Albeit better than neighboring Dubai’s skyline of what renowned architect Frank Gehry calls “cheap” and “anonymous” architecture, Abu Dhabi has grown into a dense urban environment with precious few green spaces. The municipality aims to rectify that, however, starting with a 19,000 square foot green-roofed “urban oasis.”
The Abu Dhabi Municipality is actively seeking bids from the private sector to build a massive mixed-use building with a green roof for a particularly dense section of the city.
Slated for a block within the perimeter set by Hamdan and Khalifa Streets as well as Muroor Road and Street 10, according to The National, the new facility is designed to provide the 13,000 residents in the area a space for outdoor recreation and leisure facilities.
They’ll also be able to buy stuff and park their cars in a multi-level lot, which defeats the spirit of the place somewhat. Nonetheless, a large green roof will be a boon for the city for a variety of reasons.
In addition to absorbing carbon emissions, green roofs provide insulation and a habitat for birds, insects and other creatures.
Also, though Abu Dhabi doesn’t have much rain, green roofs control harmful rainwater runoff (in cities, when rainwater isn’t able to seep into the ground as it is supposed to, it collects all the muck on the streets as it charts its natural course to the nearest waterways.)
The Abu Dhabi municipality envisions this project as a two-phase development that will be built and owned by the winning bidder, and it is just the first in a series planned for the city.
With this new “urban oasis,” the city hopes to boost its image and improve quality of life for its residents, The National wrote.
It should also help to reduce traffic congestion, so the theory goes, as a result of all the extra parking spaces.
Rashed Al Omaira, who acts as an investment adviser to the city, told the paper that the project will “provide a wide range of facilities in a constrained and highly populated location.”
In so doing, residents won’t have to drive around too much. They will be able to take care of several chores and have fun in one central location while their cars are parked in the shade of a concrete lot.
:: The National
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Is there any chance that those people use their brains? Green roofs are constructed in rainy regions. It is a sustainable idea to mainly reduce and slow down stormwater runoff. Are they going now to install a Golf Course Lawn on the roof and call it sustainable ? nonsense…
Dude what ever it is… It still increases the oxygen amount and reduce the pollution caused by the automobile and it also cools down the temperature inside the building.. It acts as an insulation buh the only problem is that the initial cost is really high due to different layers involved