Two Dubai architects win 2019 Smart City design award

Smart Cities is a category for designs that anticipate and address future challenges. And X-Space - a project to recreate urban spaces in Dubai - won with very practical ideas.

Sheikh Zayed Road has long been known as the main artery of the entire city of Dubai with 14 lanes of highway running the length of the city. This is the busiest road in Dubai, where traffic jams often occur with great intensity.

Faced with this situation, two young architects, Mouaz Abouzaid and Dima Faraj, came together to create the X-space project to transform Sheikh Zayed from the center of smog and congestion into a green oasis where pedestrians will have a wonderful space.

Specifically, the X-space project will use one kilometer of highway to become a space for fresh air, greenery and entertainment for residents. Inspired by the movement of desert sand dunes, the project will exist on two planes: a ground floor including gardens, trees, open space and an upper floor with entertainment facilities such as cafes and gyms. This area will be designed exclusively for bicycles and pedestrians. The road system for cars will go through a tunnel below the garden.

WAF describes the plans as "a compelling vision for the regeneration of downtown Dubai" that prioritizes pedestrians and bicycles over vehicles. X-space will reduce car dependency and promote more sustainable lifestyles.

“The philosophy behind X-Space is to develop an urban fabric that focuses on sharing, integration and harmony with human urbanism, a place where people can live, work and play. The design of X-Space will connect space with people at the heart of Sheikh Zayed Road in its rich diversity,” said Mouaz Abouzaid at the Award Ceremony.

Abouzaid also acknowledged there were challenges with realizing the project, notably finding ways to reroute affected traffic because not all traffic can pass through the tunnel proposed in the design.

However, the architects are optimistic about the prospects of delivering X-Space following its WAF award and positive feedback from government officials. At this stage, the Dubai government is moving towards sustainable development by setting goals such as using 75% clean energy by 2050, supported by large infrastructure developments connecting the community and moving towards cleaner public transport rather than private cars.

Initiatives to turn traffic-clogged roads into communal social spaces have already appeared in Spain and South Korea, suggesting that sharing living space and spiritual culture will become a widespread trend in the future.

In addition, the winning projects will be exhibited at the World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam in early December.

My Tong