The final design of the much talked about Desert Rose City project will be ready by September, and this puts an end to all speculations about the project.
The smart and sustainable satellite city, which has been in news since 2014, will take shape of a desert rose.
Speaking about the delay in the progress of the project, the Director of the Planning Department at Dubai Municipality, Dawood Al Hajeri said that the project received a go-ahead in 2014, but work has only just begun.
The Director General of Dubai Municipality, Hussain Nasser Lootah, in a statement mentioned that the environment-friendly project has been given the green light, in line with the vision of HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The work on the project has begun after it was given a go-ahead. The department has started soil testing. The first phase (design phase) is likely to happen when the civic body receives the design programme from architect consultants.
Al Hajeri said work on the infrastructure will commence around September when the final design is ready.
He said that the project is a huge one, and hence, picking the design was time consuming. An international architect consultant was hired based on a competition between international consulting companies.
He further said that reducing carbon emissions and improving the internal environment and air quality is the main objective behind the project. The city will have sustainable transport solutions to further reduce carbon emission.
The project would be implemented in a progressive manner, and would adhere to the green building code in the emirate. It will have eco-friendly solutions like green roofs to mitigate temperatures and purify the air from pollutants.
The Desert Rose City will also comprise of building clusters in the shape of a desert flower, divided into several phases, to include residents, working on achieving sustainability and implementing smart solutions. The city will occupy an area spanning 14,000 hectares in Al Ruwayyah along the Dubai-Al Ain Road. On completion, it is expected to house 160,000 residents, who will work and live in the city, surrounded by the green belt.
The city will completely rely on its own resources to provide means of transport and communication, energy consumption and recycled water. It will have enough resources to offer more than 40,000 cubic metres of potable water, and will save 40 percent electricity. There will be 20,000 plots for building luxury homes for nationals, and 10,000 affordable homes for expats.
A committee, headed by Abdullah Raffia, Assistant Director General for Engineering and Planning Sector, was also announced to supervise the studies, designs and construction of Satellite City and follow-up its implementation at all levels.
The due date for completion of the project is yet to be revealed.