Dubai Creek Harbor is a progressive and innovative new neighborhood that aims to respond to environmental concerns with professional, best-practice measures that will ensure an environment that is healthy, accessible, and environmentally responsible.
The storied history, culture, and nature of Dubai Creek serves as the inspiration for the design of Dubai’s newest public realm. Dubai’s relationship to the water is an essential part of its history. For over 7,000 years, the earliest civilizations within the region have enriched their lives via pearl harvesting, which brought personal wealth, regional prosperity, and an intimate connection to the sea that is still prominent in Emirati culture. Although pearl harvesting as an industry is almost obsolete today, the pearl and its shell enclosure serve as the design basis for the modern metropolis we know today. The design, material selection, and construction approach for the harbor have been inspired by key features of the shell, such as its texture, luminosity, shape, and haptic qualities. References to the qualities and nature of the shell are interwoven throughout the visitor and residential experience. Strategies aim to increase site vegetation, dark-sky compliance lighting, and employ light-colored materials and native planting palettes, all which contribute to a greener development.
SIPG Harbor City Parks
This new riverfront development is located on the Yangtze River in the Baoshan District of Shanghai. This area boasts some of the highest shipping activity in the world. However, in recent years this single-function industrial zone has given way, allowing for waterfront parks to develop. Within this historically layered water front the Baoshan Park and Open Sp...
Shenzhen Bay
Situated just across the bay from Hong Kong, the city of Shenzhen has transformed from a small fishing town of 30,000 to a booming city of over 10 million people in 40 years – and has grown over 200 times its original size since 1980. Along the way, the character of Shenzhen’s bayfront was radically altered. Over 65 km2 of marsh and shallow bay were filled to ...
Xinyang Suo River
SWA recently completed a master plan for a 36 km length of the Xingyang Suo River located in Xinyang, China. Located on a site at the confluence of an elaborate network of waterways, the River has served as a transportation system for the movement of goods, services and people between Xingyang, Beijing and the coastal cities to the Southeast. This has transfor...
Suzhou Center
The Suzhou Center is a landmark urban space within the Suzhou Central Business District that embodies the spirit of the city of Suzhou as a gateway for intersecting old and new cultural and historic heritage. The successful combination of high-density development and ecological conservation will allow for Suzhou to transition to a garden city where state-of-th...