Dakeer Island I UTOPIA IN MOTION
Basically, the daunting brief for Dakeer is to evoke a microcosm of Mesopotamia; a civic, maritime and culinary hub. This ambitious endeavor calls for an uncompromising approach, unencumbered by limitations of space, climate and accessibility.
Limitations were addressed by reimagining Dakeer as a multilayered entity, that stretches to the max, so that every component of the program seemingly occupies all the island!
The park’s main features is an elevated prominade connected to multiple F&B outles.
This concept was an entry to 2023 Diwan Tamayuz Award competition to design Basra Waterfront on Dakeer Island
Underneath the park, the Water Taxi Station, Sailing Club and Fish market occupy their own Island each. The fish market is arranged in a distorted diamond grid, around an outdoor court, that’s sheltered by the park overhang, but open to indirect southern sunlight, a grand arena for seasonal markets, cultural events, or a casual gathering.
The wavey exoskeleton that houses 4 levels of the sailing club, like a fishnet pulled from water with the bounty of the deep, sits on an interowven marina that emitates rippling water, and provides ample shade for boats and people.
With this permeable and interconnected composition, Dakeer is reborn as the ultimate all-accessible futuristic citadle on water.
