As one of the pillars of Dubai’s economic independence, is the economic diversification which is largely driven by tourism. One of the major attractions of the country is the infrastructure. Dubai is fast achieving its goal of being a forum for art, design, and fashion.
It has initiated many projects that have contributed to this end. One such project is the Dubai Design District. It is to be built over 6000 square kilometers of land in the heart of the UAE. The project, at its inception, was hoped to be a hub for idea generation. Local talent would converge in the region and meet top international brands in a system designed to make the things they envision a reality. The district would allow sectors that are important to the market to thrive including luxury, fashion and of course, art and design.
Entrepreneurs, artisans, and investors would be able to meet in galleries, hotels, residential areas, shops and other spaces to market themselves. The result? Excellence.
The project was announced in 2013 by TECOM investments during which time they contacted other companies for the architectural designs. The government of the UAE backed the move whole-heartedly.
The first phase of the project was completed in 2015 which saw the construction of the first buildings that would serve as offices for creatives and other professionals in the trade. It provided room for over 10 000 people.
At present, the community is about to commission the final phase which will see the opening of the promenade. This is a project covering close to 2 kilometers that contain cafes, restaurants, boutiques and other design accommodation structures.
It has an exciting architectural plan that promises to match the already established name of Dubai’s architecture. It is meant to support an all-around lifestyle for people living there.
The project has its location in a prime area, close to the Dubai Mall and Downtown Dubai. A few minutes ride would have you in the Dubai International Center of Finance.
All this may sound like fluff or a piper’s dream and yet to fully comprehend the entire scope in potential of the project, one would have to account for the top international brands that have already positioned themselves in the region. The brands, hoping to grab a section of the market have set up businesses in the region and as per a report by the WTTC, they had already made over $65 billion by 2015. It helps that at its completion, it will coincide with the Expo 2020.
One of the key factors that are driving the success of the architecture sector in Dubai is their approach which is generous, exuberant, skillful and beautiful, the very embodiment of postmodernism. It bears in mind the reaction of people to structure and seeks to derive pleasure from observation. It borrows from styles in the contemporary society but is not afraid to try new things at the same time. It is, in many ways an art because after all, art inspires.