largest pergolas, designed to accomodate a garden landscaping project, or simply help climbers to vegetalize the center place of many cities, the company, named at the time « Architectures de Jardin » and now « Metal Vert » — translated « green metal » —, made a speciality of its mastery in iron craft.

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The structures are always custom made, adapted for any specific needs from the numerous models in the catalogue, manufactured by the company iron masters and then assembled on location by the team. The iron is protected from any kind of corrosion and covered with long lasting paint selected to resist years of exposition to

sun, rain, salt, snow or storm, and provided in a wide range of classical or bright modern colors. Special protections for sandy situation are also available.

Despite some very complex design, specially in curved porch roofs, arches, gazebos, all structures are composed of pre-

WPC protect primeval forest. Our first objective was to develop the technology to create a composite wood superior to natural wood in order to combat the thoughtless lumbering of forest trees.

“The real alternative to exotic hardwoods�

The Curve Building, Showroom 12, Sheikh Zayed Road Al, Quoz 3, Dubai, UAE. T: 04-3408626 F: 04-3408636 W: www.nahar.ae E: dxb@einwood.ae

Nahar_September'15.indd 1

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L andsc ape s tructures manufactured pieces, easy to transport on location, strongly tied with screw bolts and secured to any type of ground, from soft soil to concrete or stone pavement.

Throughout the years, the company provided a large range of products, including amazing bird cages, elegant arches, huge modular pergolas, peristyles and pavillions, and even pagodas. The success of the catalogue comes from the nice design of the structures and from the ability of iron structures to last much longer than wood ones, and specially for coloured products placed in difficult weather conditions.

With the help of his nefew Baptiste, which is now VP of the company, Bernard Joly has given some new ideas a chance of reaching the real market. As a garden lover, he was always motivated to help the climbing plants, mainly roses or clematis to express their best on his structures. And he was inspired by them too, and started to dream of a new design directly coming from a statement of his : « the nature ignores the straight line ». From his researches came Nudel, a new range of products directly inspired by the way climbers turn to the sky, and cross their rambling stems to reach higher levels and capture most of the sun’s radiance. A huge spheric gazebo and amazing arches started to gain interest from customers as these structures were first exposed in famous garden exhibitions in France and Switzerland.

These new designs are completely transforming our perception of the traditionnal parks and gardens structures and specially the presumed stiffness of metal ones. Unless rigid pillars and strut, Metal Vert has succeeded in the past with its ability to emulate the elegance and softness of traditionnal trellises used in landscaping, and to reproduce any kind of wooden lattice with iron as a much stronger material.

With its new range of Nudel structures, Metal Vert is competing now with the best examples of traditionnal iron craft, but is adding to it the modern requirements of longevity and security for private and public places landscaping. And its probabbly just a start, as the new design can fulfil any demand for new shapes and new structures of iron work.

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Seoul Skygarden

MVRDV wins competition to transform abandoned highway section into Seoul Skygarden

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he Seoul Skygarden, MVRDV’s proposal for the 938 metre long former elevated highway next to Seoul’s Central Station, hopes to build on the city’s ambition to be greener, more attractive and more user-friendly so as to inspire a process of change for the entire neighborhood.

The design populates the overpass with 254 species of trees, shrubs and flowers to create an arboretum of local species, a library of plants that can be enjoyed by Seoul’s public, and a nursery for the city’s other green spaces. Organised according to the Korean alphabet, this library makes legible the natural diversity of the city, allows citizens to take a selfie next to their favourite local plant while knowing its name. The new overpass will cut the 25 minute walk around the station to just 11 minutes, and will generate 1.83 times

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the cost of its renovation and maintenance in economic benefits, according to joint research by Seoul Institute and the Korea Planners Association.

The Seoul Station Overpass was built in the 1970s to provide a vehicular connection from Namdaemun market, the largest

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traditional market in Seoul to the East, across the station area to the various parks in the West. Following intensive safety inspections in 2006, the City of Seoul deemed the 17-metre high structure of the overpass unsafe and intended to demolish and rebuild it, banning heavy vehicles’ access to the elevated

roadway in 2009. Further consultation with residents and experts lead to the plan to regenerate the overpass, which totals 9.661 m2 in area, into a pedestrian walkway and public space, with the design competition launched in 2015.

Many viaducts and pedestrian overpasses in Asian cities are purely functional elements, but due to the scale of the Seoul Station Overpass which was built for vehicle traffic, an opportunity exists to create a unique public space in the heart of Seoul.

The ambition to make this space as green as possible while introducing new leisure functions requires a modular and adaptable approach. MVRDV’s design creates a library of local plants, a Korean arboretum of species planted in ‘neighbourhoods’

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Seoul Skygarden

and arranged along the 938 metre length of the Station Overpass according to their names in the Korean alphabet. In addition to the circular plant pots of varying sizes, a series of customizable activators such as tea cafés, flower shops, street markets, libraries and greenhouses will provide a catalogue of elements which will enliven the Seoul Skygarden.

In the future, the overpass will evolve with new plants and new activators so as to become an ‘urban nursery’, rearing trees for the surrounding districts. Additional structures of stairs, lifts and escalators as well as new ‘satellite’ gardens, can connect to the Skygarden, sprouting like branches from the existing structural piers. These extensions can inspire further additions to the area’s greenery and public spaces, and will connect the Skygarden to its surroundings both physically and visually through plant species related to each of the neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods make the Skygarden easy to navigate due to their alphabetical order and consistent signage, as well as the clear differentiation between plant species in each cluster, and give a unique character to each space.

MVRDV won the competition together with a large team of experts which included Dutch landscape designer Ben Kuipers, Dutch designers Studio Makkink & Bey, local architects DMP, local landscape designers KDI, Korean structural engineers Saman and Cross, Sustainability consultants EAN, MEP consultants Samsin, traffic

engineers Song Hyun R&D, lighting designers Viabizzuno and Nanam Ald, app designer nhtv, and cost engineers Myong Gun. The Government of Seoul plans to complete the project by 2017. MVRDV is currently developing the masterplan for the Floriade 2022 in Almere, the world’s largest horticultural expo, which will also feature a library of plants from around the world, with one species assigned to each plot in the plan’s grid layout. In 2013 MVRDV won second place with its design for the 5.2 hectare Zaraydye Park in central Moscow, and the office is also involved in the design of landscapes in transformation masterplans in Caen and Bordeaux.

Location: Seoul, South Korea Year: 2015+ Client: Seoul Metropolitan Government Program: Transformation of 938 metre section of elevated highway (9.661 m2) into public space Credits: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries with Wenchian Shi, Kyosuk Lee, Kai Wang, Jaewoo Lee, Ángel Sánchez Navarro, Antonio Luca Coco, Matteo Artico Images: MVRDV Partners: Landscape Designers: Ben Kuipers, Delft, Netherlands Industrial Designers: Studio Makkink & Bey, Amsterdam, Netherlands Local Architect: DMP, Seoul, Korea Local Landscape Designer: KDI, Seoul, Korea Structure: Saman and Cross, Seoul, Korea Sustainability: EAN, Seoul, Korea MEP: Samsin, Seoul, Korea Traffic Engineers: Song Hyun R&D, Seoul, Korea Lighting Design: Viabizzuno, Milan, Italy and Nanam Ald, Seoul Korea App Design: nhtv, Breda, Netherlands Cost Engineers: Myong Gun, Seoul, Korea

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n Soft Landscaping n Hard Landscaping n Irrigation Systems n Swimming Pools & Ponds n Fountains & Water Features n Landscape Lighiting n Sports Fields n Street Furniture n Leisure Equipment

Akar Technical Services Co. LLC A member of Al Ansari Group of Companies, Oman

PO Box 14652 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 2963955 • Fax: +971 4 2963954 I www.landscape-me.com I September 2015 2014 E-Mail: info@akartech.com • www.akartech.com ISO9001:2008, 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007

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waterfront

Riva Split Waterfront

by 3LHD

T

he city of Split and its waterfront, the Riva, as the paradigm of its history and character, are among the most interesting and most specific sites in the Mediterranean.

Split waterfront is an urbanized, public, open and accessible space, 1700 years old. It stands in front of Diocletian’s Palace, once the home of the Roman

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emperor. The modular Roman form of the palace in the latter phase became the framework that shaped the city and directed its expansion; in the same way, the dimensions, materials and form of the modular network of concrete elements laid on Riva directed the arrangement and positions of all the other elements of the public space.

The waterfront is the focal point where the city meets the sea. 250 meters long and 55 meters wide, it is also the main public square, the space for all kinds of social events, promenade by day, parade by night, the site of sport events, religious processions, festivals and celebrations. The project rearticulates the space for all the mentioned events

Riva Split Waterfront Architect: 3LHD Program: public space Status: completed Project start date: 01.2005 Construction start date: 10.2006 Construction end date: 07.05.2007 City: Split Country: Croatia

and harmonizes them on a new integrated surface. The solution uses not only architectural design, but also materials, to respond to all the challenges of utilization set before the Riva.

All urban elements and equipment was specially designed for this project and they try to meet local spirit and atmosphere.

Katzler, Jelenko Herzog, design of urban elements; Ines Hrdalo, landscape design;

Project team: Sasa Begovic, Marko Dabrovic, Tatjana Grozdanic Begovic, Silvije Novak, Irena Mazer Collaborators: Numen/For Use - Nikola Radeljkovic, Sven Jonke, Christoph

Nova-lux - Zlatko Galic and Dijana Galic, light technology design; VOLT-ing - Mladen Zanic, electrical installations; HIDRO-dizajn - Ivo Makjanic, water installations; Boris Goreta, 3D; Zoran Kodrnja, model 3LHD is an architectural practice, focused on integrating various disciplines – architecture, urban planning, design and art.

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turf

Tough and Natural

by SIS Pitches

The very latest technology used by global leader SIS Pitches to lay its pitches from Real Madrid to Manchester United.

G

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rass is grass, right? It’s great for sports or picnics and comes in one colour. It loves soil, but then so do weeds and bugs and funguses.

It takes a long time to grow and lots of looking after.

GRASS CHOICE This is not so straightforward when looking through the SIS Pitches catalogue. Firstly, there is a blinding variety of colours from standard green through to blue, black, orange and even striped. Logos and multi coloured marking – no problem.

It’s not hard to see the attractions of the latest synthetic surfaces. Not only are they hard to distinguish from natural turf, they offer so more – tailored grass lengths perfect for individual sports or playing styles and no mowing! Its toughness gives virtually unlimited playability, it doesn’t need watering and comes in every colour under the rainbow.

Different sports call for a variety of grass pile heights ranging from 9mm - 70mm, whether it be football, rugby, hockey, right through to tennis and golf putting surfaces.

Synthetic grass from a firm like SIS Pitches even offers different widths of grass blade, from 3/16” to 5/8”, which come in the latest 3G and 4G technology, using monofilament & fibrillated yarns.

Here, we will demystify just how a synthetic pitch is laid, with a step by step walk-through of the very latest technology used by global leader SIS Pitches to lay its pitches from Real Madrid to Manchester United.

Depending on performance and surface you can choose from polypropylene or polyethylene yarns, with a range of backings used for each specific application -Plain, fleeced, multi-layer and reinforced glass fibre.

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EARTHWORKS – Fundamentally, these are the same as natural grass. This may require removing any existing base and sub base from the site along with any tree roots. The existing topsoil will be excavated and all surplus material can be retained on site for landscaping works.

The exposed subsoil will be excavated and re-graded to the new formation levels, trimmed to the required levels and proof rolled. Weed killer is applied to the pitch and pitch perimeter and the prepared plateau may be covered with a porous geotextile with 300mm overlaps.

DRAINAGE AND BASE WORKS Drains consisting of 80mm perforated pipes will be installed under the pitch area. These will discharge into a new soakaway on site or into an existing system. A suitable foundation consisting of an average 200mm thickness of hardcore will be laid, levelled and consolidated. A 50mm dynamic layer will be installed using laser controlled equipment to ensure correct level tolerances.

The perimeter of synthetic pitches, recesses and spectator area may then be bounded by a variety of edging in wood or precast concrete edging kerbs.

Whereas in very hot or cold climates, where natural grass calls for heating or cooling, synthetic needs neither. The time involved for all the above may be as little as four weeks!

INSTALLATION OF GRASS CARPETING Synthetic grass can be laid on a variety of surfaces including, concrete and macadam.

However, a shockpad base formed from rubber crumb and glue may be laid. This gives a softer yield where player safety (as in rugby) or performance demands.

Rolls of synthetic carpet, sand and rubber infill material are delivered by articulated lorry and unloaded with either forklift or onsite telehandler. Carpet adhesive and materials are stored in onsite storage containers until required for installation.

Rolls of carpet are then manually moved into position and unrolled by 3-4 carpet installers. Carpets are positioned and rolled according to a carpet layout plan. Each carpet is then trimmed and fitted.

Pitch markings that are not tufted into the carpet, are then cut into the carpet prior to the carpets being glued.

Pitch markings are glued using small sections of glue tape. After allowing time for the adhesive to go ‘tacky’, each glued seam is rolled to ensure even pressure is applied and to achieve maximum adhesive contact. Up to five carpet installers will carry out the gluing operation. The adhesive is given a minimum of twelve hours to dry before the surface is in-filled.

INFILLING Sand and rubber are applied into the carpet via a specialised infill machine.

Spread evenly over the pitch at the recommended levels, the infill provides support for the fibre grass and weight to

hold it in place. During the infilling the pitch will be brushed with a drag brush to enable the infill to penetrate accurately over the total pitch area to achieve accurate distribution.

Bagged granulate rubber infill is left with clients to top up the pitch in the future.

And there it is – you are good to play right away!

And that’s a key difference with natural grass.

Technically, on a natural grass pitch used once a week at a pro football stadium, you could perhaps use it after two months. But in projects requiring regular use, it can take 12 months to consolidate a natural grass pitch even then it can be used perhaps 5-6 hours a week only.

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turf

lends itself to this application very readily, especially for indoor soccer turf.

SIS Pitches are part of new agreement between FIFA, the UK’s Football Foundation, The Football Association, Rugby Football Union (RFU), England Hockey and Sport England, who have come together to establish a means of ensuring that the procurement and installation of the country’s artificial grass pitches (AGPs) are of a consistent quality and price.

That is a serious handicap when stadium managers are expected to stage a range of sports and sometimes other revenue producing events (music concerts, etc) on an outdoor turfed pitch. Natural turf pitches do not stand up to this kind of use whereas a SIS Pitches 3G surface can be used for 70 hours per week.

SIS Pitches prides itself on providing a one-stop solution to any sports field and supplies a powerful range of sundries, including perimeter fencing, retractable netting, gates, sports equipment and site furniture. In addition they carry and install goals and nets of all sizes, boot wiper/ scrapers, heavy duty synthetic grass foot

In climates where there is frequent rain or conversely lots of dry, sunny weather, natural grass suffers and playing quality can be adversely affected. This may result in periods of non-use or poor use and there is also the cost of repairing and maintaining.

However, with synthetic turf pitches, very little maintenance and repairs are needed.

Of course, natural grass has no place in indoor sports facilities – but synthetic turf

mats, litter bins, signage, flagpoles, and secure storage containers.

The company’s floodlighting represents the latest technology – column-mounted Ultra Low Glare asymmetric beam floodlight.

The ‘flat glass’ orientation reduces Glare and Spillage to the minimum and produces no direct up-ward waste light.

These lamps use the latest high output technology producing a ‘white’ light, ideal for the sports environment and feature 7-day programmable time switch and Hours Run/Kwh meter to record energy consumed and hours run.

SIS manufacture, install and maintain their artificial turf from bases in the UK, Ireland, Middle East, Eastern Europe, Russia and other sites all over the world. It’s football surfaces are tested to FIFA standards.

Clearly, grass is NOT just grass!

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SIS Pitches …sports surfaces for all

Newcastle Falcons synthetic rugby pitch

World class synthetic & natural sports surfaces for all…

School synthetic hockey pitch

Galatasaray SK natural stadium pitch

Derby County’s synthetic training pitch

Real Madrid’s natural stadium pitch

Market leader in design, construction

Manufacture

and project management for both new

Installation

pitches and renovation of existing pitches

Supply

throughout the Middle East and Europe.

Construction Re-turfing Maintenance

• Hockey • Football • Rugby • Golf • Tennis • Multi Sport • Cricket • Gaelic Sports

www.sispitches.com +971 (0) 4341 5543 I www.landscape-me.com I September 2015 47 salesme@sispitches.com

Texan retreat

Deloitte University by: SWA

Deloitte University hosts 60,000 visiting employees annually at a campus created within an operating cattle ranch. The facility educates company leaders in a high-tech environment that is personable, regenerative and regionally expressive.

The project’s land use strategy, resource

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management, habitat preservation and sensitive integration of site and building program resulted in LEED Gold Certification. In a state that leads the nation in annual loss of agricultural land it provides a successful model for integrating agriculture and development.

W

hile global companies increasingly favor virtual space for idea exchange and continuing education, the creators of Deloitte University contend that fertile ground for leadership development lies in having a common “home base”; a place that will inspire people to make lasting connections with each other and the company. The idea of creating a campus on a site representative of its region emerged and guided the site selection process.

The landscape architects contributions in creating the campus had four distinct parts – determining the projects location from a list of nationally diverse options, defining the site using criteria established by the client, master planning and site design. The vetting process selected a site at the Circle T Ranch in central Texas owing to its authentic vernacular

landscape, clearly expressed regional culture and natural features such as its central waterway and groves of native trees.

contiguous building rather than a more typical campus composition. Classrooms, auditoriums, 800 guest rooms, a fitness center and three restaurants are contained within the 850,000 sq ft main building. The extended linear building lies low on the site and is folded to visually mitigate its imposing mass.

It is wrapped around and directed toward a prominent hill. The exterior function gardens along the pond bordering the building are intentionally programmed with parallel functions found within the building: indoor classrooms open to outdoor classrooms, restaurants have outdoor dining patios and

The bucolic cattle ranch consists of gnarly post oaks punctuating vast rolling pasture land, barbed wire fencing and corrals - an image the client wanted to maintain. The landscape architect determined that a low-lying 107 acre site near a creek surrounded by four prominent hills, would best realize the client’s desire for privacy and for preserving the ranch aesthetic.

The landscape architect collaborated with the architect in developing building massing and integrating it into the site. The constraints of topography and limitations imposed by federally mandated protection areas within the creeks floodplain resulted in a single

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Texan retreat

swales, detention ponds, and wetland zones that provide cleansing prior to its slow release into the creek. The decrease in conveyance time and increase in water volume caused by new pavement is mitigated through a series of “stone finger dams” that orient perpendicular to the creeks channel, impounding and then slowly releasing water to minimize impact to systems downstream. culinary gardens and the auditorium has an outdoor congregation courtyard.

Placement of the building between the hill watershed and creek created an opportunity for water harvesting. The building acts as a “catch” and water is impounded within the pond along its border for future use.

This collection pond is fed by surface and roof runoff, condensate from the building’s mechanical systems and sub-surface foundation water. In addition to the pond, water is stored in two above ground cisterns and an underground storage tank beneath the fire truck turn around area creating 4 million gallons of water storage for pond replenishment and site irrigation. Overflow from the pond is routed to the creek. Water captured in the parking lot travels through a system of constructed bio-

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While walking paths and jogging trails help physically connect main programmatic elements, the project’s use of local materials is its most compelling tool of unification. All stone is locally sourced, trees removed from the site are re-purposed as furniture or mulch, concrete slabs from the demolition of a local highway are used as paving for an outdoor classroom and fire lane terminus and bridges are clad with “surface stone,” a byproduct from local quarries that is not typically used.

In effect, this project utilizes commonly discarded material from both internal and external sources as primary site materials.

Indigenous grasses, five species of prickly pear cacti and prairie plants with low water requirements visually connect the site to the north Texas landscape and reflect its subtle seasonal expressions. Native trees including bur oaks, shumard oaks, live oaks, cedar elms, winged elms, a disease resistant cultivar of American Elm, mesquite, bald cypress and parkinsonia establish tree associations that compliment various gardens depicting the Texas landscape. Mexican chilis, herbs and spices are grown in the kitchen garden that surrounds the outdoor dining area.

InnovaƟve Compounding SoluƟons

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Texan retreat The group activity and sports bar building coined “The Barn” is placed within a comfortable hike from the main campus.

Adjacent parking bays are threaded through existing tree motts to minimize site disturbance to the native post oak, a tree known for its high sensitivity to soil compaction and root disturbance. The South Pasture is a vast open landscape surrounded by woodlands.

To encourage interaction with the striking openness of this area and minimize grading disturbance on steeper areas of the site, large playing fields and sports courts are located here.

People visiting Deloitte University will experience a development in Texas that supports a fading but essential cultural landscape. From the chilies grown in the campus culinary gardens to the limestone cladding pulled from nearby quarry waste, there is a message of respect for regional authenticity at every scale of design. Through the design team’s resource responsible development strategies visitors will be able to experience Deloitte’s goal of educating and developing leaders in an environment that communicates its own message of innovation and environmental stewardship.

Deloitte University Type: Corporate Campus/Retreat Location: Westlake, Texas.

Client: Deloitte LLP Landscape Architect: SWA Architect: Gensler Architects

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267

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Awarding of Studies in the Context of Contributing to the National Program for Planting 40 Million Trees

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Lebanon

Green Fields Construction

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267

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133

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