Khadija Al Bastaki, executive director of Dubai Design District (d3), discusses the need to move beyond the concept of sustainability in architecture.
We need to move beyond the concept of sustainability in architecture and consider how we can create regenerative cities that restore our relationship with nature and create equality, wellbeing, health and happiness for everyone.
Creating resilient design
With a growing population set to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050 and major global challenges like climate change, establishing dialogue on the future of sustainable cities has never been so important. More people live in cities today than ever before and thus, the great metropolises of the world, including Dubai, have to consider how to design in a way that is efficient, resilient and inspiring, Khadija Al Bastaki adds.
Unabated urbanisation is already putting immense strain on public infrastructure, housing, transportation and social cohesion in capitals all around the world. Creating a comprehensive framework to solve the myriad issues that will make public and private spaces more liveable and equitable is needed.
UAE Master Plan
The Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan is a blueprint for sustainable development that will make this city one of the greatest places to live in the world. It will ensure the emirate has a symbiotic relationship with nature by doubling the amount of green and leisure areas to provide a healthy environment for residents and visitors.
It will enhance environmental sustainability, provide flexible means of mobility, improve the efficiency of resource utilisation, safeguard the emirate’s cultural and urban heritage and strengthen citizens’ attachment to older neighbourhoods.
Creating green corridors
For architects, it represents an opportunity to rethink how we have built in the past and find a balance between urban and natural spaces. Indeed, the masterplan’s vision of creating new green corridors to establish links between residential and office areas will enhance the movement of pedestrians, bicycles, and sustainable mobility.
Just by changing the transportation hierarchy here in the region, we could enhance the regenerative quality of our city by reassigning land to more ecological and economically beneficial purposes. It will also contribute to the UAE’s vision of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by a quarter by 2030, and achieving the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Reducing waste volume
This is an important point, Khadija Al Bastaki elaborates. We need to consider how we can efficiently transform waste into a resource to mitigate climate change. Recycling has been on the rise for years in the UAE under efforts to divert as much waste as possible away from landfills. This approach requires architects, urban planners, building operators and waste management companies to work closely together to create a system in which materials can be easily separated, segregated, stored, handled and collected.
By understanding how materials flow through a building, minimising consumption and reducing the volume of waste generated in every building, architects can design more efficient structures that make it easier for all types of businesses to transition to a circular economy.
Urban planners must rethink
One of the great innovations of our time is the creation of waste-to-energy plants. Dubai is leading the way in this transition to sustainability and regeneration. Creating electricity from trash is nothing short of remarkable and we need numerous forms of energy creation to power our cities of the future. We are proud to generate renewable energy through a network of solar panels installed across d3. It is one of the many ways we do our part to promote regeneration, stresses Khadija Al Bastaki.
We also introduced the emirate’s first architecture festival, the d3 Architecture Festival in association with RIBA Gulf Chapter, last year to steer the industry towards a more sustainable future. It was a celebration of what has been achieved by architects in the region and, more importantly, a glimpse at what is to come from an emerging generation of talent.
We have exciting plans for the next stage of this important symposium under our sustained efforts to encourage the creative community to see the design from a new perspective. As a global hub for design talent, we want to encourage architects and urban planners to rethink the future of sustainable cities; foster a culture of knowledge and innovation; and inspire a new wave of brilliant minds to create resilient, regenerative cities that enhance efficiency, productivity, emotional wellbeing, health and happiness for all.
Khadija Al Bastaki
Khadija Al Bastaki pursued an MBA in Strategic Management from Abu Dhabi’s Higher Colleges of Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering Technology from the same institute in Dubai.
She has an impressive professional roster with more than 14 years of experience in business development, portfolio management and international relations with a focus on building strategic partnerships. She last served as director of Business Development at Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City, a part of the TECOM Group portfolio that also includes d3.
