Al Dhakira – Oasis in the Desert

Al Dhakira is a small city developing on the oriental coast of Qatar, only 60 km far from the capital Doha. Grown on a natural creek, where the sea extends itself to the desert, Al Dhakira holds a fertile oasis where mangroves flourish and local animals can find shelter in a natural habitat unique in this area.

The city, as for the rest of the country, in the latest years is being driven by the future event of 2022 FIFA World Cup pulling together a progressive urbanization of the different urban realities of the country. It is in this context of urban growth that the expansion plan for the city of Al Dhakira is located.

The project is set as the correct mix between the city’s need to grow and the will to preserve its natural-landscape value, protecting the territory from the urban undifferentiated growth with no quality. The masterplan combines the aesthetical and functional aspects focalising the attention on the sustainable land use and on the optimization in terms of dimension and settlement of the different constructions, in order to develop not only sustainable buildings but also a new vision of the city based on the quality of spaces and on energy conservation.

The project involves the development of a new part of the city with residential and commercial settlements of 275.000 sqm and introduces a continuous increase in terms of density starting from the sea towards inland. The coastal area features a park that hosts several public functions, among which a museum, a multimedia library, a congress centre, connecting in a unique landscape belt the two natural reserves on the south-east and north-west sides of the city. Such reserves are among the most important of the area because they are characterized by the presence of the mangroves and of a delicate local fauna.

The design of the park defines different spaces, some of which more natural, other more urban, filling it with constructions, of diverse destination of use, inserted in harmony within the nature. In the south-west area of the park, where the vegetation is left wilder and the mangroves are thicker, are located the museum of the natural reserve, with its nature paths and footbridges on the water discovering the uncontaminated, and a resort, with measured constructions which integrates with the surrounding landscape thanks to their materials and forms.

The central part, seafront of the historical city and of the expansion, features a geometrical and neat design. This area, the most lively and picturesque of the coast, presents two wide equipped beaches separated by the touristic port and the by the marina building. In this area of the park are located commercial buildings such as bars and restaurants with seaview terraces and, just beyond the park, in the first built area, the accomodation facilities. Here a luxury hotel is organised with a central body destined to the rooms, main services and several dépendances to satisfy all the needs of a rich clientele.

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Materials provided by RRC STUDIO