Aflaj Al Foah
In early 2009, a GroundFloor partner was hired to launch and manage a UAE-based project to plan the redevelopment of an existing 3,200-acre organic date farm into a comprehensive community to house 40,000 Emirati nationals. The project, Aflaj Al Foah, involved initially working with the senior management of the Emirati-owned company, Al Foah, to imagine the highest and best use for the site, and then hire all critical members of the design and diligence teams to create a preliminary master plan.
Top architecture, engineering, and financial firms from across the globe were interviewed, with the final team including Calthorpe & Associates (Berkeley, CA), Tori Gallas Architects (Silver Spring, MD), The Olin Studio (Philadelphia, PA), Mouchel Civil Engineers (Woking, England), Ernst & Young (Dubai, UAE), among others. Two professors from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who had expertise in Arabic architecture and historic water systems of the region were hired as special consultants due to conditions unique to the site and other cultural considerations.
The preliminary master plan was completed on time and on budget and was subsequently presented to members of the Abu Dhabi royal family in March 2010.
Key Design Consultants – Additional Project Details:
Calthorpe & Associates
Torti Gallas Architects
The Olin Studio