City Walk
Middle East & Africa
View Project
The Beach
- Client
- Meraas Development
- Services
- Architecture, Interior Design
- Sector
- Mixed Use, Retail
- Location
- Dubai, UAE
- Collaborators
- Collaborating Architect: BSBG
Establishing the blueprint for open-air lifestyle destinations in Dubai
The Beach transformed an overlooked car park into a 600m-long waterfront destination – the first open-air retail development of its kind in the UAE. The 31,400m² site was reimagined as an urban village, demonstrating that al fresco shopping and dining aren’t just commercially and physically feasible in the region but desirable. With 68 retail and restaurant units alongside a cinema and entertainment zone, The Beach has become a daily amenity for residents as well as a tourist attraction, drawing over 10 million visitors each year.
Dates2014
Size
31,400m²
Responding to the surrounding context
Shopping areas are arranged along retail streets that function as natural breezeways connecting three distinct zones, while indoor–outdoor dining terraces are positioned along the more exposed beachfront esplanade, giving visitors uninterrupted sunset views and a sea breeze from their tables. The low-rise massing of the masterplan mediates between the waterfront esplanade and the high-rise residential towers in the marina behind, preserving views for residents and creating logical pedestrian routes between the two.
Harnessing natural cooling techniques
Rather than defaulting to energy-intensive air conditioning, the design draws on passive cooling techniques to keep the space useable year-round. The buildings were oriented to funnel prevailing winds and provide shading, while water features and landscaping work with the architecture to enhance the natural cross breeze. Working with the climate rather than against it, these techniques have since inspired similar approaches across the region.
