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.
Long Beach Shoreline
SWA prepared a land use and urban design plan for six miles of waterfront adjacent to downtown Long Beach. Through a series of meetings with local community stakeholders, we were able to determine the different needs of each district in the plan: of critical importance was the need to preserve valuable open space inland, and to maintain an ecological corridor ...
Wusong Riverfront
Kunshan, China, located near Shanghai, has experienced unprecedented population and business growth in recent years which has resulted in environmental degradation and the need for the city to reshape its identity. SWA’s proposal aims to create a new waterfront district providing businesses as well as residents with public amenities and viable open space. The ...
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park has been heralded as Tampa’s missing “here” and the crown jewel in the city’s Riverwalk, a bold urban plan conceived to reactivate the Hillsboro River and downtown Tampa. The master plan sets the park as the district’s focal point, positioning the Riverwalk, museums, and park buildings to the park and the waterfront. The plan...
Kula Belgrade
The landscape of the St. Regis Belgrade creates a dynamic public space at the nexus of several major roadways and the city’s bike and pedestrian waterfront path. Drawing from Belgrade’s urban culture, natural context, and layered history, the design introduces a central urban waterfront space at the heart of Kula Belgrade, celebrating a new destination for the...