Developers plan 'world's greenest resort' for Abu Dhabi desert oasis
by Kim Megson | 02 Mar 2016
The resort features 84 interconnecting suites surrounding the desert spring / Baharash Architecture
Dubai developer Eco Resort Group and London studio Baharash Architecture have unveiled plans for “the world’s greenest resort” in an Abu Dhabi oasis.
The Oasis Eco Resort, which is scheduled to open in the emirate’s Liwa region in 2020, will be powered by 157,000sq ft (14,500sq m) of solar panels and operate a wildlife conservation area.
The design is built around the oasis’ spring, and water will be extracted from the ground for use in the resort before being treated onsite and recycled for irrigation.
“At the very early stages of the project, we found out that we could extract groundwater using a deep well,” said Baharash Bagherian, founder of the architecture practice. “This gave us an opportunity to create a story around a spring, which was of critical importance to the people who once lived here for trade and transportation routes”.
The resort will have 84 interconnecting suites of various types, each with an outdoor terrace looking out onto the “tranquil heart” of the spring.
A restaurant and bar will also feature, providing guests with organic ingredients grown on site. Guests will also be able to forage organic produce from onsite allotments or catch fish from the spring, and cook them with the resort's chef.
The resort will also include health and therapeutic spa facilities equipped with smart glass windows which Bagherian said can "offer instant privacy at a flick of a switch."
Other mooted environmental aspects at the resort include a zero-emission zone, an onsite waste management facility and a wildlife biology department staffed by conservationists and scientists.
“By 2021, the United Arab Emirates is expected to welcome 45m people, of which 31m will be international tourists,” said Eco Resort Group in a statement. “A new generation of eco-minded entrepreneurs are looking to transform this rapidly growing sector into a green economy.”
The company said it had several other environmentally-minded projects in the pipeline.
Baharash Architecture have previously masterplanned environmental designs for projects in the Middle East, including a solar-powered sustainable city in Dubai.
A budget for the Oasis Eco Resort has not yet been released.
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Dubai developer Eco Resort Group and London studio Baharash Architecture have unveiled plans for “the world’s greenest resort” in an Abu Dhabi oasis. The Oasis Eco Resort, which is scheduled to open in the emirate’s Liwa region in 2020, will be powered by 157,000sq ft (14,500sq m) of solar panels and operate a wildlife conservation area. The design is built around the oasis’ spring, and water will be extracted from
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