Mashtal Plaza
Using native plants with a century-long history of usage, we created a new nature-based orchard in Abu Dhabi – a park that connects the neighborhood and provides a healthy space for sports, play, and social gatherings.
Location
Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Size
12,400 m2
Year
2022 — 2023
Client
Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport
Role
Lead Design Landscape Architect
Partners & Collaborators
Parsons, Nulty+, and Endpoint.
Awards
2023, Monocle Design Award — 'Best Urban Park'
Challenges
Typology
In the community park, Mashtal Plaza, we collected several culturally important plants with a millennium-long history of usage. As a part of our design, we brought together a diverse collection, including mint, jujube, pomegranate, and the characteristic henna tree.
And Mashtal Plaza brims with life. Dragonflies, sunbirds, and bees thrive alongside sports, play, and social activities. With our nature-based design, the park has become the neighborhood’s natural green gathering point while promoting an active lifestyle.
Building on years of ecological research into Abu Dhabi’s plants and biodiversity, SLA has designed Mashtal Plaza as one of six major parks in Khalifa City. The parks contain more than 6.700 trees and bushes, comprised of 40 different native plant species. All are specifically chosen to minimize irrigation, strengthen biodiversity, and maximize natural cooling for the well-being of the park’s many human and non–human visitors. SLA’s biodiversity study identifies 40 plant species, 55 bird species, 56 insect species, three mammal species, and four reptile species likely to inhabit the new parks.
Inspired by local traditions, and using native flora and fauna, we have turned the barren city block of sand into a green, thriving, and social community park for the inhabitants of Khalifa City.
In April 2023, our Community Parks in Khalifa were awarded the prestigious Monocle Design Award in the category of Best Urban Park.
