15.07.2026
Introducing: Expo Valley Sanctuary
At the heart of Expo City Dubai, we are creating Expo Valley Sanctuary: a 107,000 m² living nature sanctuary that redefines what urban development can be in the UAE.
Instead of treating biodiversity as an amenity, Expo Valley Sanctuary places nature at the centre of every design decision.
Native habitats, permanent wetlands, Arabian Gazelles, wildlife-only zones, regenerative water systems, and radical organic and material reuse together create a unique development previously unheard of in the region.
“With Expo Valley Sanctuary, we are not designing a park in a neighbourhood. We are designing a living ecosystem where humans are only one of many species. The goal is to create real ecological value – while allowing residents and visitors to experience and co-exist with the amazing Emirati nature in its most authentic form”
— Rasmus Astrup, Design Principal and Senior Partner at SLA.
From relocating every viable tree and reusing all excavated soil from the original Dubai Expo 2020 site, to creating permanent habitats for native wildlife and restoring desert ecosystems, the project demonstrates how aligning urban development with the logics of nature – even in extreme climates – can evolve into resilient, life-supporting environments where humans and nature can thrive together, as part of the same living system.
Expo Valley Sanctuary well under construction and set to be completed in Fall 2026.
Expo Valley Sanctuary is delivered for our visionary client Expo City Dubai together with our friends and collaborators ICON and consultants ICS – International Conservation Services, Equestrian Consultant, Aqualivin, Waterscapes Australia, and Cape Reed International.
Contact us to know more
Oskar Frelin (on parental leave)
Senior Project Manager, Landscape Architect MDL
21.04.2026
Team SLA wins The International Quarter in Esbjerg
We are excited to share that Team SLA has won the project to design the new green heart of The International Quarter in Esbjerg.
25.02.2026
Norway's New Government Quarter opens to the public
It is with great humility and honour that we can share that Norway’s New Government Quarter now opens to the public – after more than 12 years of planning and design!
20.01.2026
SLA receives the Danish Garden Culture Foundation’s Honorary Prize
We are very humbled and honoured to share that we have been chosen as the recipient of The Danish Garden Culture Foundation’s Honorary Prize (Havekulturfondens Hæderspris).