OMA Unveil Major Education Masterplan in Dubai

OMA / Iyad Alsaka have unveiled their design for a major educational masterplan in Dubai. Designed for the Government of Dubai Knowledge Fund, on a site located in the centre of Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), the scheme aims to be the world’s largest free zone dedicated to higher education.

Courtesy of OMA

A former desert, the site now contains 25 international universities and educational institutions, hosting 24,000 students from 145 nationalities. The 155 hectare site will be dedicated to student and staff accommodation aimed at creating “a vivid and modern hub for the academic city”, but it will also host office, retail and hospitality facilities, and capacity for centres of excellence and research and development facilities.

Site model. Image Courtesy of OMA

OMA’s masterplan manifests as a “checkerboard”, where the urban fabric is organized into alternating squares, arranged in three rows and six columns. The blocks have been defined along a 360m x 360m footprint, based on a walking distance radius of 250m. Individual blocks will be structured differently, inspired by existing successful urban typologies, producing different urban qualities within the masterplan. Within the office/education buildings, a central pedestrian spine will be defined, linking all the individual office developments and extending towards the residential blocks.

Site plan. Image Courtesy of OMA

Public spaces will be carved out of each individual block to form a continuous loop of landscaped recreational areas. The site also connects to two highways, and public transportation systems; including an extended Dubai Metro Green. The grid ensures that, from any point in the block, it is possible to reach a main road and a bus stop.

Checkerboard diagram. Image Courtesy of OMA

The project was led by Iyad Alsaka, Mark Veldman, Mariano Sagasta and Wael Sleiman.

News via: OMA

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Cite: Niall Patrick Walsh. "OMA Unveil Major Education Masterplan in Dubai" 19 Nov 2019. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/928700/oma-unveil-major-education-masterplan-in-dubai> ISSN 0719-8884

Courtesy of OMA

OMA 公布迪拜教育区总体规划设计方案,世界最大的高等教育自由区

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