January February 2019 Marina World

MARINA PLANNING & DESIGN
design and feasibility report for all
elements of all four very different
marinas within Dubai Harbour. C&N’s
international expertise helped to inform
the marina masterplan and final design
detail to ensure efficient use of water
areas and ease of use for all marina
guests. “The detailed design has been
carefully considered to create animation
close to the shoreside, linking the
marina with the commercial and public
realm elements,” Hughes explains.
In terms of size and scale – upon
completion, Dubai Harbour will double
the number of berths in the UAE – the
project delivers impressive statistics. Its
1,068 berths offer a total of 24,300m
(79,724ft) of linear mooring space,
with a range of berth lengths from 10
to 160m (33 to 525ft). Well in excess
of 20MW of power supply will be
required and the anticipated marina
water consumption will be around 30
million litres per annum. Contractors
have dredged just under 5 million cubic
meters (6.5 million cubic yards) of
sand, and created 6km (3.7mi) of new
coastline and 123.5 acres (50ha) of
new land.
During the design period, the
reclamation and construction work
on the marina was already well
under way and C&N was in constant
communication with the Meraas team
to ensure that any design changes
could be made in tandem with
construction work. Prime examples
have included redesigning Cruise
Marina to accommodate a bridge, and
extending existing fixed piers to create
‘spines’ that enable pedestrians to
walk right into the heart of the marina.
“This is a lifestyle hub,” says Hughes.
“By extending the piers we ensure that
visitors are really in the marina.” The
design also includes specific areas
for boats to be on display during boat
shows and incorporates the use of
removable pontoon sections to create
a ‘loop’ for show attendees to walk onto
the marina and visit the exhibitor areas.
Other inclusive thinking resulted in
the installation of feature platforms
around the marina basin perimeters
for pop-up stands, exhibits and
vendors. And, while catering for visitor
attractions, security arrangements had
to be sound, fuelling infrastructure vital
(three fuel docks), and navigation taken
into account (especially where the
marina fairways and channels interact
with cruise ship traffic). Superyacht
berths and VVIP berths – some of the
largest berths in the GCC countries –
and requisite power supplies (estimated
to be in the region of 1,600 amps) also
required specialist planning, along with
crew facilities, operations control and a
boatyard with facilities for small scale
refit and maintenance.
“We’ve been delighted to work so
closely with the professional team at
Meraas and to create four separate
marinas with a unique design and well
thought-through features,” Hughes
comments. For Khaldoun, choosing
C&N was all about “solid reputation and
consistent high level of details,” and
ability to draw on its own experience
as marina owners and operators and
to share the Meraas vision of Dubai
Harbour being “the jewel in our crown”.
Hughes sums up: “It is fantastic to
see the work completed by Camper &
Nicholsons Marinas being brought to
life and incorporated in one of the most
forward-thinking new marina builds in
the world. This is a great reference for
our in-house consultancy team and
we are so pleased that the marina will
remain a focal point in Dubai for many
years to come.”
Above & right: extensive berthing is just
part of the Dubai Harbour offering. As a
new residential development, it will have
vibrant retail and entertainment venues.
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