I have often mused, that perhaps the most sustainable building… is the one that isn’t built at all.
Dubai, a place I have only recently visited, has always somehow seemed like a location that people are not meant to live. It’s a desert of sand which reaches 50 degrees in summer, barely rains and so needs irrigation for much to grow; it’s not a place where you could forsee a truly environmentally considerate development is it? On my arrival in London, the project I had been recruited for was in full design swing, and touted to be one of the most sustainable building developments of it’s time. The client, Jumeirah, who own many luxurious hotels worldwide had engaged HOK to design a resort along the coast that would achieve a minimum of LEED Gold (The US sustainability certification) and provide a wealth of accommodation and restaurant options to tourists from around the world.
I joined an international team of architects and designers late in 2008 to assist in the design of the villas, a restaurant and the main entrance complex of the proposed Jumeirah Talise Wellness Resort. It was on this project that I met some truly amazing people and made some wonderful friends. As we worked late into some evenings to complete deliverables (yes overworking is an issue in architecture worldwide that I have tried to treat in a more balanced way since) we would share design thoughts, experiences, and BIM skills and liaise regularly with the HOK Dubai team to check in.
One and a half years we worked on this project.
We were the team seemingly immune from the troubles of the global recession as Dubai soldiered on, determined to present itself as a leading international city, and builidng while others had stopped. We were fortunate right until the moment that the Sheikh decided that the land designated for this project should be gifted elsewhere. And so, our project was shelved, and we were all suddenly at risk of joining the many other architects in London, now struggling even to find work flipping burgers at McDonalds!
But armed with my experience in residential interiors and landscape, I was gifted the opportunity to depart the flailing hospitality team and join the healthcare department. And so began a whole new career chapter!