April 2019 by Landscape Middle East

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April 2019

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Editor’s Note In this issue we meet a rising star of the UAE landscape industry, William Bennett. The British native who first came to Dubai in 2014 is now a senior Landscape Architect. He won both Best Residential Exterior and Best Project of the Year at the identity awards in 2015 (within a year of his arrival) for his first project in the region, Akoya Oxygen, which was delivered within 12 months. Read more on page 28. We cover a range of regional and international projects including, a fresh look for Dubai Festival City’s promenade and a hospital healing garden in downtown Bangkok. Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre (ASCC) is featured on page 38. It’s a world-class museum district within Kuwait City and forms part of Kuwait’s new national cultural district. Other projects include a luxury residential gated community on the outskirts of Buenos Aires that is home to a golf course, polo field and soccer pitch, as well as a community park that is anything but traditional, thanks to its innovative design. Central Park is a public space for residents that unfolds as a pedestrian green strip made up of ornamental grasses, enabling its users to feel as though they are immersed in nature.

Managing Partner: Ziad Maarouf Amine Copy Editor: John Hampton Sales Manager: Boushra Dinnawi Administrative Assistance: Sarry Gan Art Director: Ramon Andaya Contributors: Jimena Martignoni, William Bennett, Ken Campbell, Shalini Bhatnagar, Sarayut Chanachai, Romit Chakravarty, Ana Mateus, Hashem Aljamal. Printed by: Al Nisr Publishing LLC Webmaster: www.pdinventive.com

I hope you enjoy the issue!

John Hampton

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contents

April 2019 - Issue 142

The new water feature at Dubai Festival City

Importance of plants in a corporate space

Interview with Hashem Aljamal General Manger of Faris Group

28 32

In conversation with Young Talent of the Year: William Bennett

Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre

Strips of wild nature

28 18

Healthy Healing

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I news & events

100,000 visitors in first week; Municipality adds new landmark inspired by Islamic culture; includes 45 plants mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah Quranic Park at Khawaneej

Dubai Municipality opens Quranic Park for public Dubai Municipality has recently opened the Quranic Park for public free of charge. The park was developed in Khawaneej on an area of 64 hectares at a total cost of AED 200 million. During the first week of opening the park received 100,000 visitors. Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: “The opening of the park comes in the Year of Tolerance, launched by His Highness the UAE President, and in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. “Dubai Municipality has developed this park to promote the Islamic cultural and civilizational roles, as the park contains cultural elements that bring closer the interaction between different cultures. It also comes within the policy of increasing the green area in the emirate and the diversity of different landmarks. The Park will be an important attraction for citizens, residents and tourists alike,” pointed out Al Hajri. “In addition to its Islamic character and innovative concept, which make it a unique first of its kind project in the world, the Park is characterized by its modern designs and a number of international specifications. It also has its beautiful green landscapes and diversity, and the exhibits promote the dissemination of a culture of tolerance,” he said. “Entry to the park is free of charge with fees only limited to the Cave of Miracles and the Glass House at AED 5 each and a Nol card can be utilised to pay entrance fees,” pointed out Al Hajri. Faeqa Akram, Architectural Engineer at Dubai Municipality said the park consists of 12 gardens containing 45 types of plants mentioned in the Holy Quran and Sunnah, including bananas, pomegranates, olives, melons, grapes, figs, garlic, leeks, onions,

corn, lentils, wheat, fennel seeds, ginger, tamarind, basil, pumpkins, cucumbers, etc. Among the most important elements of the project is the Glass House containing the plants mentioned in the Holy Quran and Sunnah, which grow under certain temperatures and special environmental determinants. The glass house features a distinctive architectural design at the highest point of the park, allowing visitors to see all its elements, in addition to a cafe surrounded by trees and plants. The park is surrounded by a low wall that reveals its beautiful features, a Moses Stick Miracle Lake and shops that sell herbs and plants mentioned in the Holy Quran. The park also comprises solar energy trees that are inspired by the art of Arabic and Islamic fonts, designed specifically for the park that also contains solar panels, Wi-Fi, and phonecharging stations. In addition to that the Park has a Cave of Miracles, which contains seven miracles mentioned in the Quran, displayed with the latest interactive techniques using sound effects in Arabic and English and more languages will be added shortly for the benefit of all. The park also includes several kiosks in all its gardens that display information on all types of plants and cultivated trees, the benefits of their uses in food and medicine, and the Quran verses they are mentioned in. Two areas have been allocated for children from 2 to 12 years, shaded with palm trees, in addition to shaded seating areas decorated with patterns inspired by Islamic art and architecture. There is also a sandy walkway and another one dedicated to exercising and a cycling track, Wi-Fi, and phone-charging stations. Visitors can download the Smart Guide application, available in eight different languages, to learn more about the park’s facilities and plants in detail.

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I news & events

The Middle East Smart Landscape Summit concludes successfully The seventh edition of the Middle East Smart Landscape Summit, organized by Expotrade Global has come to a successful close. The event was inaugurated by Eng. Eman Al Mansoori, Director of Engineering – Tender & Contracts, Ministry of Infrastructure Development along with Talib Abdul Kareem Mohammed, CEO of Infrastructure Services Sector, Dubai Municipality in the presence of other VIPs. Talib Abdul Kareem Mohammed, CEO of Infrastructure Services Sector, Dubai Municipality delivers the welcome address

The event witnessed over 35 regional and international subject matter experts sharing case studies and insights on the innovative methods and practices to be followed to promote green spaces. Dr. Stainslav Shmelev, Director, Environment Europe emphasized on the role played by an ecosystem in cities, while Fawaz Alharbi, Senior Head-Master Planning, Jeddah Economic City presented a case study that outlined the development strategy behind Jeddah Economic City. The second day of the event was opened by renowned international landscape expert - Neil Davidson, Partner J&L Gibbons, who presented a case study on how London is adapting to meet the requirements of its growing population. His session was followed up by Dr. Hanan Aljabri, Director – Strategic Planning Directorate, Muscat Municipality who presented on reimagining urban public spaces and the need to create vibrant public spaces as people oriented livable spaces. Khalil Odeh Ali Shalan, Senior Vice President – Operations & Facility, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority delivered a session on the various sustainable initiatives undertaken at DSOA such as smart subsurface irrigation, green roofs and green walls, amongst others. Delving further into the topic of open spaces was Aaron Booth, Principal / Operations, InSite Planners and Landscape Architects. His presentation titled retrofitting open space as a priority for all of us focused on how innovative open spaces allow a city to connect and provide better quality of living and how retrofitted open spaces can address environmental needs as well as social needs. Neil Davidson, commented, “While innovative solutions need to be specific to location, many of the challenges we face when designing healthy cities are shared across the globe. I am grateful for the opportunity to share some of our knowledge and experiences, from the perspective of a Landscape Architect working on landscape led policy and project delivery in London.” Across two days, over 300 attendees representing landscape architects, designers, urban planners, engineers

and consultants come together to engage in knowledge sharing and learn of the latest innovative solutions in the region that promote sustainable green development. The program agenda featured topics integral to sustainable urban development such as the role of ecosystems in cities, the importance of green roofs, creating better play experiences for children, working towards creating perfect parks, developing a sustainable blue-green infrastructure, innovative landscape designs in order to create livable cities and developing a sustainable society along with its citizens is key for successful smart cities. The topic of the rise of inclusive spaces in the urban development was discussed at length during a panel discussion moderated by Hrvoje Cindric, Associate – Middle East Urbanism Leader, Arup. He was joined by experts Dr. Issam Ezzeddine, Architectural Design Director, National Engineering Bureau, Marlon van Maastricht, Senior Manager - Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning & Design Departments, Khatib & Alami, Nicholas Lander, Sustainability Director, Jacobs, Robert Shakespeare, Group Design Director, Landscape Architecture, Cracknell and Steven Velegrinis, Head - Master Planning, AECOM. Over 30 companies including Cape Reed International, Dynamo Playgrounds, Profile Products, Knauf Insulation, WT Burden, SIS Pitches, RAKNOR, and Consent, to name a few showcased innovative landscape services and solutions at the two-day summit. The event was recognized to be a tremendous success with Naveed Anwar Virk, Head- Department of Agriculture of Al Bataeh Municipality commenting that the summit was a very informative and advanced platform where new ideas pertaining to the landscape industry were encouraged and promoted. For more information, visit www.expotradeglobal.com

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I news & events

Transguard launches sustainability garden and water conservation projects Upcycled planting materials are the blueprint for the company’s latest green space initiative, with an additional water conservation projected to save 4.5 million gallons of water each year

Volunteers from Transguard’s headquarters helped paint and construct the living plant wall.

Transguard Group, a leading UAE-based business services provider, has announced two unique initiatives that underscore the company’s commitment to improving its impact on the environment: a sustainability garden and a water conservation project that repurposes condensate from air conditioning units. The first, a sustainability garden, features a living plant wall constructed from upcycled plastic bottles as its centrepiece. Located in one of Transguard’s accommodations, the garden area – which includes a variety of plants such as allamanda and other mixed flowers – was designed, painted, planted and organized by a team of volunteers from the company’s headquarters; completing the sustainability garden are nine hand-crafted picnic tables that were built by trainees at Transguard’s Centre of Excellence. Wi-Fi is also available in the seating area, making it easy for residents of the accommodation to virtually connect with their friends and family. In addition to the sustainability garden, an affordablypriced convenience store for Transguard staff, TMart, has also recently opened its doors to residents of the accommodation. This is the first store of its kind created by Transguard, which plans to use the Al Quoz location as the blueprint for shops in the company’s other accommodations.

“The original idea was to create a new recreational space for our site-based staff,” said Greg Ward, Transguard’s Managing Director. “That’s where we started, but my team kept evolving the concept until it included more and more wonderful features like the sustainability garden and seating area. I’m very proud of the volunteers who put in the time and energy to make this outdoor space possible.” The second initiative from Transguard is a water conservation project that captures and collects waste condensate from air conditioning units and recycles it for everyday tasks. The result is a dramatic reduction in water consumption: For example, a traditional car wash will use 79 gallons of water; a car washed with the recycled condensate uses only 6 gallons of water, a reduction of 92%. The pilot programme, which is also located in one of the company’s accommodations, has already saved 10,824 imperial gallons of water since the programme began in February 2019. Once implemented across all Transguard accommodations in Dubai, the project is expected to save 4.5 million gallons of water and to generate more than AED 280,000 in annual savings for Transguard. Coming full circle, the water used to irrigate Transguard’s sustainability garden is sourced from this same condensate. “As part of our ‘Think Green’ campaign – a component of our Corporate Social Responsibility programme – conserving water and recycling are a priority for Transguard, and both of these initiatives tick those boxes,” Ward concluded. “I’m excited to take these initatives into our other accommodations as the year progresses.”

Hazel Taboso, Quantity Surveying – Real Estate and Capital Projects (right) and Shariq Hassan, Utility Manager – Real Estate and Capital Projects (left) pose next to a water tank that holds the recycled condensate from the air conditioning units in an accommodation.

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I news & events

Grant Porter

has successfully delivered acquisition and integration, engineering, and construction major projects. He joined Atkins in the Middle East in 2009 as Regional Finance Director, then subsequently as Chief Operating Officer before stepping into the CEO role. Previously, he held the position of Regional Finance Director at Hyder Consulting (now Arcadis) in the Middle East, and worked in finance positions with KPMG and IBM in the United Kingdom. Mr. Porter holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from University of Stirling, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Reporting to Grant Porter, Adrian Lindon is appointed Managing Director of the Design and Engineering business to drive this segment of the company’s capabilities forward and address the rapid growth in the region with a key focus on innovation and design transformation. Over the past 12 years, Mr. Lindon has undertaken numerous leadership and management positions with the company across the Middle East and North America. Prior to joining Atkins, he has worked in the UK and Asia Pacific.

Atkins appoints new Chief Executive Officer of Engineering, Design and Project Management for the Middle East and Africa Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, announces that Mr. Grant Porter has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the company’s Engineering, Design and Project Management business in the Middle East and Africa. Located in the Middle East, Mr. Porter will oversee current engineering, design and project management projects as well as drive future growth prospects to further strengthen the company’s longestablished presence in the region. “Atkins has established a world-class reputation by delivering some of the region’s most iconic projects that meet cities’ growth demand and maximize economic impact. Over the past 10 years, Mr. Porter has played an integral role in growing our regional business presence as part of the senior leadership team, and recently as Chief Operating Officer,” said Nick Roberts, President, Atkins, Engineering, Design and Project Management. “As CEO, he will continue to drive our growth strategy and cement our regional footprint that has spanned over 50 years.” Mr. Porter is a seasoned executive with over 26 years of international and regional experience in professional services, construction and project management across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia, where he

Atkins is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies. Together with SNC-Lavalin, a global fully integrated professional services and project management company, Atkins helps clients plan, design and enable major capital projects, and provides expert consultancy that covers the full project lifecycle. Atkins has a track record of delivering flagship projects in the Middle East such as Dubai Metro, Burj Al Arab, Dubai International Airport and King Abdulaziz International Airport. The company’s Engineering, Design and Project Management business also includes the Faithful+Gould and Atkins Acuity capabilities and service offerings. Faithful+Gould provides integrated project and programme management consultancy, independently or alongside Atkins. Acuity is the end-to-end advisory business from Atkins which combines management consulting, financing and technical capabilities to help clients solve complex front-end problems in the built environment.

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Prima Timber

Climatic environment in UAE is getting extremely harsh for any outdoor terrace, patio or gazebos. And even more, preventing against rotting, fungi, termites and marine organism becomes priority for any property owner. PrimaTimber’s premier quality pressure treated timber has been produced to contain all components for the needed protection. Construction of new or renovating old terraces, patios and gazebos is booming in UAE. The most commonly used timber from nature is imported from Malaysia and Africa. Typically, material is imported as logs and a local sawmill produces the raw planks and boards. Later, these products are painted against e.g. rotting and fungi. This may not be the most industrialized working process in terms of quality and costs.

• PrimaTimber products are imported to UAE as completely finished units, since all components against e.g. rotting, fungi, termites and marine organism are incorporated already during the highly automated production process in Finland, Dr. Hannu K. Kulju summarizes. Dr. Kulju is PrimaTimber Regional Sales Manager in Middle East. And he continues. • By doing all that in our factory, it provides major quality improvements over in UAE locally produced products, and it is also important that when our quality goes up and our prices are even lower than the decking products produced locally here in UAE. I think that that is good news for any property owner. Nordic Scots Pine is the raw material for PrimaTimber products. Sustainability of environment is the key word when comparing various types of timber. Nordic climate forces the trees to grow much slower than in Southern areas, and the timber becomes much harder. Janka hardness is a measure for differentiation between soft and hard wood. Scot Pine is in the same category as Meranti from Africa. Expected life time for PrimaTimber products is 20 – 25 years. It is the same as for the expensive selections of teak. Dubai Municipality has provided the Green Building Certificate for PrimaTimber. • We were happy to receive the Green Building Certificate. Have to say that our customers appreciate that. Our products are also globally PEFC (FSC) certified, and our production process has been certified years ago for ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, Dr. Kulju sets up the strong arguments.

Magnificent luxury hotel in Bahrain Client background: The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa, is one of the most magnificent luxury Bahrain hotels, located on a private island between Manama Bay and the city centre. Featuring 245 rooms and suites on a 20-acre resort complex, guests can enjoy awesome views of the Arabian Gulf from the quintessential Italian dining areas, the Al Ghazal ballroom or the outdoor pool and Jacuzzi! Scope of works: As with all living wall installations in the Middle East, the correct plant selection was critical for the success of this

stunning project. The ANS Global team carried out a full site and area survey and composed a list of plants that were native to the local area. By using native species, ANS could be assured that the plants would survive the extreme weather conditions long-term. The components for the project were all sent out to the nursery and the team followed along afterwards. Plants and growing medium were sourced from the local area and all the modules were planted up and left to establish. The installation team then went to site a few weeks later to assist the local construction company with the installation. The ongoing maintenance is all carried out by a local landscaping company who will ensure the wall continues to thrive!

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I news & events

Al Dhaheri Capital Investment Group (ADCI) to launch ‘The V’ in Barsha

The new commercial tower to boost the real estate sector in the UAE

Al Dhaheri Capital Investment Group (ADCI) launched, ‘The V’, its smart and sophisticated commercial tower that aims to enrich and foster the growth of business community in the UAE. The commercial project is 100 percent complete and will host 23 offices, 2 stores and 2 retail outlets when complete. Anchoring a new concept, the business hub will also host leading coffee shops which will offer hot and cold drinks at cost price. “The V commercial tower is almost complete and ready for occupancy. While the tower is a smart building equipped with ultra-modern facilities for commercial organisations, we are aiming to ensure that the space has a significant layer of digitisation to allow us to connect with consumer needs in a unique way,” said Rushdhi Muzammil, General Manager – Real Estate, Al Dhaheri Capital Investment Group (ADCI). Key features of the wider development include strict security measures, optical recognition for cars, and safe and secured lockers that facilitate quick storing of data, information and treasured possessions. Featuring sophisticated designs, the commercial tower will offer a suite of features to improve the safety, comfort and productivity of occupants. While the enhanced cooling and ventilation equipment will provide occupants free chiller services, the exclusive meeting rooms, world-class training centers, state-of-the-art gymnasium and the firstof-its-kind roof-top swimming pool will offer inhabitants a business lifestyle like never before. “The V is another step towards ADCI’s vision in introducing Dubai’s unique real estate market with highly efficient and technologically advanced office facilities.

As an organisation, we have always believed in Dubai’s strategic capacity for real estate, and are confident that this new commercial tower will add significant and much needed supply to accommodate the city’s economic growth,” added Rushdhi Muzammil, General Manager – Real Estate, Al Dhaheri Capital Investment Group (ADCI). New business models and competition, extensive use of technology and changing tenant and investor expectations are redefining the commercial real estate (CRE) industry. It has been observed that Dubai’s commercial real estate sector has shown substantial growth in the past few years, driven by the city’s growing global influence and efforts to boost corporate attraction ahead of Expo 2020. Situated in Barsha area, the 5-storey tower, spread across 8500 square meters will be a 10-15 minute-drive from the vital areas in Dubai. Enclosed with ultra-modern designs and architecture, the building is an integrated smart business hub that features offices, meeting rooms and social cafes. Taking smart living to new heights, the commercial tower will offer business ventures a community feel through more creatively designed spaces. In addition, the interiors will have a range of intelligent technologies including biometric locks, mood lighting, voice control, self-operated coffee machines, curtain raisers and mirrors that monitor the occupant’s arrival and set the office in motion. Integrating intelligence with sustainability, the commercial tower will offer more comfort, safety, and security with less energy and less environmental impact, which will not only add to Dubai’s significant skyline, but also elevate the city’s position as a world-leading metropolis of the future.

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I news & events The Abu Dhabi Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities (DPM) is hosting the first Pan-Arab Urban Development Symposium (PAUDS) in partnership with United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHabitat) on Sunday, 31st March 2019. During this landmark event, around 100 key decision makers, city authorities and leading urban experts from the Arab countries will be charting a forward-looking agenda to represent Arab cities at the tenth World Urban Forum (WUF10) in 2020. This follows the signing of an agreement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities with the UN-Habitat for Abu Dhabi to host the tenth session of the World Urban Forum.

with the regional office of UN-Habitat will be a significant opportunity for Abu Dhabi to act as a hub for innovation and exchange, connecting experts from different Arab cities. Our region is predominantly urban, with growing rates of urbanization and uneven patterns of urban planning. Supporting our leadership vision, we need to ensure that the shift towards accelerated urbanization is meticulously planned. Advancing with a common agenda for sustainable cities is a key priority for urban stakeholders across the Arab world. I firmly believe that the success of any significant initiative for the future of sustainable Arab cities will depend on a strong network of local and regional multi-stakeholder alliances.”

Abu Dhabi hosts the first an-Arab Urban Development Symposium in partnership with UN-Habitat Leading Urban Development experts join forces to shape strategic priorities for Arab cities for World Urban Forum 10 PAUDS will provide the central platform for the exchange of strategies to make Arab cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, and for experts to discuss the challenges facing fast-changing Arab cities. One of the key components of the Symposium is an ‘Idea Lab’ which aims to generate a set of 20 core considerations that, if addressed, will accelerate transformation of, and shape the priorities for, the way Arab cities tackle urban sustainable development in the future. Participants in the Ideas Lab will identify and rank the most important priorities relating to the four pillars of urban sustainable development (social, economic, environmental and cultural). The final list of the 20 most important priorities will be posted on the website of the Symposium, together with an invitation to the network of cities, partners and stakeholders of UN-Habitat to crowdsource solutions. The most promising solutions will be part of the agenda that will be presented by DPM at WUF 2020. H.E. Falah Al Ahbabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities said: “Creating and promoting PAUDS in close collaboration

H.E. Falah Al Ahbabi continued: “One of the core themes that will be discussed during PAUDS will be how collaboration and ‘big data’ can be used to help shape the future of sustainable urban development. It is more important than ever to understand the consequences and uses of data, particularly how to capitalize on the emerging opportunities it presents to improve the quality of life for our citizens and enable them to thrive.”

The World Urban Forum plays a key role in implementing the New Urban Agenda, a framework unanimously adopted at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), laying out how cities should be planned and managed to best promote sustainable development. Abu Dhabi strongly supports the New Urban Agenda as it is closely aligned with its own vision for creating a sustainable Emirate by preserving and enriching its physical and cultural identity, while improving quality of life for all its residents. Abu Dhabi’s urban development vision also encompasses the four pillars of economic development, social development, cultural development and environmental protection. WUF10 will be convened by UN-Habitat and jointly organized with the Abu Dhabi Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities, along with partners including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International cooperation, the General Secretariat of the Executive Council, the Abu Dhabi Police, Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

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The new water feature at Dubai Festival City By: Ana Mateus Senior Landscape Architect Head of Design at GHESA Dubai Dubai Festival City is a vibrant multipurpose destination designed by Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate, combining shopping, hospitality and entertainment in one of Dubai’s most famous waterfronts. The access plaza to Intercontinental and Crowne Plaza Hotels recently underwent a major requalification process (masterplan by Nikken Sekkei Ltd.), opening to the public in September last year. The centerpiece of the new scheme is a water feature designed, manufactured and installed by GHESA. The objective was to design a site-specific ornamental water feature to create visual interest and contribute to the character of the space. An important premise was that the

design could be appreciated not only from the pedestrian and vehicular points of view but also from a higher perspective in the surrounding towers. GHESA’s design is inspired by the Biomorphic (Arabesque) pattern in Islamic Art and by the traditional gypsum-carving art. A floral pattern (flower rosette) is designed in high relief over shallow water pools and its contrast is enhanced using light and dark stone – Tiger Skin granite in the flower pattern and Absolute Black granite in the water pools. The use of this dark revetment was also intended to provide a contrasting background for the water elements.

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is the maximum height). The jets fall either on the shallow water pools (at minimum height) or at the central water tank (at maximum height). The central water tank is deeper than the rest of the fountain and is where three concentric rings of 66 cascade jets are installed. This dense column of water is the focal point of the water feature and it is aligned with the plaza main axis. Each one of the rings is individually controlled by VFD allowing it to work at different heights up to a maximum of 5 meters. Hidden at the core of the fountain are the surprise jets or water shooters – a central one shoots water up to 15 meters and five others up to 10 meters.

The fountain is 14 meters in diameter and it’s raised 45 centimeters above floor level. Its shape creates the illusion of suspension – the edge is elongated beyond the water tank walls to reduce its visibility and to provide a generous seating area along the perimeter. In this context, where people can be close to the fountain, attention to detail is crucial. In the Client’s words, the fountain is like a “jewel” where all the pieces are masterfully manufactured and assembled for a flawless result. GHESA’s design ingeniously conceives the fountain’s equipment (nozzles, piping and cabling) under the granite stone - the fountain has a “false bottom” and the dark granite slabs are installed over adjustable pedestals. There are also custom-made stainless-steel covers shaped like leaves, to conceive the nozzles and projectors at the edge of the fountain – here the challenge was to design a beautiful ornamental piece without compromising the water and light flow. The architecture of the fountain is complemented with water effects that add volume and movement to the composition. The contrast in textures is purposely created – the soft elegance of the water dome against the rough turbulence of the central jets. The water dome, formed by 104 crossed water jets, has a sculptural character harmonious with the architectural design. The pumping system is equipped with variable frequency drivers (VFD), allowing it to work at different heights and lengths (2 meters

As each one of the fountain’s circuits is individually controlled at different heights, the fountain is programmed to display different scenarios each time. Its character changes throughout the day – calmer during daytime and more dynamic during nighttime. The lighting installation, artfully designed to make the most of the water effects, enhances the fountain presence. The water jets are illuminated by white LED projectors and the pool edges highlighted by LED stripe, all contributing to a magnificent scenery of water and light. The goal set by the client was to create a classic, elegant and timeless water feature. To achieve it, GHESA combined tradition and modernity in the right proportions, so it can endure the passage of time.

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Importance of plants in a corporate space By: Shalini Bhatnagar CEO, Fiona Environs Besides the obvious aesthetic advantages of having stunning greenery in your workspace, there is also a physiological impact according to experts. It’s widely known that plants uplift people’s mood, studies have shown that having plants in an office environment improves staff productivity and their well-being by 50 percent. Therefore, while beautifying the workspace is important, the underlying benefit of having plants is to enhance the overall comfort of a workplace. Should you need further convincing, here are top three reasons why adding plants to your workplace is so important: Reduces stress: Humans have an innate desire to be connected with nature, which is called biophilia. Plants affect humans both physiologically and psychologically, thus building a connection between the two. Just the mere act of sitting among plants can suppress stress and lead to a feeling of calmness. Indoor plants are not just there for visual impactful either, they also have significant benefits. Research shows that adding plants to a workplace creates positivity, thus reducing stress. It allows people to think beyond the basic and improve their thought process. Reduces sickness: Plants can add a lot of organic character to an office environment. One of the key factors which is linked with plants is the ability to enhance air quality. Indoor air pollutants have been ranked among the top five environmental risks to public health. Hence having plants is considered beneficial in removing most indoor air pollutants.

In addition, offices with plants, have 50-60% less mold and bacteria in the atmosphere, compared to the offices without plants. Plants absorb some of the particles from the air at the same time that they take in carbon dioxide, which is then processed into oxygen through photosynthesis. And this certainly is an affordable way to reduce sickness among employees Increases productivity: All offices have issues with employee productivity. The question remains – how do we increase productivity? Research concludes that having plants in the office results in an increase in the output of an employee. Just being able to see and experience nature within the office, helps employees to think better. It also improves self-esteem, especially among young people. They also help improve multi-tasking, concentration, attention and patience levels. As a result of which fewer mistakes are made and tasks are completed faster. Every indoor plant is different – some need more sunlight and water, whereas others don’t need that much. Plants such as - Kentia Palm, Anthurium, Dracaena Janet Craig, Aspidistra, Ficus Benjamina Golden King, to name a few are low maintenance plants and can be easily managed. Additionally, installing a green wall or a living wall, is faster than a traditional garden. The biggest advantage of having a green wall is that you have no limitations. All that is required is to keep the space looking neat and keep prompting the vines in the direction you would prefer them to grow. Which means less time spent on cutting and shaping the plants. Whether your aim is to enhance your working environment or improve its air quality, it’s never too late to start thinking about adding a little green to your workplace.

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I interview

Interview with

Hashem Aljamal General Manager

Please give us a brief description about you & your educational background? I earned my degree in Management Information Systems from the IT college at Yarmouk University in Jordan. While my degree exposed me to the Information Technologies side of the world, the rest of my education was in business strategy and tactics. I feel as though I’ve leveraged both sides of my education in my career.I certainly learned things outside of the classroom including leadership, time management, team work, and how to be intrinsically motivated. I truly think I use these skills on a daily basis, so I’m especially grateful for my education.” On a personal side, I’m passionate about sport and fitness. After I graduated from Yarmouk University, I continued working for my family business in the sport equipment manufacturing industry, this enabled me to enjoy exploring new environments and it had always been a dream of mine to be an entrepreneur in this business. It was great for me to be able to achieve my goal. And now I am a managing director of an international company (FARIS GROUP), which is considered a leader in the sports and fitness business.

Can you please highlight your past experience in the GCC region? During the last decade, I’ve focused my business concentration in the GCC market, particularly in Dubai as the UAE is considered as a worldwide benchmark due to its strategic location both economically and in terms of geography. It offers high-end business contacts which also improves my interpersonal skills. When did your company first set up business in the Region? FARIS GROUP was established in 1999 in Jeddah, KSA, with the great vision of Mr. Faris Al Htailah (Faris Group Founder & CEO), and now we are covering the middle east region with our exclusive brands and services. Our head office remains in Jeddah but we have satellite branches in Riyadh, Dammam, Muscat and Dubai.

With our respectful founder and CEO Mr. Faris Al Htailah

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Faris Group Team.

During the Leisure and Sports Exhibition

Please outline your company’s Main Activities & Services? We are a special contracting company focusing on sports and playground facilities and construction as well as flooring supply and installation. Since 1999 we have been leaders in the construction of Sport Rubber Courts, Football Grass Fields, Hardwood Courts, as well as supplying all types of Sport articles, Entertainment and Playground Equipment.

We have never compromised on the quality of the services and products provided to the customer, by having the exclusivity in the GCC of the most famous brands worldwide focusing on ; Sports Facility Construction and Sports Equipment Supply and Installation by ARTISPORT – ITALY (available stock). Acrylic sport flooring (tennis, basketball & cycle tracks) by DIASEN – ITALY (available stock). Artificial Grass (landscaping and Football Areas) by TIGER TURF - UK (available stock). Athletic Track and Artificial Turf cleaning services by HORGER MACHINES – GERMANY (available). Wooden Sport Flooring (Basketball, Squash & GX halls) By HORNER WOODS – USA. Playground Equipment, Outdoor fitness & Street Furniture by PROLANDSCAPE – MALAYSIA. Prefabricated rubber rolls (gyms & sports courts) By OSST SPORT FLOORING – TIWAAN. Swimming Pool Covers by T-STAR Enterprises USA + Swimming Pool Equipment by MAD WAVE – RUSSIA Sport courts seating, netting and fencing by EURONIX – SPAIN. Bowling Lanes & Bowling Equipment.

Our warehouses and head offices in Dubai.

What are the special features of each of your products? The uniqueness of our products and service sets us apart from the competition. We strive to provide products and services that customers perceive as having a valuable benefit, and by highlighting those benefits in marketing and sales efforts, you’ll increase your sales and profits. During BIG 5 Exhibition

I interview

Faris Group Administration team.

This is why we are keen to tie up ourselves with the leading manufacturers worldwide in the sports and fitness business. Where can we find your products? Having a head office in a strategic location is key for any company so that the clients feel comfortable and more satisfied from the product and service. Our warehouses and showrooms are located in Al qusais Industrial area in Dubai.

With Eng. Abdulmajeed, Head of sales engineering and Mr. Faris Al Htailah-CEO

Our warehouses and head offices in KSA.

What are some of the major projects that you have been involved with in the past years? We have done many major projects in UAE during the last five years with a good number of key clients such as Dubai Municipality, Abu Dhabi Municipality, Damac, Emaar, Fitness First, Al Abbar Group, Aljaber Group, Juma Almajed, and lots of clients in the public and private sectors. What are the main challenges of doing business in the current Middle East market? The Middle East is a complex region for doing business due to the combination of history and tradition, the variety of different communities and cultures, and big competition in the market. Every company has to be prepared for what can be a minefield of cultural and practical challenges.

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Do Faris Group activities/projects reach other international markets? We carry top quality brands from the international market, having exclusivity in the GCC and North Africa for supplying their materials and equipment. Please outline your company’s plans for the future including new products and developments? A passion for sports is at the core of our business. Our primary motive is setting and achieving targets and moving beyond our limits in life, business and technology, enabling people to achieve their highest goals and improve their well-being. And its reflected in our vision which is “to be the market’s leading company, fueled by authentic brands that inspire athletic achievement and enjoyment”. Strategic planning is a lifestyle for Faris Group’s top management, everyday we have new goals and achievements which keeps us escalating our performances to achieve the highest peaks in the business, in order to maintain our position as a market leader. Our maintenance team.

Sports I Playgrounds I Outdoor Solutions I Flooring

Our WOrld is yOur playgrOund

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Dubai l Jeddah l Riyadh l Dammam l Muscat T: +971 4 2888972 l M:+971 544 666469 Dubai.office@farisgroup.net l www.farisgroup.net

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I interview

In conversation with

Young Talent of the Year William Bennett By: Natasha Smith

With half a decade of experience under his belt in the U.A.E, William Bennett shares his love of landscape and how he is applying that to plot a course for a big future.

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desert INK has been defined by a steep learning curve which has pushed him to grow his potential and his passion. “The best thing about working in this region is the feeling that our discipline is on the verge of a significant opportunity, particularly in the UAE. It’s an opportunity that has the potential to shape the entire functioning of this city and the fabric of our urban design; perhaps even the identity we relate to as residents of a desert-based city. To understand that opportunity was the awakening in me when I moved here 5 years ago and that realisation has been at the core of my drive and ambition ever since.” Bennett has been an advocate for the use of local materials and native planting in contemporary landscape architecture and it’s clear that this sense of identity is his MO:

William’s first built project in UAE, Akoya Oxygen awarded Best Residential Exterior and Best Project of the Year

“I think I took it for granted when I moved here that the landscape projects I would be involved with would be so internationally influenced, because of the country’s demographic. That is the greatest strength of this region, in my opinion, but it also causes some obstacles for trained landscape architects like myself. Looking outward at the international community I think has somewhat forced the UAE to rely on imported principles, rather than promoting their own. In the work I do this meant using plant species and materials from places like China, India, and Europe ahead of local equivalents. I have been encouraged by clients to source products and finishes from overseas suppliers on more occasions than I care to remember. This is often justified to me by them being superior quality. But I strongly believe that we have the resources and skills here to make quality landscapes that are desirable. In fact, those landscapes will be far superior because of this. The UAE has some amazing materials, and plenty of wonderful plant species. We just have to look hard enough and put in the effort to make them work for us. That’s the beginning of this huge opportunity which we have – to change the aesthetic of designed landscapes and how we construct them.” Will goes on to explain how his passion for local plants started.

Bennett pictured receiving his personal award ‘Young Talent of the Year’ at the Design Middle East Awards in November 2018

“For me the passion started as a young boy where all my favourite memories were made outdoors. I lived in suburban Cheshire, UK. It’s a fairly green county and where I lived was equal mixes of urban streets and leafy parks. I benefited from easy access to green spaces and I know that on a global scale I am extremely lucky in that sense. We had a garden too in which my mum spent most of her spare time, tending to various flowers with Latin names I couldn’t pronounce and fighting slugs away from the family’s most precious crop – the strawberries! At the time, I didn’t realise it but seeing my mum care so much for her little patch of this planet was definitely the genesis of my passion. But you can only join up the dots looking backwards.” Bennett is a Senior Landscape Architect and arrived in the UAE in 2014. He was clearly driven from the outset, delivering his first project, Akoya Oxygen, within 12 months and won both Best Residential Exterior and Best Project of the Year at the identity awards in 2015 for his efforts. Since then, his rapid rise with

“I think when I first met Julian Lee, the founder of Desert Group, I was struck by his passion; it was clear that he loved plants and that he was a key figure in establishing the local landscape market. But as I learnt more from him and the nursery team around him, I began to understand the challenges of the local market. To put it succinctly; there has been a chicken and egg stalemate which meant that suppliers didn’t grow the local indigenous species, because hardly anybody specified them, and vice versa. It’s crazy to think that such a situation can exist, to me. Yet when we look around the UAE, very few of our designed, urban landscapes look like they belong here. What I’m saying is the plants and trees we use in the city are, in my opinion, the biggest single identifier of context, local appropriateness and identity. If you get the planting wrong, then the whole experience feels alien. I think it’s an innate sense all humans possess – how to tell what is locally appropriate and what is not. But if that doesn’t sound true then all you need to do is ask yourself why wherever you go in Dubai, you always feel like you’re on holiday, in a resort. Haven’t you noticed that?” It’s something Bennett and the desert INK team have addressed head-on in one of their latest projects for DEWA.

I interview DEWA Headquarters The major constraints in this project were designing with an extremely low amount of irrigation and creating a landscape almost completely covered by a solar canopy, with with no direct light for planting. As lead designer, Bennett orchestrated the team to search widely for adaptive plant species that tolerate such conditions. The design extensively uses local stones to create a beautiful xeriscape that meets Safat & LEED Platinum, as well as smart irrigation systems which feed off cloud-based weather data and in ground moisture detectors to maximize efficiency and reduce water loss. Duncan Denley, General Manager of desert INK has mentored Bennett since he joined desert INK, he says that: “If one seeks a true measure of William’s success, it is surely reflected by the fact that he is fanatically sought after by his team mates for advice and requested by name by his clients. His insatiable appetite to always challenge the norms is refreshing. Projects led by Will such as Al Faya Lodge and the Dubai EXPO Sustainability Pavilion have played a major role in defining the contemporary vernacular landscape style for which desert INK is now gaining a following.” This constant application of innovation and his vision have been integral to Will’s success; he has led some of the region’s most exciting recent projects. The Block William led a multi-disciplinary team including structural engineers, MEP, skate park consultants, visualizers and lighting consultants – showing his capability to carry out this key role at such as early stage in his career. The design re-purposes over 700 huge concrete blocks left at the site and otherwise destined for landfill, following the construction of the Dubai Canal. The park also uses a range of proprietary materials including scaffold poles and re-cycled timber, to create a temporary urban park.

2018 was a successful year for Will both with desert INK and personally. His leadership of the project The Block has been rewarded with three accolades – Landscape Project of the Year with the Middle East Architect Awards and Design ME Awards. The project also won Popular Choice Award with the internationally renowned architecture publication, Architizer. The project is now featured as a case study in several international publications. For these successes and others Will was picked out personally by the jury for the Design ME Awards as Young Talent of the Year. “I’m flattered just to have the word ‘young’ immortalised against my name in a trophy!”, said Bennett. It’s not just my win though; the team I work with – the award belongs to all of us actually”. “Will deserves all the accolades coming his way”, says Michael Mascarenhas, CEO Desert Group. “The Young Talent of the Year Award is so deserving. I am witness to Will’s creative abilities, maturity and calm demeanour to not only quickly conceptualise what is being articulated but then to go on to execute flawlessly the vision” On keeping his designs fresh, Bennett is extremely considerate in his approach to make sure that all of his projects are unique and relevant: “Design has been adopted into the lay man’s vocabulary, yet despite its connotations of being bespoke, handcrafted and well made, in my experience the market is actually flooded with things branded as ‘designed’. It becomes increasingly difficult for clients to differentiate quality design from average. Good design is always a response to a brief, as well as form and function. If it’s not, then it’s just creation existing in isolation of context. So my approach with clients is always to find that context; what are the constraints? How do we interface with our immediate surroundings? And most importantly of all, what is our contribution to the setting?”

The block was awarded 3 prestigios awardssince its completion last year

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particularly in the arena of global warming. The recent ‘Fridays for Future’ global strikes, orchestrated by young students, is a great example that our generation are enlightened and empowered with what matters to them. It should be encouraging for landscape architects right now that there is growing support for the big issues which are in our domain.” Bennett is keen to bring the focus to practical examples of where he sees this change taking place.

“I believe that good design does not just demand attention, but it gives something back. It could be an emotion, memories, natural habitats or a low carbon footprint. Ideally all of the above! The acid test though - does the design excite and inspire people? Because if you can achieve that in the form of a legible narrative, then you have a platform to shape people’s lives and their opinions. And that is my goal; for people to connect with their surroundings, take pride in their urban spaces and ultimately, to be their guardians. If we can get people to love where they live, then we can influence behaviours. Behaviours become cultures and that is where true sustainability is won and lost.” Bennett clearly has a call to action which is powerful and with good intentions, but he’s not just another man with a dream. He’s paid attention to how things are shifting around him: “My cohort has matured across the boundary of pre and post internet times, so we have seen more rapid societal changes, than any other generation arguably. I believe that makes us uniquely placed to help make sense of the challenges around us. So we must learn to distinguish between what is worthy and what is not and we must feed that back into our society. It is inspiring to see youngsters mobilize and demand change

“It’s an exciting time to work in this region. Of course there is Expo 2020 around the corner – and I am involved in two of the major pavilion projects with desert INK there – I think the event could be just a signifier of Dubai’s maturity as a design leader. When you set this event against the backdrop of the UAE’s innovations in transport, technology and social initiatives then what we are seeing, I believe is new beginnings of a more mature, holistic and sustainable branding to this city. Bennett led desert INK’s landscape team for the Expo’s Sustainability Pavilion, alongside Grimshaw Architects and the Eden Project, UK. During the design phase, Bennett’s team collaborated with suppliers to develop a LEED Platinum achieving concrete which utilises ground blast furnace slag and locally-sourced recycled glass. Nearly 200 innovative plants were selected from the UAE and other arid regions to tell the narrative of past, present and future planting in the UAE. Coupling this with new irrigation methods helped the team to create a stunning display which will use only 35% of the water volumes of typical landscapes in the region. Bennett hopes that data from monitoring can be fed back to the government to improve the statutory requirements for construction in the future. Taking forward the idea of native planting to this level has brought Will praise from one of his early mentors and inspirations, the founder of Desert Group, Julian Lee: “Will’s passion for these plants is what differentiates him from others in his desire to maintain the true native plant identity of the region and to spread that knowledge to others through his installations. Lee also states that: “It’s truly a pleasure to work with Will as his drive and determination to make a positive impact on the landscape we live in is self-evident when you meet him.” Bennett is a capable leader of large design teams and also a thought leader; connecting his field of landscape architecture to wider social environmental and economic goals. His achievements and vision to positively impact people’s lives are infectious. We are excited to see where this takes him next!

Known for their context-driven, sustainable landscape designs, desert INK are a landscape design consultancy based in the Dubai Design District. With 16 years of experience in the region, Managing Director Duncan Denley leads a creative team backed up by the 30 years’ experience held in the Desert Group and vision of CEO Michael Mascarenhas.

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HealthyHealing By: Sarayut Chanachai MOSS STUDIO

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Figure 4

BDMS is one of the largest and most prestigious hospital networks in the Asia-Pacific region, with 45 hospitals across its network. Ranked among the top five private hospital groups in the world, it offers advanced medical care and treatment to patients from across the globe. With the addition of the dedicated BDMS Wellness Clinic has now opened, offering world-class Preventive Medicine practices, a lavish space that’s reminiscent of a luxury hotel where privacy is the utmost concern. Everyone wants to live a long life, which is becoming more and more possible because of modern healthcare. A lengthy lifespan is desirable, but what’s more important is the quality of life that you live, something you don’t necessarily get with linear medicine—seeing doctors

only when you’re sick. This is why Preventive Medicine, an advanced medical technology that is now one of the biggest medical trends around the world (it rose from being a $439 billion industry in 2012 to $679 billion in 2017) believes that it’s better to prevent a problem than to fix it, and considers your lifestyle choices, from what you should eat to how you should work out, to keep your health in optimum state. BDMS Wellness Clinic takes the science of wellness to another level by gathering the finest minds and technology to identify the optimum path to quality longevity, prevention is key to living a long, healthy and fulfilling life, offer a comprehensive range of predictive diagnostic services and preventive pathways to reduce

I wellness clinic the risk of avoidable chronic diseases. Results are interpreted by neuroscientists, regenerative medicine experts, heart specialists and sports physicians to develop personalized health optimization programs. BDMS transformed the former Park Nai Lert Hotel on Wireless Road, Bangkok, into a comprehensive preventive medical Centre with seven specialized clinics including Regenerative Clinic Musculoskeletal and Sports Clinic Neuroscience Clinic Cardio science Clinic Dental Clinic Digestive Wellness Clinic Fertility Clinic Moss Studio, a landscape design company created a remarkable landscape for this project by bringing the concepts of a therapy garden, healing garden and edible garden across the ground floor and three roof terraces on different levels of the building. The idea is to maximize userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happiness both physically and mentally with sustainable design.

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Architects planted a vertical screen to filter dust and noise from the streets of downtown Bangkok, allowing the user to feel comfortable when entering the garden area. Visitors can also experience the garden in all senses, including sign, hearing, taste, smell and touch through the elements of both Hardscape and Softscape. Design details The ground floor landscape creates a sense of arrival with a fountain and a large plaza area, promoting the distinctive feature tree at the roundabout and dropoff point, preserving the existing raintree around the building which is very large. The 2nd floor has an outdoor dining area with a harmonious interior lounge. There is a vegetable garden both for Thai and International food. The 3rd floor is a garden next to the fitness center designed to have secondary areas with ongoing activities within the interior plaza, such as yoga and a meditation corner. The 4th floor is the terrace garden which is connected to various clinics, designed to be relaxing and suitable for resting before and after treatment. The idea of planting crop-yielding and ornamental plants together isn’t new but rather revived. Ancient Babylonian and Egyptian gardens used edible landscaping techniques as early as the 10th century. Benedictine monks created herblined gardens with neighboring roses. It wasn’t until the Renaissance that people began intentionally separating purely ornamental plants.

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One older, more traditional form of edible landscaping is called a potager, or kitchen garden. Finding its strongest roots in France in the 16th and 17th centuries, these small container gardens were meant to supply herbs for soups. They gradually expanded into larger plots with more plant variety, not unlike modern edible landscapes. In the 1980s, landscape designer and environmentalist Robert Kourik coined the term “edible landscaping” to denote a new kind of gardening that marries aesthetic design with crop production gardening techniques (fruitand vegetable-bearing plants, herbs and edible flowers with a softer, gentler approach that combines traditional landscaping with row cropping techniques and is both aesthetically pleasing and ecologically friendly.) Put simply, it’s the use of food plants as design features in a landscape. These plants are used both for aesthetic value as well as consumption.

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Food plants and ornamental plants can co-exist beautifully in a well-designed garden. Many people love the idea of including functional plants (edibles and herbs) in ornamental plantings but in reality itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not always easy to achieve an acceptable aesthetic without careful design, plant selection, and attention to each plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth habit and needs. A visually appealing edible landscape is created from the artful combination of edibles and traditional ornamentals in the garden. Basic design principles apply, the substitution of edible plants for ornamental plants can present some challenges and opportunities. Although design basics for edible ornamental landscapes are essentially the same as strictly ornamental landscapes, a few details ensure the success of the edible landscape. Examples of local edible plants in Thailand include, Peppermint, Dill, Java tea, Rosemary, Red basil, Lemon Grass, Sweet Basil, Kumquats,Chilli, Leech lime, Culantro, Eggplant, Wildbetal leafbush, Spring Onion, Green pepper, Cucumber, ai-ya-nang, Garlic chives, Holy basil, Daikon radish, Pandan leaves, White mugwort, Brazilian Pepper-tree.

PROJECT: BDMS WELLNESS CLINIC CLIENT: Bangkok Dusit Medical Services Plc. (BDMS) LOCATION: BANGKOK, THAILAND SCOPE: GROUND FLOOR, 2nd Fr Roof top,3rd Fr Roof top,4th Fr Roof top LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: MOSS STUDIO CO., LTD. (SARAYUT CHANACHAI) YEAR: 2017

www.facebook.com/mossstudio.thailand

I cultural centre

Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre By: SSH

SSH’s Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre (ASCC) is a world-class museum district within Kuwait City and forms part of Kuwait’s new national cultural district.

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The Amiri Diwan of Kuwait had a vision to elevate the country’s cultural landscape to not only showcase Kuwaiti culture and highlight its heritage, but also to become a regional and international beacon for cultural activities and events. The capital city’s national cultural district is the culmination of this vision, with ASCC playing a significant role. The museum district is a celebration of the rich diversity of humanity’s scientific and cultural achievements, with the scale, shapes and shades of ASCC’s buildings designed to convey a sense of wonder and awe. The centre also honours Kuwaiti, Islamic and Arab culture and history. Following its televised inauguration on 5 February 2018 in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, and representatives of Kuwait’s Amiri Diwan, ASCC opened its doors to the public on 14 March the same year.

Visitors can enjoy six distinct experiences, each housed within their own buildings at the complex and containing an array of permanent and temporary world-class exhibits and artefacts: The Natural History Museum features seven galleries from Arabian Landscapes to Prehistoric Life, giving visitors an insight into the natural world. The Science and Technology Museum allows visitors to meet and play with robots, test and engineer inventions, and travel through the human body fighting germs. The Space Museum tells the story of our planet and the universe, and allows visitors to explore the wonders of space right here on earth. The Islamic Museum guides visitors through 1,000 years of Islamic influence on the arts and sciences, demonstrating its impact on the world today with interactive installations and valuable artefacts. The complex’s Fine Arts Centre and separate Theatre round up the exciting offering visitors can experience at ASCC. The cultural centre, which covers a total area of 13 ha, is the largest museums project of its kind in the world and has been constructed using modern 21st century materials to reflect traditional Kuwaiti architecture. Because of its innovative design, ASCC was named Public Building of the Year at the prestigious ABB LEAF Awards 2017, was announced winner of Best Public Service Architecture for Kuwait at the Dubai, Africa and Arabia Property Awards in 2018, as well as winning Best Public Service Architecture for Arabia at the International Property Awards the same year.

I cultural centre SSH was appointed by Al Ghanim International, the design and build contractor as lead architecture and engineering designer on the complex. Working collaboratively with world-leading museum specialists, Cultural Innovations, SSH was able to deliver the ASCC project for the Amiri Diwan to the stringent standards required of world-class public cultural buildings. Overarching concept The coastal location of the project site played an influential role in the ASCC scheme, taking the idea of where the sea meets the land, then extending it to encompass how in the past fleets of dhows would converge at the shoreline for lines of caravans to diverge, taking with them trade and an exchange of culture and ideas. This eventually evolved into the building design theme for the cultural centre site. At the heart of this ideological movement is the central ‘street’, which not only acts as a focal point for events, creating a point of orientation with an identity, it also ties the complex together. This covered thoroughfare forms ASCC’s spine, connecting the main museum buildings, which are open at ground level and linked by bridges on the upper levels. The long cores continue below the canopy and extend to the extremes of the site via glazed wings. This building layout evokes walking down a traditional busy Kuwaiti street. Meandering through the district beneath the spine’s technologically advanced canopy is a journey full of surprises, offering stunning views deep into the heart of each museum building. The buildings were designed as flexible spaces to allow them to be reinvented in the future as the needs of the building, community, and future exhibits develop. As such, the museum blocks create a unique environment, specific for the distinct functions of the complex. Then, through the use of streets and squares, this is further broken down to provide physical and visual links between each function. The positions of the blocks help to activate the street on both sides with the end blocks forming gateways. The articulated landscape planes define zones of space around the blocks, within the larger site context, using colour, texture, patterns, and planting while still encouraging flow of space around the site. The block intersections along the street offer the best opportunity for orientation, as well as engagement between Kuwait City itself and the sea. The juxtaposition of buildings and their surrounding spaces provide a host of varied and interesting places for people to enjoy time, again with continuous interest and curiosity.

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Canopy origin The concept for the canopy originated from two flowing ribbons of fabric. This initial metaphor developed into the shingled solar shade canopy spanning across the spine of the complex shading the glazed entrances, pedestrian routes and bridges between buildings. Comprising 2,000 glass-reinforced plastic shingles, each with integrated LED lighting, the 200 m-long solar shade canopy offers a passive, sustainable means of shading and partial climate control. This enables it to provide a comfortable external space and reduces heat gain on glazed elements of the complex, reducing cooling loads during the day, while providing scintillating computercontrolled light shows at night. The shingles, each ranging from 3 sqm to 9 sqm, reflect heat and provide shade, while their orientation creates a downdraft to the space below, lowering the ambient temperature by 10 degrees Celsius. The extended eaves of each building provide shading during the hottest part of the day to the exhibition façades, while extruded fins on the glazed façades below the museums’ deep roof overhangs offer further passive shading. High-specification coated glass and other performance materials additionally reduces heat loads. The sunken courtyard of the 300-seat theatre also offers comfort to visitors, as it is shaded by the adjacent structures. Architectural composition Islamic geometric patterns have been merged with a contemporary aesthetic to produce a design that evokes the traditional with the futuristic. The concept of the central street also imparts a sense of cultural heritage, but the complex’s design reimagines and brings that heritage into the 21st century. Traditional architecture diverts the breeze and creates shade to cool the spaces below, while modern technology enabled the creation of the cultural centre’s canopy to do the same. The influence of Islamic architecture is very much engrained into the design of the complex. The contemporary architectural style and technical innovations, combined with its traditional Kuwaiti aesthetic and grand sense of scale, enables ASCC to act as a perfect regional focal point to encourage scientific curiosity, and celebrate humanity’s scientific endeavours. The centre is fitting and spectacular addition to Kuwait and the wider MENA region’s cultural heritage, in addition to acting as an educational bridge in the pursuit of knowledge. In the ASCC museums complex, SSH and its collaborative partners have delivered a landmark architectural project that will capture the public imagination for years to come.

I green community

Strips of wild nature By: Jimena Martignoni

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Las Liebres (The Hares) is a medium-size gated community with an unusual central park design that extends for 600 meters and with a width of only 17 meters. This space unfolds as a pedestrian green strip made up of ornamental grasses. The bucolic image of this linear area, uncommon for these kinds of projects, immediately connects with a visual representation of the wild landscape of the pampas. When walking this long piece, framed by almost two-meter high clusters of plants, visitors feel immersed in a whole new atmosphere where local nature takes charge. The proposal for a linear central park was a design decision made in early stages by the architects and planners. Later, landscape architect Clara Billoch â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a local specialist in flower and grass production and garden designâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; thought about grasses as the most suitable option for this space. In

the first place, she decided not to add any large trees because that would mean casting dense shadows over the rear yards of the lots; with lots covering areas between 650 and 1,000 m2, most of their rear yards face the linear park. In order to get the most sun, she incorporated large clusters of grasses. Another reason for the use of grasses and some herbaceous perennials was the soil and irrigation conditions. Originally the area was a low-lying piece of land which was filled, therefore soil general conditions are not the greatest. As for an irrigation plan, the project was thought out as a very low-maintenance one. In this sense, few plants compare to ornamental grasses; with a very high draught tolerance and strength to bear a wide range of conditions plus the nearly nonstop performance and visual impact, these tough and eye-catching plants became perfect for the site.

I green community

Billoch explains that grasses don’t need staking or pruning and importantly, they spread alone and extend rapidly. In this case, about 10,000 had to be planted at the 10,200m2-site, a number which would have meant a very high initial budget only for plants. Instead, she took care of the plants’ production. “I got something like 3,000 mother plants and split each one of them into three other plants,” she says. “After a year, I had produced the complete plant supply we needed for the park.” The planting design relies on the use of curves and free flowing forms. The soft and subtle curves which were marked in situ by the designer, at both sides of the central strip, make up an essentially organic composition. When Billoch talks about the functional and formal aspects of the layout of the park, she strengthens the idea of intimacy. “We wanted to create a strong sense of intimacy for both people passing by and walking along the central area and for the homes and private yards,” she says, before adding: “At the same time, the only way to have a visual impact which would be in line with the overall scale of the site, was by grouping the plants in large clusters extending for eight or ten meters”. These clusters display a wide variety of grasses. Penissetum prioritis, Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Panicum antidotale (blue panic grass), Penissetum villosum (feathertop grass), Miscanthus gracillimus (maiden grass)

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I green community

and Vetiveria zinaniodes (vetiver) being the most important. In addition, the Salvia leucantha (Mexican bush sage) is an herbaceous plant which adds bluish and purple hues to the brownish and golden iconic color palette of the grasses. Here and there, some isolated groups of existing trees mostly native dot the space and produce a formal counterpoint to the large masses of plants. This natural setting generates the ideal conditions for the preservation of wildlife, like hares of course, and bird habitat. As a sign of this benefit, a funny little creature appears all over the place; locally known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;teroâ&#x20AC;?, the southern lapwing is a well-known resident of the region which has become a regular visitor to the park. In regard to the architectural plan, the club house is located on the northwest side of the linear park. The simple and modern lines of the architecture contrast with the gently sloped greenscape and the building overlooks the park and the swimming-pool, situated right below. At the opposite side of the building, a small access courtyard offers a welcoming area that precedes that of the park. With a symmetrical layout and planted with medium-size trees and some borders of yellow wild iris (Dietes bicolor), this space seems to modestly announce the park behind.

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Completing the master plan, an additional piece of land makes room for a set of three-story dorms. Framed by boxwood and small trees, an intimate communal garden offers a pleasant spot for temporary residents here. Two shallow pools add a refreshing image to this patio while acting as a water reservoir for fire protection. In the end, Las Liebres is the result of the combination of an unpretentious master plan and a well-planned landscape design which preserves and protects natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s balance. This is especially evident in the central park, where the large number of plants is well-suited to the existing conditions and consequently requires a low input of energy (labor and products); where the plantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; selection and arrangement

creates connections with the living environment and answers the needs of local wildlife; where the cultural character of the region is embraced and chosen over fancy manicured alien images. Location: GarĂn, Buenos Aires, Argentina Landscape Designer: Clara Billoch Master Plan and architecture: Estudio Semaco (Robirosa and Iglesias Molli, Architects) Area: 42 hectares. Area of the central park: 10,200 m2 (600 x 17m) Date of completion: first stage 2009; last stage 2014 Photography: Clara Billoch-Jimena Martignoni

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I Book review

Books of interest CultivatinG Garden style ISBN: 9781604694772 Author: Rochelle Greayer Publication Date: Timber Press (23 Oct. 2014) Language: English

Book Descriptions: Cultivating Garden Style is packed with the latest trends, state-of- the-art products and hot tips that show you how to make exciting outdoor spaces that are personal, practical and fabulous. Style guru and Leaf Magazine editor Rochelle Greayer

Private Garden of Paris IISBN: 9782080202048 PUBLICATION DATE: 29/09/2014 HARDCOVER: 192 pages

BOOK DESCRIPTION: Lying behind the urban facades of Paris is a hidden landscape. Whether grandiose or miniscule, highly manicured or exuberantly untended, these fifty secret gardens are rarely seen by casual passersby. Traditional French-style gardens, such

rooted in sesiGn ISBN-9781607746973 PRICE-107.00Dhs. BOOK DESCRIPTION: A stylish and full-color guide to creatively integrating indoor plants with home decor from the owners of the popular Sprout Home garden design boutiques. Indoor plants play a large role in the design and feel of a space. Focusing on indoor

delights in helping homeowners “channel their inner gardenmaker”. She breaks down the process of garden design into easy steps so that everyone can make gardens that are every bit as liveable in as their homes. Taking the lead from current trends in fashion, interiors and design, this book shows how to get the details right when planning and executing outdoor projects from herb gardens to hot tubs, fountains to firepits, and shell collections to sheds. Ranging widely in mood from ‘Forest Temple’ to ‘Arty Islam’, this carefully curated garden style sourcebook is packed with smart ideas and of-themoment ingenuity. as those of Hubert de Givenchy, Kenzo, or Pierre Bergé, are attached to private town houses, and their designs mirror the elegance and restraint of the classic dwellings. The late Yves Saint Laurents romantic, picturesque kitchen garden reflects his taste for outdoor living. Exotic hideaways include giant tropical ferns and rare flowers, greenery surrounding a Russian datcha, and a Japanese zen garden, demonstrating an eclectic range of urban gardens and providing inspiration to the expert gardener and armchair enthusiast.

gardening--from small containers and vertical installations with air plants to unique tabletop creations--Rooted in Design provides readers with the means to create beautiful and longlasting indoor landscapes. Tara Heibel and Tassy De Give, owners of the successful Sprout Home gardening stores, offer expert advice for choosing plant varieties and pairing them with unique design ideas. Sharing practical tips honed through hundreds of plant design classes, Heibel and DeGive tell readers everything they need to know to care for their one-of-a-kind green creations

With its headquarter in Tokyo, Japan and world class stores spread over countries like America, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Taiwan and now in DUBAI – UAE, Kinokuniya is a globally known book seller of repute. The store in Dubai Mall is a massive 68,000 square feet wide paragon book gallery which stocks more than half a million books and thousand magazines in English, Arabic, Japanese, French, German and Chinese at any given time. The Store is also a distinct cross cultural hub wide range of time to time multicultural events such a comic art demonstrations, language learning workshops, book launches etc. The pleasant ambiance, stenographic design and add to it the impressive view of modern skyline – world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, Kinokuniya at The Dubai Mall is just the place to evoke emotions and add pleasure to your book shopping. You may like to visit our website for more information. www.kinokuniya.com

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