Locally-based Sustainable Design Approach for Walkability in Dubai by Takeshi Maruyama (American University Dubai)

Locally-based Sustainable Design Approach for Walkability in Dubai
by Takeshi Maruyama (American University Dubai)

Thursday, December 17, 2020 @19:00 JST

SUMMARY:
Since the discovery of oil in 1966 and its subsequent financial revenues, Dubai has been developing rapidly into a global city – while mainly adapting the western urban development style. Suburban growth exploded, with urban sprawl becoming an issue since the early 1980s. Local towns spread out and expanded in scale. Consequently, Dubai could be called ‘Cities within a city,’ representing many fragmented western-style suburban communities connected by automobiles. People often attribute problems with walkability or the limited pedestrian-oriented activities to the harsh weather. Still, harsh weather in Dubai lasts roughly four months out of the year, causing people to avoid the outdoors during that period. Nevertheless, the somewhat limited walkability continues throughout the year, even in the nicer weather. Then what is the leading cause of this phenomenon?

My study argues that this limited walkability is not due to weather but due to the urban structure caused by mega-developments in Dubai, which do not consider human scale or local culture. For instance, old districts such as Satwa or Karama have a more compact scale; therefore, pedestrian activities occur naturally. Aggressive adaptation of western-style urbanization completely goes against locally-adapted sustainable design approaches that ancestors have fostered in the city. Driveways and fenced-gardens have replaced the narrow alleys (Sikka) and the court-yard houses of the past. These drastically changed the structure of communities, therefore, impacting walkability as well as the health, safety and welfare of its residents.

This issue is a common theme discussed in the thesis courses and sustainability design studios, which I am instructing at the university. The lecture will demonstrate potential design solutions for walkability and enhancing outdoor public space usage within existing urban areas.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Ar. Takeshi Maruyama is a professor at American University Dubai

Takeshi Maruyama joined AUD as a full-time Assistant Professor in 2014. In 2019, he was awarded AUD’s Provost’s Award for creativity in Design and Visual Arts and was later appointed as Associate Professor of Architecture in the School of Architecture, Art & Design in June 2020. Since joining AUD, he teaches the thesis course and the graduation design project for the senior students and courses related to sustainability, environmental systems, and building services for other years.

Prior to his teaching experience, he was a practicing professional architect for 25 years. After practicing in Takenaka Corporation, one of Japan’s biggest design-built companies for ten years, he moved to Dubai to join a local architectural design firm, dxb.lab architecture in 2006. Following five years of work with the firm, he launched his own practice, takeshi maruyama design unit, in 2011. In parallel, he currently works with another local architectural design firm, Archidentity, as an associate architect to manage projects.

Takeshi Maruyama is involved in various projects, not only from an architectural perspective, but also from an interior design one. His work can be seen in a multi-purpose networking space Shelter in Al Quoz and book Café The Archive in Safa Park. Mr. Maruyama’s work was also featured in several magazines such as Commercial Interior Design and Timeout Dubai. The Archive was introduced as a model of renovation at the UAE pavilion in Venice Biennale in 2014. His expertise covers all architectural design phases from concept design to site supervision. He is particular about the detail design cultivated by Japanese craftsperson-ship.

Mr. Maruyama has posted several articles in the Japanese architectural magazine Nikkei Architecture, such as Comparison of Design Progress between Dubai and Japan in 2007, Burj Khalifa Architectural Report in 2010, and Environmental Architecture in UAE/Dubai in 2017. In 2019, he was featured in The Middle East Architects Magazine, where he discussed ‘subtle sensitivity’ in design.

To connect Japan to the Middle East culturally, Mr. Maruyama holds a series of invited lectures in the universities and organizations in Japan to introduce the UAE and its culture. He also enhances the relationship with the Japanese embassy and consulates in Dubai, and the University of Tokyo, which resulted in the two universities collaborating and organizing joint student and faculty events.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Describe Dubai’s rapid globalism after discovering the oil and its implantation of western urban development, suburbanization, and mobilization style, and its impact on peoples’ health, safety and welfare.
2. Analyze current Dubai’s strategies on walkability applied in recent public and commercial development areas; and
3. Compare old traditional methods for walkability such as Sikka and wind towers originally in this region with current strategies.
4. Illustrate an example of an appropriate modern sustainable design approach based on local conditions using neglected Sikka spaces seen in the westernized residential area.

CES:
2.0 LU/HSW