In May 2023, the URB firm revealed another of its innovative projects: Dubai Reefs, a floating complex situated along Dubai’s coast. It is designed to restore aquatic ecosystems and promote ecotourism and is also expected to provide 30,000+ employment opportunities within a green economy in the city. If construction goes ahead, Dubai Reefs will be completed by 2040.
Looking straight from a sci-fi movie about an underwater world, at the core of this gigantic project is a marine institute that focuses on protecting and helping the marine and coastal environment of Dubai. Striving to enhance the local marine science and conservation capabilities, it is planned to create a diverse artificial reef spanning 200 sqkm and provide a habitat for more than one billion corals as well as 100 million mangrove trees. In addition, the institute offers education programmes around marine conservation.
As mentioned above, one more key aim of Dubai Reefs is to create water ecotourism experiences. Apart from educational and research facilities, it includes residential, hospitality, and retail ones. The project features several floating eco-lodges; according to the developer, they will be powered entirely by 100% renewable energy generated by solar panels and water itself, which includes wave farms. To produce food (to grow seaweed and oysters, precisely), Regenerative Ocean Farming, a climate-friendly method, will be used.
“The health of our cities is […] tied to the health of our oceans,” Baharash Bagherian (CEO at URB) says, speaking about Dubai Reefs. “Our ocean will be […] different by the end of the century if we don’t take action today. We need an entrepreneurial spirit in the planning of coastal cities and the types of infrastructure as well as developments […] linked to the ocean.” He hopes the project will become a blueprint for ocean living whilst mitigating the impacts of the climate crisis.
About the developer
URB is an experienced developer of Net Zero Sustainable Cities. Comprising urban planners, architects, landscape designers, and engineers, the company promotes sustainability within the industry through various initiatives. Among them is The URB Incubator, a Dubai-based R&D programme that helps early-stage urban tech entrepreneurs and invests in start-ups that are solving critical challenges related to urbanisation and climate change.
URB was founded by Baharash Bagherian, an award-winning architect and designer who is also the company’s CEO. Besides, he is an author of Human Centric Urban Innovations, a book providing blueprints of the next generation of sustainable cities and the types of assets and infrastructures required to create such cities. Bagherian’s portfolio incorporates such projects as The Sustainable City Yiti (Oman) and The Sustainable City Yas Island (Abu Dhabi). With 20 years of experience under his belt, he is committed to balancing nature, culture, and technology in his designs, bringing a holistic overview of design and sustainability.
To learn more about Dubai Reefs, please visit the project’s official web page.
You may also be interested in reading about the Dubai Urban Tech District project which is also developed by URB.
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