RMJM masterplans new city, Pakistan

The Dubai studio of RMJM has unveiled an ambitious masterplan for a new city near Karachi in Pakistan.

Situated 50km from Karachi, DHA City is said to be a ’21st Century model city’ for the country.

Located on a 11,640-acre rural site.

The masterplan consists of 50,000 residential and commercial plots, specialised healthcare and higher education institutes, theme parks, a convention centre, informal and formal sports and recreation facilities and resorts, retail and restaurants, along with all necessary community facilities.

 

Ziyad Mahmoud, associate at RMJM, said:” “The masterplan promotes the concept of mixed use residential sectors by creating multiple centres within them spreading facilities such as commerce, amenities and parks throughout these areas.

“The principle behind the masterplan is a group of self-sustaining cities within a city, with community amenities accessible to all residents within a 10 minute walk.

The downtown district will be defined by a car-free pedestrianised spine with tree-lined pathways, garden courtyards, water features and piazzas.

The entire masterplan approach is focused on sustainable design principles and these principles have been implemented across the entire city. A strategy has been laid out that looks at maintaining the ecological integrity of the site through the preservation and incorporation of prominent natural features that are integrated as green fingers and wind corridors.

Construction on the new city is expected to start in early 2012, commencing with primary infrastructures and facilities. Construction of the development will then progress in stages, with full completion expected by 2030.

RMJM won a design competition in August 2010 to undertake the master planning study. It partnered with Doxiadis and Osmani Associates, along with chief planner Professor Spiro Pollalis.

What is URBAN DESIGN

What is Urban Design?

Urban design is the process of arranging the physical setting for life in cities, towns and villages, in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It involves the design of buildings, groups of buildings, spaces and landscapes, and establishing the processes that make successful development possible. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has been linked to emergent disciplines such as landscape urbanism.

Urban plan for Russian city - Samara

BDP completes masterplan for Russian city

 

BDP has completed a masterplan study for Samara, the sixth largest city in Russia, providing the services of masterplanner, architect, landscape architect and sustainability consultant.
The Samara Center sits at the heart of the city and occupies 12 hectares of former industrial land.
Driven by the provision of 5,000 apartments, the scheme also contains a kindergarten, retail and leisure facilities, mid-rise office buildings plus a hotel and central administration building.
The masterplan involves a series of landscaped courtyards focusing on a central park, and the creation of two new civic spaces.
BDP was supported by WSP  and cost consultant Davis Langdon.

Doha TWIN TOWERS

DOHA TWIN TOWERS

This billowing twin tower project in Qatar was designed by GHD Global and is currently awaiting the go-ahead from an unnamed local developer. The scheme was designed to meet the client's target net floor area ratio of 398%.

Overall water consumption will be redused by 40% though the use of native plantation, water reducing fixtures, storm water re-use and grey water treatment strategies. The building also aims to produce 5% of its energy from renewable sources, such as photovoltaics, that are built into the shading system on the facade.

The Concept

The massing concept of the towers and podium is based on a series of dhows on choppy waters. The podium is designed to resemble sea waves, with two sloping ribbed forms reflecting water ripples, and will cotain commercial and retail spaces. Commenting on project challenges, Brendan Texeira, concept architect, added: "We were faced with stringent urban planning guidelines which limited not only the tower footprint, but also the podium and tower heights. The challeng was daunting."

            

THE SITE

The scheme is located in Lusail a new city that is being constructed 15km nort of Doha city centre. Situated at the first main street junction in the marina district, the  project will occupy one of the most prominent sites in Lusail.

A shading system, based on the Arabic mashrabiya, was devised through an analysis of shading patterns. This study also led to the provision of pedestrian connections with the marina boardwalk in order to animate the site.

Musheireb MEGA project, Doha, Qatar 2011

   

The construction of the Msheireb Downtown Doha project began in 2010 and the development will be completed in five phases through 2016. 

MSHEIREB PROPERTIES’s first project, ‘Musheireb’, is a 35-hectare site which will transform the architectural centre of the capital city, recreating a way of living that is rooted in Qatari culture. This project will be recognised worldwide as defining a new architectural language for the 21st century.

The Musheireb project is the culmination of many months of research and collaboration between some of the world’s brightest planners and architects to find a way to express the rich architectural heritage of Qatar in a new and innovative manner, relevant to the way people live today. Below we look at the new architectural language developed by MSHEIREB PROPERTIES for Musheireb, as its first signature project. Qatar has a rich architectural history. MSHEIREB PROPERTIES’s new architectural language draws inspiration from our ancestors, who built structures that respected the topography of the region, made the best use of local natural resources and encouraged community living. The primary consideration of Musheireb is to build places that work with Qatar’s unique environment and culture. MSHEIREB PROPERTIES has completed a comprehensive study on what makes that Qatari architecture distinct and has developed a new vernacular for Doha’s future projects. In the Musheireb, MSHEIREB PROPERTIES will build sustainable, innovative communities that enrich our individual lives, promote environmentally friendly living, and rediscover the heritage and culture that makes a place unique. The project Masterplan observes a series of sustainable design objectives to make optimum use of microclimatic effects, to enhance thermal comfort, ensure maximisation of water and energy efficiency, promote sustainable waste management and reduce carbon emissions across the site. The primary objective of the Musheireb project is to reverse the pattern of development and growth of Doha in recent decades which has tended towards isolated land uses with urban sprawl and heavy reliance on car transport. Focus will be on reducing car use and congestion, while improving connectivity across the wider city area. An underground basement extending over the entire area will accommodate approximately 13,700 car park spaces, will effectively remove vehicles from the streets around Musheireb, reclaiming the outdoor spaces for the community to enjoy.

SUSTAINABILITY Since the discovery of oil and gas in the 1930s, the small fishing village of Doha has grown to create a sprawling city. Greater prosperity and the rise in private car use have fuelled suburban expansion which has weakened the city's centre of gravity. The Musheireb will revitalise the historic core of Doha itself, giving families the opportunity to live in beautiful homes and enjoy the benefits of a strong, well-served local community. ENRICHMENT The car-dominated lifestyle and isolated social norm of the suburbs will be replaced by beautifully designed and compact city neighborhoods where family homes will be within easy walking distance of schools, shops, public squares, mosques and other cultural activities and the majority of vehicles will be below ground.