城市绿洲 · Ras Al Khaimah 公园的有机设计

Urban OasisLocation: Ras Al Khaimah masterplan, UAEClient: Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority, RakeenCollaborators: OMA, Rotterdam, NLScope of work: biodiverse, shaded green zones and cooling airflows as major focus. Includes sports & play areas, intimate patio gardens. Outside the city’s defined boundaries, tree and shrub formations protect against wind and sand storms.Date: 2006 - 2007Size: total city of approx. 120 haThe parklands refer to the areas of urban public space in the square shaped Gateway City, which have the lowest building density, and as a result the highest density of vegetation. These green zones were developed along the principles that are inherent to the site’s topography, thus creating two organically shaped parks that counteract the city’s geometrical organization. The low points foster the only existing vegetation. The majority of the site is arid or semi-arid and the ridge forms a natural boundary to the parklands. Therefore, the parklands will have distinct vegetation species that follow the changes in height across the area: from lush in the lowest zones, to semi-lush, semi-arid, and - at the highest levels - arid and ‘canyon’ gardens. The desert, although seemingly barren, in reality is rich in native species and plays a host to a variety of wildlife. The soil is rich in dormant seeds which will come to life with even conservative amounts of irrigation. The system of irrigation levels that we envision (from regular watering to none, following the system of green zones) will be the highlight of the parklands - a rare chance to see the desert in gradations of plant growth and bloom. The paths in the parks will cut through the different green conditions, leading the visitors through the various gardens to points of interest and to the cultural and leisure zones that both parks will offer. The paths are designed to bring the pedestrian visitor from one place of interest to the next within a maximum of 20 minutes. Vehicular roads will be placed and shaped to experience the park areas fully from various perspectives and at different speeds.Team Inside Outside: Petra Blaisse with Rosetta Sarah Elkin, Marieke vd Heuvel and Aura Luz MelisImages: © Inside Outside