Dubai, UAE
Deira Central is a mixed-use development on Al Muraqqabat Road in Deira, Dubai, an active, culturally rich, historical district of the city. The project proposes a variety of uses, having residences, hotel, hotel serviced apartments, office, and retail. The intention of the masterplan is to capture the diversity of the area, both culturally and programmatically, while stimulating further activity and energy for the neighbourhood. Throughout its massing, the project rhythmically removes volumes to create voids that define connectivity to the streets, accept natural sunlight, and reduce the architecture’s physical presence upon the context. At the ground level, the resulting exterior, public “pockets” are complemented by greenery and vegetation with restaurants, cafes, shops, and retail creating activity in the interior and filtering to the outdoor spaces. On subsequent layers, the massing steps-back rhythmically to create private patios and a series of communal gardens for apartment residents, while offering exterior spaces for office tenants.