October 2019 by Landscape Middle East

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middle east

october 2019

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Editor’s Note In this issue, It’s been described as a ‘breathing lung’ for Sharjah, with 350 species of birds and a natural landing zone for many more migrate birds, the Wasit Natural Reserve Visitor Centre is a conservation site worth talking about. The eco-system was rehabilitated by X Architects who replanted 35,000 trees and removed all rubbish from the former dump site. It really is a marvel on our doorstep so do check it out on Page 28. Besides that, we have advice and tips for aspiring landscape designers and specialists. We’ve gathered seasoned industry professionals as well as avid Landscape readers and compiled articles that cover everything from growing your own heirloom tomatoes to planting a roof garden and tips for rescuing trees that are on their death bed be sure to read it all in our October issue!

Managing Partner: Ziad Maarouf Amine Copy Editor: John Hampton Sales Manager: Boushra Dinnawi Administrative Assistance: Sarry Gan Art Director: Ramon Andaya Contributors: Imran Ashiq, Giancarlo Mangone, John Davies, Jigyasa Balachander, Keith Culhane, Jimena Martignoni Printed by: Al Nisr Publishing LLC

I hope you enjoy the issue!

John Hampton

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contents October 2019 - Issue 148

How smart park designs can enhance local economies

Wasit Wetland Centre is a Beacon of Conservation

Private villa in Bahrain

Why Heirloom Tomatoes Are Trending

Sustainable Landscape Refurbishment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Change Initiative

Save the trees

New green spaces for a more connected city

40 50 44

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I news & events

$20 BILLION TO BE INVESTED IN GREENING THE GCC OVER THE NEXT DECADE “The GCC Urban Landscaping Projects Market Report” by MEED Projects reveals growing opportunities in the landscape industry ahead of the second Urban Design & Landscape Expo (UDLE). The event, running alongside The Big 5 from 25 to 28 November at the Dubai World Trade Centre, will gather over 90 exhibiting companies from around the globe. A four-day educational program, including the Urban Design & Landscape Summit and the brand new Urban Design Talks, will complement the exhibition.

Over the next decade, investment for landscaping and associated facilities in the GCC will near $20 billion, a report released by Middle East’s premier trade event for green urban spaces, the Urban Design & Landscape Expo (UDLE), reveals. Just under half of this will be required in Saudi Arabia, while more than $6 billion will be destined for the UAE market. According to the report, which was produced by MEED Projects for UDLE, the lack of natural greenery is pushing developers to increasingly consider the aesthetic of their projects as well as the well-being and health of their users. “Being mostly desert and arid, the requirement for green landscaping around residential, commercial and mixed-use projects is high in the GCC region,” said Josine Heijmans, Portfolio Director at dmg events. “With long-term government visions like Saudi 2030 driving investment in new projects, massive opportunities are coming up for landscape industry players. This clearly reflects in the outstanding success of a show like the Urban Design & Landscape Expo, where the growing regional demand can meet both the local and international offer,” she added. The expanding landscape investment requirements come in the backdrop of almost $1.5 trillion worth of planned and un-awarded construction and civil infrastructure projects, which are expected to be awarded over the next 5-15 years in the GCC. The largest single future projects market will be Saudi Arabia followed by the UAE. Other GCC states will also offer a wealth of opportunities for the landscaping industry, the report states. From 25 to 28 November 2019 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the Urban Design & Landscape Expo will host over 90 local and international exhibitors, showcasing the latest solutions in hard landscaping, irrigation and drainage, machinery &

equipment, sports & playgrounds, materials & components, specialist sectors, and design, planning & consulting. Confirmed exhibitors include renowned brands like Al Baddad, Elysee Irrigation, Verseidag, Ithara Group, Huck, Serge Ferrari, Fujairah Concrete Products, Bagattini, Berliner and Therrawood. After last year’s success, the mustattend event for landscape and urban design professionals will further increase its educational offer. Beyond running the second edition of the “Urban Design & Landscape Summit”, UDLE will introduce three days of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) certified workshops alongside the exhibition this year. The lineup of speakers includes highprofile industry leaders like Dhay Aldawyan, Head of the Center for Development of Urban Design and Planning of Saudi Cities at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Hanan Aljabri, the Director of Strategic Planning at the Muscat Municipality, and George Arvanitis, the Director of Master Planning and Urban Design at Parsons Corporation, among many others. The Urban Design & Landscape Expo will run alongside The Big 5, Middle East’s largest construction event, in co-location with The Big 5 Heavy, Middle East Concrete, Middle East Stone, HVAC R Expo, and The Big 5 Solar. The show is supported by Lumo (Lighting Partner), Belhasa Projects (Landscape Solutions Partner), RAKNOR (Pavers Partner), Dynamo Playgrounds (Playgrounds Partner), Ducon Outdoor Living (Outdoor Living Solutions Partner), and SEWA (Supporting Partner). On its debut last year, the UDLE gathered over 90 exhibiting companies from around the globe, attracting more than 3,400 visitors. It was also awarded Best Marketing Campaign for a trade event at the AEO Excellence Awards.

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Hello School initiative

Dubai Municipality joins environmental awareness drive for 1,000 students Dubai Municipality recently participated in the activities of “Hello School” initiative launched by the Ministry of Education aimed at providing an attractive and exciting atmosphere for students and promoting the spirit of belongingness and loyalty to the school as well as developing the spirit of positive interaction among the students and teachers. As part of the initiative, the Municipality conducted various activities and workshops to welcome the students in the beginning of the 2019/2020 academic year and motivated them on the importance of environmental protection and the sustainability of natural resources. Dubai Municipality conducted field visits to various schools in the Emirate with the aim of spreading environmental awareness messages to more than 1,000 students and presented the cartoon character, “Ghaith” designed by the Municipality with colors symbolizing the basic elements of the environment. An environmental awareness team from Dubai Municipality, with the participation of the cartoon character “Ghaith” organized educational and recreational activities for the students of the schools participating in the awareness program in order to educate and encourage these students to preserve the environment through many environmentally friendly practices. The activities included distributing the “Amani Turtle” story, which addresses the student category and urging them on the importance of preserving marine organisms and the elements of the surrounding environment, the air, water and

Dubai Municipality participates in Hello School program

soil, in addition to holding awareness workshops for children in order to instill the foundations of conservation of the environment, focusing on the importance of conservation of flora and fauna and natural resources. The event also included a technical workshop to identify the different types of marine life, and gifts were distributed to students with many environmental stories. The Municipality participation in this initiative comes within the framework of its constant efforts to promote and raise the level of environmental awareness among the various segments of the community in the Emirate in order to achieve the vision and objectives of the municipality to “protect the environment and the sustainability of its natural resources.” Dubai Municipality works to spread and promote environmental awareness in the Emirate through the implementation of several awareness programs and events throughout the year at the local and international environmental events. The Municipality also publishes several environmental awareness publications for children on its website so that they are available to all and can be utilized such as the stories of Saleh’s Adventures and Nazouf, My Tour with an Ant, Turtle Amani, Soil Life and Treasure of Life. It is worth mentioning that Dubai Municipality is always keen on the participation of community members in various events that enhance its role in the field of awareness, especially the field of environmental awareness, as this has a significant positive impact on the development of environmental awareness among members of the community.

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I news & events Al Khadar: “Through its longterm urban planning strategy, Abu Dhabi has proven itself to be a leading light in the region when it comes to urban planning and sustainability

Department of Planning and Municipalities (DPM) carries out workshop for 10th World Urban Forum, a United Nations-Habitat event Attended by Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, CEO of Alliances for Global Sustainability, DPM hosted a workshop as part of its preparations for the 10th World Urban Forum (WUF10). The workshop gathered more than 40 attendees with a number of officials and executives from the participating bodies and strategic partners to discuss and formulate concepts, programs and initiatives that promote the ideas to be addressed by WUF10 which will carry the central theme “Cities of Opportunity: Connecting Culture and Innovation.” Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, CEO and Founder of Alliances for Global Sustainability, a prominent developer of- and investor in sustainable solutions, shared her thoughts on the workshop by saying that a key aspect to Abu Dhabi’s World Urban Forum is the application of sustainable urbanisation to the development of cities; as an advocate of sustainable practices. Sheikha Shamma also added: “At today’s workshop, it was wonderful to see the private and public sector organisations working together. I’m very proud to see that DPM are following the UAE’s leadership directive by encouraging strong working relations between the different sectors to ensure optimal efforts in environmental, economic and social sustainability are carried throughout WUF10.” Sheikha Shamma concluded by adding: “It is promising to see DPMs efforts to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals. By having this international event in Abu Dhabi, it will allow countries to share their learnings as we pave the way to a more sustainable future for all.

H.E. Mohamed Al Khadar - Executive Director of Strategic Affairs Sector at DPM stressed on the importance of this workshop by highlighting the key achievement of it in building an agenda around the challenges that Arab cities are currently facing, which were identified at the Pan-Arab Urban Development Symposium that DPM organized in April. The workshop focused upon creation, design, discussion and launch for initiatives, which will engage stakeholders in dealing with urban issues and challenges. Aligned with the WUF central theme “Cities of Opportunities: Connecting Culture and Innovation”, another assigned objective is to highlight what makes WUF10 different from the previous edition, which was to place the cultural sustainability element central to the global development framework. Commenting on the Workshop, Dr. Dena Assaf – United Nations Resident Coordinator commented: “The workshop featured a dynamic environment with a broad cross-section of stakeholders from all walks of society. For any workshop of this nature, extensive participation from a variety of perspectives ensures an inclusive, robust and valuable discussion, and today we have certainly had a number of illuminating exchanges and much insightful dialogue. I am delighted that we have made significant headway in disseminating and analysing a number of innovative ideas from different thinkers and experts, which I believe will make valuable contributions towards the agenda for WUF10, just a few months away.”

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I news & events

Transforming a City… and the Lives of Millions Saudi Arabia is investing in four major projects worth US$23 billion that will transform and enhance the lives of 7 million residents of its capital Riyadh. The city of Riyadh has embarked on an ambitious programme of urban planning and civil engineering announced by the government worth over US$23 billion that will transform the capital with four major projects into one of the most livable cities in the world. King Salman Park will be the largest city park in the world, covering an area of 13.4km², four times the area of Central Park in New York. Sports Boulevard will be a state-of-the-art new health and wellness destination in the heart of the city, providing a network of cycle routes and adding an impressive 135km of professional cycling track. Green Riyadh is a citywide greening initiative which includes the planting of 7.5 million trees. The project will help lower the temperature of the city by 2°C and provide welcome shade, allowing residents to walk and exercise outside. Finally, Riyadh Art will establish the city as ‘a gallery without walls’ through a world-class interactive public arts programme. The project will curate 1,000 pieces of art through worldclass art programmes and host an annual art festival. These four transformative projects, managed by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) (formally known as

Riyadh Development Authority), complement the Saudi Vision 2030 ‘Quality of Life’ Program and are aligned with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, to create sustainable cities and communities, while driving urgent action against climate change. In addition, these projects will deliver huge social, economic and environmental benefits to the city. Many jobs will be created: construction of King Salman Park alone will generate around 50,000 jobs to completion, and then thousands more service jobs ongoing. Tourism will flourish in a city that will become a destination of choice, not only for business but also for leisure. And families will thrive with improved mobility, a better environment, and greater opportunities to experience art and culture. A spokesman for the RCRC said: “Life is changing for the residents of Riyadh. In line with government reforms in education, healthcare and tourism, we are pushing forward with the diversification and development plans for the city. The goals of Vision 2030 are coming to fruition and massive infrastructure projects such as these will have significant positive implications for our social tapestry and cultural wellbeing.”

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2019 SIR GEOFFREY JELLICOE AWARD WINNER

Kathryn Gustafson

The International Federation of Landscape Architect’s President, James Hayter, announced at the 2019 World Congress in Oslo, Norway, that Landscape Architect Kathryn Gustafson has been selected as the winner of the 2019 Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award. This award is the highest honour that the International Federation of Landscape Architects can bestow to a landscape architect. The award recognizes a living landscape architect whose lifetime achievements and contributions have had a unique and lasting impact on the welfare of society and the environment and on the promotion of the profession of landscape architecture. The award is bestowed annually on an academic public or private practitioner whose work and achievements are respected internationally. Kathryn Gustafson graduated from Ecole Nationale Superieure du Paysage, Versailles, France and Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY, A.A.S. Since her early work in France, including a series of poetic landscapes for Shell Headquarters (1990), Esso (1992), and L’Oreal (1993), the trialectics of art, landscape and fashion generated by her academic formation were clearly evidenced in the muscular qualities of these landscapes, whose complexities and subtleties engaged the human body on a fundamental level. Her work at the public plaza in Evry (1991) was one of the first landscape projects worldwide to create a flexible space with water jets. Another significant work is the award- winning Jardins de l’Imaginaire in Terrasson la Villedieu (1995), which is classed by the French Ministry of Culture as one of the most notable gardens in France. Following her time working in France,

Kathryn Gustafson became a founding partner in two distinguished offices, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol (GGN) in Seattle and Gustafson Porter + Bowman (GP+B) in London. With her partners at GGN, Kathryn Gustafson gained a worldwide reputation with the project The Lurie Garden in Chicago’s Millennium Park, one of the most celebrated works in the United States. Most recently, Kathryn and her partners at GP+B won the City of Paris’ Site Tour Eiffel Competition to reimagine the landscape of one of the world’s most iconic monuments.` Gustafson has contributed towards education and practice internationally. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architecture, an honorary Royal Designer for Industry member and a medalist of the French Academy of Architecture. She is the recipient of the Architects’ Journal Jane Drew Prize 1998, the 2001 Chrysler Design Award, the 2008 ASLA Design Medal, the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize for Architecture 2012 and the 8th Obayashi Prize, Japan in 2014. In 2011, Kathryn and her GGN partners received the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Architecture, and GGN received the ASLA 2017 National Landscape Architecture Firm Award. The visibility of her design work and her lecturing activities have had a great impact on professionals and students as well as on a broader public. Kathryn Gustafson is a leader in creating world class projects that have impact - iconic projects that help foster the awareness of the profession of landscape architecture and its relevance to contemporary society.

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I news & events

Smart government and green economy:

Building a Sustainable Future for all

By HE Dr. Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr Director General of Smart Dubai, UAE

Next-generation technologies have long found their way into the realm of the government sector. In a bid to provide modern services and systems to the public that are comparable to what the more-funded private sector institutions can deliver, many governments worldwide have embarked on what we now call smart government. Under this all-encompassing phenomenon, we have witnessed public entities integrating advanced technological innovations into their processes to deliver faster and more efficient solutions. The end goal is to make members of the local communities happier and more satisfied through the provision of highquality government services. In short, a high standard of quality living should be achieved by establishing a modern and effective government system. With the internet and other modern tools at its core, smart government has empowered the public by giving them easy, round-the-clock access to services and an effective platform to reach out to public authorities. It has also enabled government bodies to operate at their optimum best to cater to the needs of both people and businesses at reduced costs. More importantly, a government operating under a smart ecosystem has led to the promotion of better consumption of resources, therefore helping address the issues of

sustainability of resources and environmental degradation. This environmental component is critical in another global movement that has emerged in light of the devastating effects of climate change. Worldwide, we have seen mounting calls for sustainable development, and a key aspect of achieving this much-needed progress is for countries to adopt the framework of the green economy. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines an inclusive green economy as an economic model that “improves human well-being and builds social equity while reducing environmental risks and scarcities .” Dialogues and debates surrounding the green economy continue as they should be. But all these should be accompanied by concrete actions. By pushing to have a smart government, we are also in effect taking that vital step towards shifting to a green economy. Now, the focus will be on embracing green technologies and leveraging innovation as a tool to enable sustainable development. This way, smart government and green economy complement each other. They are key to building a sustainable future for all. To discuss more, I look forward to meeting you at the WGES 2019, which will take place at on October 20th and 21st at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

IPM DUBAI and WOP DUBAI from November 12 to 14, 2019 Hall Allocation Directly on the “Main Concourse” of the Dubai World Trade Centre Rescheduling: IPM DUBAI and WOP DUBAI will take place in a prominent location in the Dubai World Trade Centre from November 12 to 14, 2019. Both trade fairs will be positioned in attractive halls on the main axis of the site. The first local players in the sector have already promised to participate in the fairs because of the improved time-related and spatial exhibition conditions. German companies will have the possibility of presenting themselves on a promoted joint booth. The month of November is traditionally one of the most enterprising periods for trade and tourism in the Middle East at the same time. With the rescheduling, IPM DUBAI and WOP DUBAI are reacting to the wishes of the sector. Dates during mid-November for the staging of both events have been targeted for quite a long time already. However, because the capacities of the event site were always utilised to the full in this period, it has not been possible to fulfil this wish in the last few years. The amended dates will also be accompanied by a new hall allocation in the Dubai World Trade Centre: IPM DUBAI and WOP DUBAI

will use exhibition areas directly on the main connecting axis, i.e. in the immediate vicinity of the main entrance to the site. Particularly for local traders, this will now result in new perspectives to take part in the fair not only as exhibitors but also as visitors. Moreover, the first local major players in the sector have already reacted positively to the announcement and have promised their participation. For German exhibitors, there will once more be the possibility of taking part in the German joint booth. On the “German Pavilion” promoted by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, German companies will present their products and services under the German umbrella brand called “Made in Germany”. IPM DUBAI is the only fair within the Gulf region to unite the exhibition areas called Plants, Technology, Floristry, Garden Features, Logistics, Plant Maintenance as well as Garden and Landscaping and thus forms the most significant platform for the green sector in the Near and Middle East. For visitors, WOP DUBAI (World of Perishables) taking place at the same time results in further synergetic effects. Here, attention focuses on the trading and marketing of fresh products such as fruit and vegetables as well as on their logistics.

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3-D children playground integrated forest in Buffalo, NY

How socioeconomic performance driven park designs can be a strategic tool for enhancing local economies and communities Park designs can benefit the livability, vibrancy, resilience, and economy of communities, while minimizing municipal, business, and resident costs Â Â By: Giancarlo Mangone Principal, Symbiosis: Sustainable + Consulting Senior Strategic Master Urban Planner, ADNOC

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Innovative socioeconomic performance driven parks are a key strategic development tool for maximizing the socioeconomic performance and vibrancy of communities. When designed well, these performance driven park types can effectively address key UAE city performance objectives, including: maximizing the livability, desirability, and economic productivity and resilience of new and existing developments, reducing community construction, expansion, and operating costs, tenant turnover rates, and urban heat islands and air pollution, creating vibrant and thermally comfortable pedestrian oriented communities, lifestyles, parks, and mobility corridors in existing high density pedestrian unfriendly communities, developing resilient local circular economies, and developing parks that maximize their potential positive impact on residents’ well-being and child development. Achieving these socioeconomic objectives requires the development of park designs that synthesize existing research on sustainable urban design, design for well-being, and urban economics. The following sections present several design strategies and solutions that achieve these ambitions, in order to provoke further explorations and development by municipalities, developers, and design teams. Safe and immersive wild nature Wild, dense, immersive, and spatially diverse nature spaces confer substantially more socioeconomic benefits to local communities and individuals than the typical cultivated park types that are prevalent in cities throughout the world. Immersive and wild natural environments, such as forests and dunescapes, (Figure 1) increase residents’ pedestrian rates, physical activity, social interactions, work performance, happiness, and well-being, while reducing visitors’ ecological footprints and stress, among a number of other well-documented social benefits. Dense nature is also more effective at improving the health of UAE cities, by being more effective at reducing urban heat island effects, and improving outdoor thermal comfort and air quality. The more typical grass, manicured tree and shrub park types are less preferred and beneficial, facilitate a less diverse range and quantity of activities, require substantially more water, fertilizers, and other

operating costs, and are thermally uncomfortable for a considerably longer period of the year in the UAE. Despite spending time in unsupervised, dense, and wild nature spaces being more preferred, and more beneficial to people’s well-being and child development, current UAE public space design manuals prohibit dense natural environments within public parks that are concealed from public view, and children playscapes in the UAE are mostly constructed playgrounds. Wild nature space types are more beneficial partly because they allow occupants to conduct diverse explorative, physical, and creativity oriented activities. Natural elements offer direct and diverse nature interactions and promote risky play, such as boulders, dunes, and trees for climbing. Risky play in wild nature is particularly beneficial for child development, yet increasingly rare. Nature spaces can be designed in ways that they can be altered by occupants, and natural design elements can be incorporated that provide materials for children to construct objects and spaces from, such as loose branches, sand, and rocks. While children’s free time spent in nature is decreasing, and screen time is exponentially increasing, existing research suggests this is more due to children’s lack of access to nature spaces, rather than a preference for digital entertainment. While parents and municipalities tend to believe that unsupervised and risky play is dangerous, risky and unsupervised play has not been found to increase children’s rates of injuries or reduce their safety, when incorporated into pedestrian oriented communities in effective ways. Urban park spaces can simultaneously be designed to accommodate parents’ and municipal safety concerns over strangers and unsupervised play, and children’s preferences for unsupervised play in wild nature, while maintaining the myriad of otherwise unobtainable socioeconomic benefits wild nature spaces provide. Nature parks in dense urban areas allow for semi-supervised natural free play contexts that are easily accessible to children, and help parents feel safe that their children are supervised. Dense residential buildings adjacent to parks provide views of the general parkscape, while maintaining areas of privacy for occupants, such as in Figures 2 and 3. The ‘eyes of the street’ of dense communities, both via pedestrian passersby

I parks

Figure 2-Ecoboulevard downtown highway redevelopment

and views from surrounding buildings, increase urbanitesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perceived and actual safety. The rapid visual and physical access to the park space may increase parental perceptions of the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safety, and helps residents share children supervision responsibilities. Private nature spaces within a large park can be designed to obstruct views from surrounding buildings and community members, yet can be readily acoustically supervised and rapidly accessed physically by passersby, nearby building occupants, and emergency service providers, in cases of injury or danger, such as in the dense tree areas in Figure 2. Elevated parkways can be designed to provide children opportunities for play

Figure 3. Ecoboulevard program diagram

areas that feel private because adults cannot enter, yet are still partially visible for supervision, such as elevated walkways, rope bridges, treehouses, and other playscapes, as in Figures 1 and 2. These wild safe play design strategies are most effective in dense urban areas, where there is a high frequency of passersby, and adjacent residential building heights are tall enough to convey a sense of visual supervision while allowing for wild play. Moreover, pairing family housing and parks within dense mixed-use communities provides families with opportunities to live amidst nature while living in a dense urban community that enables their children to socialize with diverse types of playmates and

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environments, thereby increasing the desirability of dense, compact communities, and providing households access to the diverse socioeconomic amenities and benefits dense urban living provides. Social nature Dense pedestrian oriented communities concentrate live, work, and play activities and programs within a convenient walking distance of people’s residences. Dense communities are considerably cheaper than low rise communities to construct, maintain, develop pedestrian oriented communities, and provide luxurious, comfortable, and efficient public transit systems. When designed and developed effectively, they can generate substantially increased economic productivity and innovation, social interactions, and wellbeing improvements, compared to low-rise communities. Lower density neighborhoods simply do not have the requisite resident, business, and social activity and spatial density to generate the necessary interconnections and interrelationships that these benefits depend on. A key driver of these benefits is the development of socioeconomic performance driven public spaces: high-quality public spaces that offer diverse formal and informal social activities and nature access, located adjacent to dense areas of housing and diverse civil, cultural, retail, dining, entertainment, and office spaces, such as the biome boulevard in Figure 2. These socioeconomic performance driven public spaces, when designed and programmed

effectively, function as socioeconomic incubator hubs: socioeconomic infrastructure that supports the development of vibrant socioeconomic corridors and districts that attract people, businesses, and development, by providing diverse socioeconomic resources and opportunities. People are inherently attracted to high quality nature spaces. Thus, when people visit high quality nature spaces within pedestrian oriented communities, via walking, bicycling, scooters, or public transit, they also increasingly and more directly visit the adjacent socioeconomic corridors, including retail and other commercial venues, compared to similar spaces in car dependent communities. This attraction increases the quantity and quality of social interactions of residents and visitors with both familiar and unfamiliar people, and local businesses. These interactions increase local residents’ familiarization with each other, improve people’s well-being and perceived safety, help form a close-knit community and sense of place for residents, increase local economic activity, and help foster local circular, sharing lifestyles and economic development. These chance encounters with new people that one doesn’t normally interact with are key innovation catalysts that spur economic development, improve work productivity and creativity, and foster new collaborations, startups, and diversified work opportunities. Yet these encounters are difficult to foster. Businesses generally cannot generate these profitable chance meetings within their buildings,

Figure 4. Interior jungle park integrated mixed use midrise building street view

I parks as these interactions depend on the provision of vibrant, easily accessible, and regularly visited public spaces that facilitiate diverse work and play activities and interactions amongst a dense population with diversified expertise, skillsets and interests (unless the business is located within a mixed-use building that includes a public park that incorporates diverse social activities and programs, such as in Figures 4 and 5. Recognizing these drivers of innovation, businesses are increasingly demanding office locations within dense, vibrant mixed-use pedestrian oriented communities with high quality public spaces and parks, and strong interconnections with universities and other R & D organizations. As more businesses and residents establish themselves within socioeconomic corridors, collaborations, productivity, sales, and innovations are increased. The socioeconomic success of parks depends

section. Through the provision and facilitation of diverse social activities and experiences within the ecoboulevard parkscape, and interconnecting the downtown with the local universities and regional transit hub via an efficient mobility corridor, social interactions and foot traffic along the neighboring buildings is increased, and locals and visitors are attracted to the park and adjacent businesses. Large scale parks allow for the design and development of diverse social space types, such as private, public, and semi-private group and individual social spaces within diverse nature space types, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. High quality small parks can increase pedestrianization rates by increasing the quality of pedestrian experiences, increase the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sense of place by developing unique community landmarks, and can incorporate technical infrastructure as a design feature, such as the potable water tank canyon alley park shown in Figure 7.

Figure 5. Interior view of building integrated jungle park

substantially on their design and the way they connect to the surrounding urban fabric. Figure 2 illustrates how a downtown 8 lane highway in Concepcion, Chile can be transformed into an eco-boulevard: a public park integrated pedestrian oriented mobility corridor that provides diverse natural environments and social spaces and activities for the local community, in ways that support and attract local business development and collaborations. The strategic development of ecoboulevards, with integrated 3-D parks, can be used to create desirable pedestrian friendly socioeconomic and mass transit corridors in cities that drive the socioeconomic development of communities, attract businesses, investors, and residents, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 6, and discussed in greater detail in the next

3-D parks A number of existing dense areas within UAE, such as downtown Abu Dhabi, are not pedestrian friendly. 6 or more road lanes divide adjacent blocks, block lengths are prohibitively long and unshaded, and fences on medians inhibit pedestrians from crossing streets except at block edges. Underground passageways radiate heat, collect vehicular pollution, and do not incorporate social or retail spaces. These areas can be considered stranded assets, as they are not capturing the substantial economic and social gains that high quality dense pedestrian communities generate, both for the local community and overall nation. The strategic development of threedimensional parks, including elevated walkways which shade the street level, can surmount and mitigate these

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I parks obstacles, whilst spurring socioeconomic investment and development, and generating resilient public mobility and socioeconomic corridors, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. 3-D parks are more cost, space, and resource efficient than single level urban park spaces. A greater quantity of people can use a three-dimensional park per unit land area, thereby requiring less land area and resources to provide the local population adequate park space than single level parks. The three-dimensional nature of these parks offers more social spaces, activities, perspectives, and play types and opportunities. The infusion of social activities, spaces, and vibrancy that they provide spurs densification, redevelopment, and investment in the local neighborhood. 3-D parks afford occupantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; access, views, interactions, program spaces, and circulation on multiple levels, often from unique perspectives and experiences that are not possible in single level parks, such as walking amidst or above a forest canopy, or lounging within a panoramic jungle cliffscape potable water tower that is overlooking the surrounding urban area (see Figure 2). Children can play vertically and on multiple levels, which adds new dimensions to games of hide and seek, capture the flag, etc. 3-D parks are more effective at reducing urban heat island effects and improving pedestrian thermal comfort.

Elevated park levels are more thermally and acoustically comfortable than ground level walkways within nonpedestrian friendly areas. Paved surfaces on the ground level are the largest contributors to urban heat island effect, and re-emit absorbed solar radiation to passersby. Elevated walkways avoid contact with these passive thermal heaters. Wind speeds increase with height, which increases thermal comfort. Elevated parks can provide pedestrian, cycling, and mass transit routes that bypass vehicular roads. Elevated parks can support mass transit corridors, both by providing coupled investment opportunities as components of socioeconomic mobility corridors, and helping attract the critical density of businesses and residents needed to efficiently operate the mobility system. Metro stops can be designed as park landmarks and integrated with sociotechnical infrastructure, thereby minimizing costs, such as the jungle cliffscape potable water tank in Figure 2. Metro stops can also be integrated into park adjacent mixed-use buildings, thereby reducing costs for the building and mobility system operators, while increasing building foot traffic for businesses. The structural supports for the walkways can integrate a mass transit system, such as cable cars, reducing overall infrastructure costs.

Figure 6. Concepcion, Chile sustainable densification strategic master plan

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Technical infrastructure integrated public parks The incorporation of municipal technical infrastructure into urban park designs provides diverse socioeconomic performance design opportunities, including reducing infrastructure costs, resource consumption, and integrating natural stimuli into urban areas. District scale potable water storage tanks can substantially reduce municipal energy consumption and improve the immersive experience of 3-D parks, as their size and design can physically and visually engage occupants at multiple levels. They can be designed as district landmarks, which can function as fascinating wayfinding and vertical circulation devices that increase interest and ease of use of mass transit systems. The cost of vertical circulation is thereby shared, and adventurous, engaging circulation and social opportunities are created, such as private waterfall adjacent lounge spaces and a public jungle terrace on the tank roof with a panoramic view of the surrounding urban area, horizon, and park canopy, as illustrated in Figure 2. These physical and social connections contribute to social vibrancy and help foster a deep sense of place and valuation of the local community.

Water storage tanks can be designed in a biophilic manner, such as the vegetation integrated cliffscape in Figure 2, in order to contribute to the perception of the park as a natural environment, support and attract biodiversity, and promote occupant well-being. Depending on their scale and design, they can help foster a sense of miniaturization, wherein ground level park space occupants perceive their relatively small size compared to the scale of the large tank extending into the horizon, similar to the effects of expansive underground caverns. This effect reduces peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stress, promotes creative thinking, and fosters a sense of place and identity for the local community. The integration of water storage infrastructure within buildings, such as tank integrated external walls and open water storage floor assemblies, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, can be designed to provide high quality interior park spaces, which are particularly relevant within high temperature climate contexts such as the UAE. The integration of water infrastructure tanks into buildings allows building and infrastructure costs to be shared, such as the water tank functioning as part of the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s external wall in Figures 8 and 9. Water infrastructure

I parks

Figure 9. Water system diagram of external wall integrated potable water storage tanks

provides unique design opportunities, such as locating an open-air tank below the floor water storage pool to provide occupants an engaging, deep view of the quantities of water they consume, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. In this design, reflections, water circulation, light, and concrete are detailed in a way that creates an immersive, relaxing environment for occupants, thereby attracting occupants, reducing their stress, and promoting social interactions. The integration of technical infrastructure into park designs offers unique design and socioeconomic performance opportunities that can substantially enhance the vibrancy of communities.

Figure 8. External wall integrated potable water storage tanks and atrium public park

Conclusion The strategic development of socioeconomic performance driven parks within existing dense, non pedestrian oriented areas within the UAE, can substantially improve their socioeconomic performance and vibrancy, reduce municipal costs, and provide opportunities to create effective mass transit solutions that reduce pollution and overcrowding, while spurring economic development, social vibrancy, effective public transport, and improving residential well-being. Moreover, this discussion demonstrates the value of developing higher density, pedestrian oriented planning requirements that entail socioeconomic performance objectives and design strategies for new developments within the UAE, in order to capture the diverse socioeconomic benefits they can provide, and avoid the negative impacts of the current low rise development models on the UAEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic development and residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wellbeing. Socioeconomic performance driven park designs can generate unique and innovative design opportunities that function as key drivers of substantially increasing and expanding the socioeconomic performance and vibrancy of communities, and can provide the means to achieve difficult aspirational project objectives, such as circular economies and sustainable and highly livable communities.

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Wasit Wetland Centre is a Beacon of Conservation A former waste dumping ground in Sharjah has had its indigenous ecosystem restored and is proving popular with visitors who come to learn about their natural environment. By: X-Architects

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Wasit Natural Reserve was originally a waste-water and rubbish dump. The rehabilitation process of the damaged eco-system started in 2005, 40,000m2 of rubbish removed, 35,000 trees been re-planted, healing the land from toxic chemicals and conservation of the unique salt flats and costal sand dunes. After years of efforts to bring the nonmigratory birds back to the site, WNR is now home to 350 species of birds, a landing zone for 33,000 migrate birds, and a breathing lung to Sharjah.

Part of a much larger initiative by Sharjah’s Environment and Protected Areas Agency to clean up and rehabilitate this ancient chain of wetlands along the Persian Gulf coast, the Wasit Wetland Centre aims to supply information and education about this unique environment and to encourage its preservation. In designing the visitor centre, the architects took advantage of the site’s natural topography to minimise its visual impact by making it appear submerged into the ground. Visitors descend a ramp to arrive at an angled intersection between two linear elements of the building: one, to the sides, containing services and administrative offices; the other, ahead, a long viewing gallery flanked by aviaries where birds can be seen in their natural habitat. At the far end of the viewing gallery, a third linear element, running perpendicular, houses a café and multipurpose space with views out over the open wetlands. A cantilevered steel truss roof over the viewing gallery avoids the need for peripheral columns, allowing seamless glazed façades. The interior is deliberately minimalistic throughout, placing the

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full focus on the surrounding nature: informative displays are the only adornment on the supporting central wall. The façade glazing is slightly tilted, to enhance reflections of the landscape for the birds while minimising reflections for people looking out. The floor being lower than the ground outside, a continuous concrete sill provides a place to sit and contemplate birds at their level. To counter the very hot desert climate, the roof is well insulated and the glass is shaded by its overhang. Some fabric shading is also provided over the aviaries. Rainwater harvested from the roof is discreetly directed to specific areas of the landscape via carefully placed spouts that are camouflaged by landscape elements. Six bird hides scattered around a lake created in the middle of a 200,000m2 site follow a unified aesthetic but are each individually designed for their context, and employ some recycled wood and plastic in their construction, reinforcing the ecological message. What had become a waste dumping ground has had its indigenous ecosystem restored, and is proving a popular place for visitors to appreciate and learn about their natural environment. Jury Citation The Wasit Wetland Centre stands out as a remarkable, indeed unique, collaborative project combining architectural excellence with a deep commitment to ecological imperatives. It also achieves highly commendable educational and recreational purposes. Less than four years after its completion, a large number of local visitors, especially schoolchildren, attests to the project’s overall success and its positive impact in a broader social context.

Perhaps some of the most striking and exemplary aspects of the project are to be found in its most unconventional virtues. Architecturally speaking, it is intent on disappearing from sight. It merges into the natural environment in ways that respect the site’s integrity – a wonderful way of reminding us that architectural merit resides more and more on a structure’s capacity to blend into an environment rather than challenge it. Likewise, the project’s major contribution to its urban environment is in its reclamation of close to 20 acres of former wasteland by diverting it from the temptations of real estate development and valorizing it as a form of natural capital. In doing so, the Project sets a powerful precedent that encourages low-impact and environmentally conscious development in a region known for its propensity to go in the opposite direction.

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I Residential Landscape Location: Durrat Al Bahrain, the third largest artificial island in Bahrain after Northern City and Diyar Al Muharraq Islands. It lies 40.5 km south of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island. Project: A weekend retreat for a local Bahraini family and their friends to rejuvenate after a long week at work. Client Brief: Create a modern landscape with a connection to Arabic culture and art. The client enjoyed entertaining and having guests over regularly, the brief was to also provide areas of relaxation and function whilst maintaining the views to the waterfront.

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I wanted to create a space that had clean lines and was linear in form and was complemented with architectural planting with various textures and shades of green. Having a range of experience through the space was very important as choice is something that caters to your mood. Mashrabiya walls and pool- The mashrabiya walls were the highlight of the space and gave a dramatic yet calming effect to the space, cascading sounds of water can be heard inside the villa even when the doors are closed so the interior lounge space had a pleasant feel to it. At night, the walls would become more sculptural pieces of art with gradient lighting which would emphasize further the strong pattern and stand out amongst the green climbers and backdrop of lush planting. Water feature at raised wooded deck- the water feature at the raised wooden deck was designed to work with all the landscape elements Â and provides subtle sounds as the water cascades quite gently, this feature also defines the edge of the seating space, giving you a reason to spend more time in relaxation and enjoy the views out to the waterfront BBQ and Bar area- was the perfect space to entertain guests and again was located to right side of the landscape not to disturb the views and was also conveniently located near the seating space for easy access, Planting was used behind the bar to have a nice contrast with clean surface materials. slight changes in material colour of the bar cladding made it stand out next to other landscape elements.

I Residential Landscape

Planting strategy: I wanted to use architectural planting and plants that would look good all year round and with low maintenance. Planting was used at the wall boundaries to soften the edges and frame the landscape, palms were used for shade and strong vertical elements as I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want a flat landscape. Low level planting was used at the villa entry to the sides of the pathway to give an inviting feel. Lighting solutions The lighting would also play a major role in transforming the space in the evening. Some of the landscape elements and details would only come to life at night and create shadows, patterns and reflections. Subtle lighting was used to highlight key areas and focal points throughout the space. The mashrabiya walls were the main feature at night and provided a gradient effect of lighting and worked well around pool and highlighted seating spaces. linear lighting was used on steps and the building faĂ§ade which complemented the overall design language in the landscape. Water features come to life at night as the cascading water was highlighted further to emphasise the moving water. Using the correct light in the right way will make the architectural elements stand out. We used warm white lights for the majority of the landscape. Views The views out were spectacular so I decided to have palm trees and planting on the sides of the space these would also help frame the views and I wanted to give the views a lot of attention

so I created a very long stretch of stepping stones that would direct you to the waterfront from the villa entry. Seating areas were located near the waterfront edge and elevated to maximise the viewing and create a very scenic space surrounded by greenery, again this was all about escaping from the harsh urban environment. Green walls and grass strips Green walls were used to add colour and texture on the building facades and to break down the large areas of hardscape and again to provide interesting views out from the lounge and majlis areas. Grass strips were laid between the paving areas and also reflecting the green walls along the horizontal planes of the paving. Materials As the building was white in colour we decided on various shades of grey and beige for the cladding and paving materials to complement the architecture and provide a space that looks both modern and sophisticated. Wall cladding was a darker shade of the paving material so they would pop in the landscape. Project Conclusion: we created a modern landscape oasis that can be enjoyed any time of the week and any time of the day, we look forward to sharing more of our Luxury Villas and Landscape Design in the very near future. Land Art Studio are currently working on various projects in the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Africa, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with our extensive experience in the Middle East we provide you with the best in Creative Design.

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35 11 11

I plants

Why

Heirloom are trending Heirloom vegetables, herbs, and flowers are having a moment right now! Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find them in most top restaurants and sitting supreme in your local market but theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not a new thing- in fact theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to us from the past. What are they and what do they mean for our health? By: Keith Culhane

Executive Director Lakeyards Landscaping and Pools Dubai, UAE

The seeds are what make an heirloom tomato an heirloom tomato. They are passed down from season to season, taken by the farmers from the tomato plants that produced the best fruit. The seeds are open-pollinated, meaning they rely on pollination from insects or the wind. Usually, heirloom plants are grown using traditional techniques, and are raised from

seeds that are at least fifty years old, but many are hundreds, and a few are thousands of years old. This means that they have either never been hybridized by man, or the variety has been known, unchanged, for at least fifty years. Why should we care how old a plant is, or whether or not man has hybridized it? Besides, say the pleasure of eating

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Are they offered for their taste, their aroma, their suitability for eating raw or for cooking? No. Their primary value, to those selling them, is that they have thick skin (so they’ll travel well) slow to ripen (so they can be sold for a longer time) and uniformity (so people will get the same thing each time they buy). If you’ve ever eaten a “home grown” tomato you have probably experienced the enormous difference between a commercially hybridized tomato and an heirloom tomato. You are surprised by the fragrance, the meatiness. You might be fascinated by the earthiness of its non-perfect shape, the vibrancy of its color, the way it looks like it came, not from a production line, but from nature. something that’s exactly the same as our ancestors ate a sort of epicurean visit to the past? There are a number of very important reasons, for ourselves for our children, and for our planet: Heirloom plants are the opposite of GMO (genetically modified organisms) plants. They are from a “wild” stock, which means they naturally adapted to the living conditions where they grow. They did not need pesticides, hormones, chemically induced resistance to insects or the weather in fact, no interference or “help” from man in any way. GMO plants have been artificially modified by man to become, in some way or other, more efficient, and therefore more profitable, for the person selling the food. An heirloom vegetable, flower, or herb is completely free of any artificial modification, adapted naturally to its environment, and a pure creation of nature. This makes it easier to grow in that environment, hardier, with natural disease and insect resistance, able to reproduce naturally, there are no sterile heirlooms and usually, because it needs no extra care or chemicals, cheaper and more fruitful. It is also part of a naturally occurring ecosystem, think strawberries in the forest. Most of the vegetables, herbs, grains, and cut flowers we consume or use are grown commercially. If they are not GMO plants, they are almost always hybrids. Hybrids are plants selected by man and artificially crossed under controlled, not natural conditions to produce desirable (for the person doing the hybridizing) traits. These traits, in flowers, is often longer lasting blooms, or larger flowers. In herbs, it is usually larger size and greater yield. In vegetables, hybridizers seek disease and insect resistance, greater yield, and most importantly, the ability to travel and be stored with minimal spoilage.

A gift from the earth. But this is only the beginning. You bite into it, and the rich, full-bodied tomato taste is so different from the watery, weak flavor of a store-bought hybrid. Rather than a simple act of refueling, eating this tomato is an act of pleasure that elevates eating to a form of art. The bounty of the land, fruitful, ambrosia, have you ever said that about a tomato you bought in a supermarket? But these are the feelings and thoughts that natural foods have evoked for tens of thousands of years in every civilization around the world. Should we not experience the same joy of life in eating? Or are we willing to forgo one of life’s most basic pleasures, the enjoyment of food just to pay a little less or to allow someone making money to limit our choices to maximize their profit? This analogy goes for all vegetables across the board. If vegetables (I include in that term grains and fruits) are the foundation of our human food chain, then what better way to preserve them than by growing and using all of the wondrous varieties found in nature, rather than the few found in laboratories. And of course, there is the danger. Most of the corn grown in the United States comes from four different varieties. These four corn varieties rely heavily on chemicals produced by man to survive and produce: herbicides to kill weeds that compete for nutrients and water, pesticides to kill insects that would eat or damage the corn, and fertilizers to maximize growth, often at the expense of beneficial soil organisms. If a weed, insect, or disease evolves a resistance to these chemicals of even one of these varieties, then one quarter of our corn could be destroyed. Imagine what would happen if a disease or insect evolved that was impervious to any existing pesticide chemical and fed on corn.

What does this do to taste, texture, nutritional value, and esthetics? Let’s use the tomato as an example. It is widely used, well known, and grown all over the world. At the market, (not a farmer’s market, but a store) you might find three varieties.

What can we do to insure that this scenario never happens? Some would tell you that scientists will always be able to make effective pesticides which, of course, we then eat when we eat corn, or anything fed on corn. Putting ever more powerful pesticides into the food chain is certainly not an ideal solution. Others might say that we can always develop a new variety

I plants of corn that will be resistant to any disease or insect. But how is that done? How do disease or insect resistant hybrids come about? Where do they come from? A lab? No. We turn, of course, to nature. Plants are “hybridized” by breeding one species of plant with another, this is done to get unique flowers, for instance, double zinnias, for example and is done naturally, by evolution, or unnaturally, by man, under controlled conditions. ‘When cross-pollination occurs in nature, the characteristics that most contribute to the plant’s survival and ability to reproduce are the traits that are carried on into subsequent generations. When man does it, he is looking for specific traits that will change the structure of the plant in a way that he wants, not what is best for the plant to survive and reproduce. As mentioned above, dieses and pest resistance, size, thick skin and slow ripening for transportation and sale are very common attributes bred into vegetables. However, in adding some traits others are lost. Iceberg roses, for example, have ben bred to have almost no thorns and bloom nearly all year. But they have no fragrance. That’s how hybrids are produced: a cross between two different species or varieties of the same species. But what about these species? Well, they are dying out. All over the world, every single day. Plant seeds that are not commercially grown, have fallen out of fashion, or simply not known are disappearing forever as the parent plants disappear. Therein lies the danger to mankind: what happens when we run out of food-crop species to hybridize? What if the genetic material for, say, resistance to a disease that has not yet evolved and they are evolving every moment dies out and the disease attacks our crops? There is hope. And, if we continue to evolve our lifestyles, that hope is growing, and the danger of a food crop disaster of global proportions can lessen. Around the world countries and organizations have built and stocked Gene Banks seed storage facilities to house and preserve rare and endangered plant seeds, especially

food crops, herbs, and plants of possible or proven medical value. However this does not work for all plants, as some have “recalcitrant” seeds that cannot survive the drying or freezing needed to preserve them. This includes some rare species of trees, and even some common ones such as mangoes and other tropical fruits. These Gene or Seed Banks are located in developed countries such as the U.S., Canada, and Sweden. They are expensive to maintain, require electrical power, and the seeds contained therein must be periodically replanted to maintain their viability. Unfortunately, they are not located in third world countries where most of the plant biodiversity exists. Another way of preserving the diversity of plant species is to protect them “in-situ,” meaning protecting them where they grow naturally. This is being increasingly done (with varying degrees of success) around the world in natural parks, biodiversity preserves, and on private land. A growing interest in heirloom plants in Europe and North America has led to a proliferation of public and private seed libraries. These are organizations, some of which are non-profit, which you can join to exchange heirloom seeds for little or no money, with the idea being that people growing heirlooms in their own gardens will keep those seed varieties from dying out. Commercial seed companies are now joining in with the small specialists producers and offering heirloom seeds. Regional botanic gardens in the U.S. and elsewhere often grow heirloom varieties of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and even fruit trees which are offered at fall or spring sales and their popularity is increasing. Farmers markets have long offered locally grown varieties where transport was eclipsed by the taste, and they now label their heirlooms as such. All of these alternatives to GMO’s and less flavorful commercial varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruits is a healthy trend for all of us. What can you do for yourself, your children, and the world? Buy heirloom seeds, or join a seed-savers group. Grow them in your garden. Enjoy the bounty and share the seed. Shop at farmer’s markets, they grow what you buy. Join and visit botanical gardens, your support allows them to preserve and grow rare and endangered plants. Bring your kids, and your grandkids. It’s fascinating and what they see and learn is important for the future of us all. Lastly, there is a human connection here. Seek out a relative or friend who has grown a favorite vegetable or flower variety for many years. They would probably be delighted to tell you all about it. Ask for some seeds. And keep the memories alive for the next generation.

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I RESTORATION

Sustainable Landscape Refurbishment – A Change Initiative By: Mrs. Jigyasa Balachander, M.Phil., M. Arch., B. Arch. Founder and Managing Director, Auraa Landscaping LLC Landscape refurbishment is a sustainable solution to save environmental pollution by reducing waste and conserving material by maintaining them with eco – friendly practices. “Maintenance pays big dividends” having this in mind, together we can add positive points to eco budget, which in turn can become a huge saving – every small initiative matters and is accountable. As we know landscape is dynamic (changes with time and space) and natural processes are closely associated with it, landscape refurbishment is a way to monitor, record, analyze and respond on time to preserve the environment. Dynamism may affect the character and appearance of landscapes as living entities will show growth like softscape elements (trees, shrubs, grass), and hardscape materials (stones, cladding) gets aged and fade. Another factor affecting landscape dynamism over the course of time is the weather

and environmental pollution - a result of land and atmosphere interaction. Sofitel Dubai The Palm is the best project to have all these landscape solutions integrated into its sustainable design keeping the original design concept- Polynesian Theme, intact. Recently we completed landscape refurbishment of roundabout works, which involved installation of concrete paver having only natural stone accents to reduce the quantity of natural stone. During refurbishment work we observed that at Sofitel Dubai, The Palm focus is on encouragement to practices which are energy efficient in terms of water usage and lighting accessories. They do have a well monitored and calculated waste management program. We had an opportunity to witness teamwork and hardwork involved to achieve goal of this program.

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Images indicating patterns evolved as derivative of Polynesian pattern â&#x20AC;&#x201C; wise usage and integration of materials

I RESTORATION Other ecofriendly and sustainable materials/system used on this project which withstand dynamism are artistic plastered work to the walls, artificial rockworks integrated with waterfalls and streams to mimic the Polynesian Theme. All these materials can be accounted in the list of GREEN materials.

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Concrete is an old building material which is researched and upgraded to make it an environmental friendly GREEN material. Alternative materials available in landscape industry which are reusable and recyclable are wood and plastic composite floor (WPC), rubber safety floors, artificial stones and synthetic mulches. A landscape work driven by the principals of sustainable materials management will include life cycle design of a product. Below is an illustration for the same: Practicing GREEN materials will result in saving of Natural resources which eventually will help balancing our environmental economic budget. Life cycle design â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sustainable material management is predicted on life cycle design which is a process for identifying the positive and negative impacts of the life cycle of material as they are produced and consumed in an economy. Source: Article â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sustainable material management (greenblue.org)

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I trees

John A. Davies, an avid Landscape reader, explains his love for trees and how we can save them with various case studies 44

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HOW TO SAVE A DYING TREE Some members of the ficus or fig family, owing to their tendency to produce aerial roots from their branches, as shown below, lend themselves to â&#x20AC;&#x153;pole planting,â&#x20AC;? a term which involves growing a tree from a branch cutting.

A venerable specimen of Ficus benghalensis or Banyan tree with aerial roots In India there are forests which may be traced to a single banyan tree.

This method of propagation came to my notice many years ago in a newsletter from Men of The Trees. The procedure entails sawing off, just below a node on the nearside of the trunk, a branch approximately 2m in length, removing side shoots as necessary leaving a leader, applying rooting hormone to the sawn-off part; that is, the branch cutting then planting it followed by regular watering. Before long roots emerge from the node, thereby establishing the basis for the cutting to grow into an attractive nursery standard tree.

Standard Nursery Trees - Ficus infectoria

The middle image does not indicate that the trees were grown from branch cuttings, but simply to show the appearance of standard nursery trees. As a cautionary note however, and this applies to pruning ficus trees generally, it is wise to make sure that the wound on the parent tree resulting from taking the branch cutting is treated with a wound dressing as a precaution against air-borne pathogens which could infect an open wound. A case in point was an incident involving the pruning of a large mature specimen of Ficus retusa nitida, see left image.

The Ficus retusa nitida before pruning

I trees A few days after pruning the tree, it died after being infected by Phomopsis and Sooty canker. This incident highlighted the myth that tree wounds should not be dressed A major factor in the demise of the tree was the removal of a large branch which caused a massive shock to the system, severely weakening it so that it was unable to withstand Phomopsis and its consort. On a positive note the dead Ficus retusa was replaced with a specimen of Delonix regia, the Flame tree or Gulmohar. Ficus retusa nitida having entirely succumbed; the black patches being the Sooty Canker

Just as we, generally speaking love trees, so do trees love us; this was impressed upon me some time ago when we were involved with a project in Mumbai; trees seemed to be everywhere and growing in the most unlikely places – places where a landscape professional would never dream of planting a tree, but there they were. While many had been planted by human hands, others had developed from wind-sown seeds rather like the banyan seedling growing at the foot his front door steps that Jean – Claude had mentioned in an article for Landscape Middle East entitled The Faux Friends). Regrettably, buildings and trees may by now have been swept away owing to redevelopment; however, a flavour of the love and kindness I encountered through trees in that particular organic situation may be gleaned from the image below. The tree, which appears to be Ficus religiosa or Sacred fig, is likely one which had expressed its kindness towards me while I was in Mumbai; and even from the image one can sense its love for humanity as it awaits its fate at the hands of the axe men; this despite the desperate embrace of the lady as she pleads for its life.

Lady pleading for the life of the tree Ladies are in forefront of movements dedicated to saving trees

Delonix regia or Flame tree

Image of the Banyan seedling at the foot of Jean-Claude Melone’s front door steps

Since John Claude Melone’s inspirational plea in the May 2019 issue of Landscape to save mankind through the preservation and planting of trees, it has been extremely heartening to discover that there are many bodies, including local community groups dedicated to this purpose. These include the Grass Roots Movement in Mumbai as reflected in the above image, also the Green Kanha Movement; and the Sheffield Tree Action Group discussed below, though there are likely many more. However, while it was encouraging to come across The Sheffield Tree Action Groups, it was saddening to learn of the groups’ founding, for it had been formed after residents discovered, in a shocking manner, that Sheffield City Council, in the interests of development, intended to remove 17,500 of the city’s mature trees (half the city’s trees!), regardless of whether they were healthy or not. This without consulting the residents; the first they knew about it was being violently woken up in the dead of night, being bundled into vehicles and taken to a hotel for the night, returning to their homes the next day to be met by a scene of horror, all the trees (healthy trees) in their street having been cut down.

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It was a duplicitous act, for obviously the council were acutely aware of the strong emotional bond between people and trees, hence moving in at night. A resident described the Council’s agents as Nazi guards. A better name would have been Einsatzgruppen, for it was genocide! On the bright side, the Sheffield Tree Action Group so far have saved 6000 trees simply by calling upon the services of experts, and for every tree cut down the contractor, as part of his contract, is required to replace it with a sapling. However, it will take decades for such saplings to grow into the beautiful forms of the elms illustrated above right.

The threat to forests natural or urban also applies to the creatures which inhabit the forests, the Mumbai project mentioned earlier Beautiful Elm Trees coming to mind; for an area of woodland on the site had been preserved as it served a migratory home for White Cranes which are losing habitat. They were in residence at the time of my visit, flying from one tree to another, hopping and squawking amongst the branches, making to my ears an awful noise, yet the birds themselves seemed ecstatically happy, which was the important thing. Again, I did not have my camera with me, though the image below, though not mine, conveys the character of the scene. White cranes

A small shrine dedicated to the founder of the textile complex which had previously occupied the site stood amongst the trees and I offered him a small prayer of thanks for the preservation of the trees and their status as a reserve for the cranes. The whole of Nature, including ourselves, is an intimately connected ecosystem, each element representing an integral and critical part of the whole. Jean-Claude Melone’s plea could be interpreted as

a call from the soul of the world, Anima mundi, the Divine Feminine, yearning for the healing of her plundered and ravished body; for, to quote Chris Maser: “What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” Image credits: Green Khana Movement, Desert Group, J.A. Davies, Jean-Claude Melone, Grass Roots Movement, The Sheffield Tree Action Groups.

I roof garden

A private rooftop garden in a residential property in Jeddah KSA.

Benefits of a Rooftop Garden By: AFKAR

In some countries in Europe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now mandatory to have a partly green rooftop garden in all new commercial and residential buildings. But why have rooftop gardens become so popular and what do you need to know before you start planting one? They look good, they improve air quality and reduce overall heat but rooftop gardens need to be properly installed if they are to be effective in the long-term. Before you get carried away and start buying plants and seeds, take the advice of our experts at AFKAR: Know the scope of your project: The first step is to know the scope of your project. While it could be long term or short term or both, know what you want from a garden. Some homeowners want to let nature into their house, while others want a rooftop garden because it is pretty. Depending on how you are going to use your garden, you can formulate your next steps. Choose vegetables/herbs to grow: You should utilize your roof garden to grow small shrubs as well

as vegetables. There are various tools online which you could use to make a blueprint of your roof garden. With the help of a garden planner tool, you can choose the design of the garden, where you should place veggies and where the irrigation system should be. Irrigation System: Irrigation remains the biggest problem of any roof garden. Water is necessary for plants to survive and grow. At the same time, having an irrigation system on the top of your roof could cause dampness, moisture marks or peeling on the inner areas of your ceiling. Therefore, consult with an agent who can help you decide the location of the irrigation system. Sunlight and air: Sunlight and air remain fundamental factors for any plant to grow. Therefore, you should place your roof garden where there is adequate sunlight and air. Place plants at a distance from each other so that they do not have to struggle for sunlight and air. This will ensure healthy growth of the vegetables. Use similar plants in a square pallet: Different vegetables require different growing conditions. Therefore, to ensure healthy growth of vegetables, it is suggested that you grow similar crops/vegetables in the same square pallets. This will help you provide each crop with the optimal growing conditions.

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I urban development

a greener and more connected city A new urban highway and the adjacent system of pedestrian green spaces in Buenos Aires City By: Jimena Martignoni Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the country’s largest city and the second largest city in Latin America, with a total area of 200 square kilometers and almost 3 million people living in the city proper (13.5 million people in the metropolitan area). Originally founded on the western shores of the Río de La Plata (a river which stretches 220 kilometers where it meets the Atlantic Ocean), Buenos Aires has grown by claiming land from the river and also by concentrating urban growth in the extensive available plains located to the south, west and north of the original settlements and port.

The Central Area, which displays the country’s most important institutional, financial and cultural buildings, such as the Pink House (the official workplace of the president of Argentina), is adjacent to Madero Port (Puerto Madero), a 170 hectare-area which was fully developed during the 1990s. This piece of land adjacent to the river and a 350 hectare-Ecological Preserve was the object of a large urban transformation process which renovated the deactivated city’s first port and the adjacent abandoned areas; almost thirty years later Puerto Madero is one of the most completed,

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culturally diverse, visited and iconic districts of Buenos Aires. However, the lack of pedestrian connections with the central area and a fine vehicular connection with the rest of the city, especially in the north-south direction, was a problem never solved which grew stronger over time. In 2016 the National Government requested the funds (a loan covering up to 60% of the project’s total cost) from the Latin American Bank of Development and in 2017 started the redesign and construction of a new highway, connecting the north and south ends of the city’s central area. Now, a new seven kilometerlong highway runs below-grade along the western border of Madero Port and its four lanes are restricted to trucks and long-distance buses, generating a car-only avenue at ground-level and a new 10 hectare-system of pedestrian-oriented connections, promenades, plazas and green spaces in the Central Area. With the object of incorporating a coherent and contemporaneous layout to these new public spaces Madero Port Corporation (Corporación Puerto Madero:

the public–private partnership created in 1989 for the port area’s urbanization) carried out a previous comprehensive research and conceptual planning work which set the basis for a national call for designs. In 2017 the City Government, the Madero Port Corporation and the Central Society of Architects launched a national call for the redesign of these areas and for those making up the linear park adjacent to the new highway belowgrade, completing a total of new 20 hectares of green spaces in the most central areas of the city. Before the launch of this competition many steps had to be followed and important decisions had to be made by all institutions involved. In regard to land conversion, a new law passed by the City Legislature in 2017 established that the formerly anticipated Urban Renovation uses would be switched to Park uses. Also, the City’s Ministry of Urban Planning worked on the geometric redesign of some specific streets and physical aspects in the central area, the most determining being the reconfiguration of the curve which borders the Pink House’s gardens which allowed the creation of a pedestrian-only large promenade connecting north and south ends. The geometric redesign of this very significant space in the city meant also the relocation of the presidential helipad and the redistribution of some of the most important historic monuments and statues. Certainly, the most meaningful relocation was that of the Monument to South American heroine Juana Azurduy; located in the Pink House’s gardens since 2015, weighing up to 25 tons and 9 meter-high, this huge bronze sculpture is now resting on a 3 meter-high pedestal and positioned in the new plaza built in front of a historic and recently renovated Cultural Center. Standing alone and beautiful,

I urban development

now the figure of the female warrior can be fully appreciated by people walking by. These kinds of new urban situations, which accompany the implementation of the new highway and its adjacent spaces, are the result of the ideas proposed by the winning team of the aforementioned competition. This team anticipated a series of novel spaces which seek to 1) strengthen the pedestrian reconnection between the city’s Central Area, Puerto Madero and the riverfront (west-east direction) and, in turn, 2) implement a system of separate green pieces extending along the new highway (north-south direction), establishing a linear park with recreational and tourist purposes. In this sense, the most attractive idea of the team’s proposal, or at least the most successfully implemented and embraced by locals in their everyday lives, was the incorporation of a 60-meter wide staircase which negotiates the existing changes in elevation between the two affected areas of the city. Positioned right at the intersection of the west-east axis of the Pink House and the north-south axis of Puerto Madero and the new highway, this large staircase and upper promenade now offer not only a natural connection for pedestrians but also a grand belvedere-like situation, creating new vistas that open up to the docks, the marinas and the distant skyscrapers. This large stairs are also lined up with the Woman’s Bridge (Puente de la Mujer), the iconic footbridge of sleek and elegantly curved lines, designed by the globally renowned architect Santiago Calatrava (2001).

This very large urban transformation, whose first stages were just completed and whose last are slated for completion at the end of this year, has utterly changed the dynamics of a vital area in the city. The acceptance with which locals have responded to the big changes and the delight with which tourist walk the new areas prove how necessary the interconnection of spaces and generation of pedestrian-friendly and green designs were in this central area of the city. The inclusion of extensive planted areas exhibiting only native species, the preservation of large existing trees which are another local landmark in Buenos Aires and the construction of new underground bus parking spaces which at ground level appear as small plazas and green spaces are all separate incorporations which make up one large integrative landscape plan. Today, the sum of all new and renovated pieces provides an institutional, dignified and symbolic setting for the governmental structures, museums and monuments in the central area and a fresh inviting design for the physical connection with Puerto Madero and the linear park by the new highway. Location: City of Buenos Aires, Argentina Date of Completion: First stage: August 2019 Area of the project: 20 hectares (finished: 10 hectares). National Competition’s First Prize and Project’s Consultants: Daniel Becker, Sergio Cavalli, Agustín Olivieri, Joan Marantz. Previous Research and Conceptual Planning: Corporación Puerto Madero, Project Managers: Marcela Suarez, Eduardo Albanese. Project Planning and Construction: Ministry of Transport and Urban Development (Minister F. Moccia) / Subsecretary of Planning: SS Carlos Colombo / Subsecretary of Projects: SS Álvaro García Resta, Director: Martin Torrado / Subsecretary of Site Works: SS Marcelo Palacio, Director: Gabriel Rosales, Site’s Coordinator: Gustavo Ojeda Ton Project Documentation and Detail Design: General Direction of Architecture: R.Szraiber, N.Pinto Da Mota, S.Pietragalli, H.Sanchez, B.Belascoain, M.Menéndez, M.Cohen / Landscape Designers: G.Raffo, V.Nerome.

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Jouf Municipality (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Arabia

9/21/2019

10/20/2019

Agricultural Maintenance

Provision of Maintenance of Agricultural Nurseries.

Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs & Fish Resources - PAAFR (Kuwait)

Kuwait

492

8/2/2019

10/20/2019

Agriculture & Irrigation

Provision of work for Execution, Development and Maintenance of Aesthetic Agricultures and Irrigation.

Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs & Fish Resources - PAAFR (Kuwait)

Kuwait

3279

7/26/2019

10/20/2019

Landscape & Irrigation

Provision of work for Landscape and Irrigation Maintenance for HMC for Three (3) Years.

Hamad Medical Corporation (Qatar)

Qatar

9/20/2019

10/17/2019

Works Maintenance

Provision of work for Maintenance Works of Soft and Hard Landscaping in Suhar 2020, Zone B.

Sohar Municipality (Oman)

Oman

156

9/18/2019

10/17/2019

Works Maintenance

Provision of work for Maintenance Works of Soft and Hard Landscaping.

Sohar Municipality (Oman)

Oman

156

9/18/2019

10/17/2019

Gardens Maintenance

Provision of Planting and Maintenance of Gardens of Facilities of the Ministry of HealthFarwaniya- Jahra- Capital (Group 2).

Ministry of Health (Kuwait)

Kuwait

9/11/2019

10/15/2019

Landscaping & Irrigation

Provision of work for Annual Maintenance of Landscaping, Irrigation and Associated Works.

Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment & Water Resources (Oman)

Oman

9/27/2019

10/9/2019

Maintaining Landscapes

Provision of Maintaining the Landscapes (Garden Schwan Valley Ben Hashbl) Project.

Aseer Municipality (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Arabia

10/1/2019

10/8/2019

Household Sanitation

Provision of Project to Implement Household Sanitation Connections to Connect Network-Based Properties.

Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Arabia

8/27/2019

10/7/2019

Tender Name

Description

Client

Region

Agriculture Maintenance

Provision of work for Execution and Maintenance of Agriculture at Kuwait International Airport.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (Kuwait)

Kuwait

Gardens & Irrigation

Provision of Agricultural Manpower Specialized in Production in the Agricultural Nurseries and Maintenance of Gardens and Irrigation Networks

Ministry of Defence (Kuwait)

Kuwait

Plantings Care

Providing of Care

Council of Administrative Affairs for the Judiciary (Oman)

Restoration Plant Cover

Provision of work for Restoration of Plant Cover in Khayari Al Awazem Reserve (One of the Projects of Rehabilitation of the Kuwaiti Environment).

Plant Cover

Tender Cost (USD)

133

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