SMAQ receives prestigious Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction. November 12 the winners of the Holcim Awards from across region Africa Middle East were announced at a ceremony in Marrakech. Almost 5000 projects from 90 countries were entered in the second Holcim Awards competition. Submissions from Africa Middle East were evaluated by an independent jury hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and headed by Joe Addo. SMAQ was awarded with an acknowledgement prize for the mixed-used responsive urban planning strategy XERITOWN for Dubai, UAE.
XERITOWN – DUBAI
Paramount Xeritown is located in Dubailand, a new extension of the city towards the inland desert. In the design, the built up area has been compressed to occupy only fifty percent of the site as a reaction to the sun condition, to achieve a compact and shaded fabric. Its structure is defined by alternating narrow pedestrian alleys and small squares, typical of Arabic towns. This urban tissue is divided in elongated islands that are orientated so to gain from the prevailing winds crossing the site. The cool breeze from the sea is channelled between the islands and through the longitudinal cuts in the urban fabric, while the hot wind from the desert is deviated above the development.
Credits: SMAQ – architecture urbanism research (Berlin): Sabine Müller and Andreas Quednau with Joachim Schultz; Team: Therese Granberg, Ludovica Rogers, Felipe Flores, Kathrin Löer, Valle Medina, Martino Sacchi; in collaboration with X-Architects (Dubai); Johannes Grothaus Landscape Architects (Potsdam), Reflexion (Zurich), and BuroHappold (London); Developer: Dubai Properties.
Project:
Xeritown
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Holcim Foundation