Business Bay has been built in response to Dubai’s increased congestion and depletion in waterfront land.
This mixed-use development provides the opportunity for a new central business district for Dubai, guaranteeing the Emirate’s regional competitiveness by delivering land for commercial development in a high quality setting.
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Video filmed in 2006
Halcrow has been involved with this important project since its inception, having initially prepared the masterplan study, which involved the opening up of the inland eastern area by extending the Dubai Creek. That involvement has continued through the detailed design of the infrastructure to the ongoing delivery and supervision of construction on site.
Business Bay was conceived with the vision of creating a global commercial and business centre to rival Manhattan and Ginza, the established business centres of New York and Tokyo. It consists of a 277ha business and residential development that will eventually be home to 135,000 residents and generate 135,000 jobs.
The entire development is based around a man-made waterfront, formed by extending the Dubai Creek. On completion, this channel will form an 11.7km long navigable waterway from the existing Dubai Creek, passing the nature reserve of Ras Al Khor, and extending to the coast of the Arabian Gulf.
Halcrow has designed and is supervising construction of six multi-span bridges, together with a network of roads and services that will deliver transport and utilities to more than 200 buildings. We have also designed the Dubai Creek extension, a major feat of engineering that will give a waterfront ambience to the centre of the project.
Construction began in September 2005 and included shifting 6,000,000m3 of earthworks and placing 24,000 pre-cast concrete blocks, each weighing up to 30 tonnes, to form 6.9km of quay wall. A pre-cast yard and concrete facilities were set up on site to produce the blocks.
Key challenges included liaising with a multitude of contractors and working around a sensitive section of creek adjacent to the Ras Al Khor wildlife sanctuary.
Business Bay is the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and is already gaining global recognition as an example of a well-designed, well-managed, visionary city centre.