Al Fay Park UAE

Case Study
Al Fay Park is designed by Danish
nature-design stars SLA. A new kind
of urban nature park has seen the
light of day in Abu Dhabi. Gone are
the water-consuming and soulless
‘Las Vegas landscapes’ of the past.
Enter Al Fay Park – a new 27,500
m2 public park in downtown Abu
Dhabi that signals a new kind of
Middle Eastern city development:
Driven by inclusive nature rather
than iconic buildings
With its innovative biodiversity, microclimate, and
social activities, Al Fay Park is a paradigm shift in
how to design and implement nature in the dense
megacities of the Middle East.
The park design is devised through
SLA’s in-house biologists and
planting experts’ yearlong research
studies of the region’s unique nature
and wildlife. Research published in
SLA’s own internal plant book
covering all the native plant species
of the UAE, their optimal growing
and living conditions, and how to
integrate them into the design
 “Al Fay Park is a new type of forest park in Abu
Dhabi. Through our extensive research in the region’s
flora and fauna, we create a new paradigm for how
to think and design the public realm in the Middle
East.

Al Fay Park is a celebration of Abu Dhabi’s nature

and culture and a prime example of how to
maximize climate action, increase life-quality, and
radically improve the biodiversity of an entire city
– all on a former sand site,” says Rasmus Astrup,
Design Principal and Partner in SLA
As the first biodiversity park in the UAE,
Al Fay Park contains more than 2,000
native trees and bushes – including the
national Ghaf trees that have been
replanted from desert nurseries into the
park – all specifically chosen to
strengthen biodiversity for both planting
and wildlife and to maximize natural
cooling throughout the park. The
resulting microclimate reduces traffic
noise and temperature and creates a
distinct forest-like environment. The
specifically designed sloping entrances
funnel the cooler southern breeze down
into the park while local grasses and
bushes reduce sand infiltration.
“Al Fay Park is specifically designed to provide
both biological, environmental, and social benefits
to Abu Dhabi. The density of the trees, the soil
design, the irrigation using solely recirculated
water, and the sole use of native species not only
ensure that the park has radically reduced its
irrigation by 40 percent compared to
conventional parks. The planting also attracts
bees, pollinators, birds, and animals, providing a
lush and lively atmosphere in the middle of Abu
Dhabi – this is a park with a 100 percent birdsong
guaranty! Lastly, the microclimate design provides
the best possible social ecosystem for play, sports,
and leisure – making Al Fay Park both socially and
climatically ‘the coolest place in town,” says
Rasmus Astrup, Design Principal and Partner in
SLA.
 The result is a park with authentic ecosystems
and natural habitats for wildlife that also is an
open invitation for all to explore nature, interact
with each other and relax together in a
peaceful, comfortable, and serene setting

Benefitting from the optimized microclimate, Al

Fay Park is buzzing with social activities such as
multiple sports facilities, playgrounds, street
fitness, climbing walls, mini-golf, food trucks, and
a host of informal outdoor seating areas. Along
the edge of the park, a winding Forest Track
invites visitors to explore sensuously and ‘wild’
nature experiences amongst the flowers and
grasses and under the canopies
 Thank-you

Vishal Sukriti
40/17 37/17