Since their inception in Dubai Design District in 2015, desert INK have pioneered a sustainable and context driven approach to landscape architecture which is now resonating with clients around the globe. With a talented international team that consistently innovate and share a passion for creating exciting places, desert INK has assumed a leading position in the movement to improve our built environment.
Their diverse portfolio includes commissions ranging from public parks & streetscapes to roof top gardens & eco hotels, yet all share a common DNA of innovation and sustainability.
This DNA is perhaps best evidenced in TERRA, the EXPO 2020 Sustainability Pavilion. A unique landscape which pioneers the use of native plants never before cultivated along with countless other sustainable innovations, the project has already become an international benchmark.
Together with multiple-award winning public park, ‘The Block’, desert INK’s unique thinking is highly sought after in the pursuit of a brighter future for our built environment.
desert INK has always been a proponent for positive change in the landscape industry in the Middle East. With the launch of TERRA the Sustainability Pavilion, desert INK is pioneering a new form of landscape architecture for the region. At the forefront of this new direction is a marked deviation from the well-established norms of tropical planting and associated lush green effect, which is in complete contrast to the natural systems of the region.
Each one of us has an ingrained desire to create a lush green landscape and mimic ‘nature’ irrespective of where one originates from. Surrounding oneself with vegetation appears to be hard-wired, with many client’s specifically seeking a verdant retreat from the harsh surroundings. A dramatic tide of cultivation has swept across the middle east in the last 30 years, leaving a wonderfully-green, yet unsustainable network of ubiquitous landscapes. Through flagship projects like the Sustainability Pavilion, desert INK aims to expose decision makers and the general public to attractive xerophytic landscapes. It’s hoped that a growing appreciation for new forms of xeriscape will emerge and filter into mainstream public landscapes where the significant environmental benefits are to be found. The principle is that greater exposure and understanding of these water efficient landscapes will develop an appreciation, desire and ultimately demand for this style.
“It is always easier said than done of course, and it will probably take many years before the general public take plants like desert grasses, drought-hardy perennials and succulents to their hearts. We have been encouraged by the realisation that the public always catch up eventually- whether in the art world, fashion, music or architecture. What is now thought of as avant garde in any field inevitably is adopted by the mainstream in due course. desert INK also take considerable inspiration from successful pioneers in other regions, such as South Africa, Australia, New Mexico and Arizona, where fantastic desert aesthetics combine local stones, gravels and architectural features with sculptural xerophytic planting.” Comments Duncan Denley, Managing Director of desert INK.
Denley continues on to explain how the team has been successful in identifying and establishing a palette of plants that give the lush green appearance but are well adapted to the region, “As a landscape architect, I am realistic and know that many clients simply will not accept a landscape design with a xerophytic appearance. Many still want the deep greens of tropical and temperate landscapes. At desert INK, we’ve devoted considerable time to seek out plants which have a lush green appearance, yet are actually well adapted to grow with small quantities of water. My own small garden is full of plants such as Pandanus baptisii, which gives a brilliant tropical lush effect, but requires very little water or maintenance.”
“Wahat Al Sahraa, sister company of desert INK, operates the largest plant nursery in the Middle East which has been instrumental in desert INK’s quest to ‘go native’. The nursery comprises a team of expert growers who have identified plants from, or best suited to the region and share this learning with the rest of the Desert Group. This feedback loop allows all of us to select drought tolerant trees like Millingtonia hortensis which actually provide the rich green tropical-effect canopy that our clients seek, yet require a fraction of the water.” adds Michael Mascarenhas, CEO, Desert Group
desert INK’s efforts to establish a new landscape identity using indigenous planting will reach a crescendo with the Sustainability Pavilion. In collaboration with horticultural experts from the UK’s Eden Project, the team have developed a plant palette which has expanded the available species list by more than 100.
“We have always seen these incidental bushes growing on sand dunes and between rocky outcrops in the desert without any irrigation. The only source of water for these plants is rain which is very limited in the region, yet they survive well. With the growing need for draught tolerant species, these plants were our starting point for expanding the plant palette. Lo and behold, many of these native plants thrived when provided with even minimal irrigation and maintenance.” Explains Romit Chakravarty, Senior Landscape Designer at desert INK.
Chakravarty continues to elaborate, “Our teams from Wahat Al Sahraa went out into the desert, brought back seeds and cuttings which were then propagated. As with any new approach, there is a steep learning curve. Some propagations were successful and some weren’t. This knowledge was then implemented into the Sustainability Pavilion project.” desert INK hopes that this new standard will now pave the way for future designs in the region.
In terms of convincing clients to adapt a more sustainable approach, reduced costs is one of the most convincing points which the team highlight when discussing the approach for planting with clients. Being more sustainable simply takes more design thought and time, it delivers both cap-ex and op-ex cost reductions. “In terms of cap-ex, sustainable landscapes generally cost less to install, because they utilise local materials, which are less costly than imported. Fewer plants are required, since the effect is less dense and often utilises local gravels, aggregates and lose stones to dress the ground surface, which are much more cost effective than plants with their associated composts, fertilisers and irrigation systems.” Elaborates, Denley.
Keeping true to their vision of ‘creating exiting places which enhance lives’, desert INK believe that opting for a sustainable approach to landscape architecture should not be seen as compromising aesthetics in favour of the environment. Taking the regional climatic challenges to their hearts has led to designs which are unique and moreover, have a sense of context. Put simply, desert INK’s designs look like they belong in their surroundings. Use of native plants, local stone, aggregates and perhaps some interesting interpretation of dune landforms creates a wonderful atmosphere. It feels appropriate to the setting rather than attempting to recreate a landscape character of the tropics or Europe. Cost savings and environmental kudos mentioned earlier are considered as added bonuses; the real benefit is that they are creating unique places that are inspired by local context and materials.
Known for their context-driven, sustainable landscape designs, desert INK are a landscape design consultancy based in the Dubai Design District. With 20 years of experience in the region, Managing Director Duncan Denley leads a creative team backed up by the 30 years’ experience held in the Desert Group and vision of CEO Michael Mascarenhas.