The University of Dubai New Campus Plan was the outcome of a design competition held by the Board of Trustees for the University.A short list of international design firms with higher education market experience was selected to compete for this prestigious project. DMJM Design in collaboration with EDAW was selected by the Board of Trustees, The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and most importantly, by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.
The design was informed by a series of client goals among which included creating a campus with a high quality learning environment, an internal connection between all buildings, and form that allowed independent identity for each college but shared an integrated appearance, and had an iconic presence to establish itself as a landmark in Dubai.
The design was inspired by those natural, organic elements that make Dubai unique: desert, sea, and oasis. Dubai is at the edge of the desert, where sand meets water.It was the crest of the ever-present sand dunes that inspired the organizing wall and its dominance within the design; the sea inspired the wall's helix form, recalling the spiral shapes of the many shells found upon its shores; and the oasis forms the heart of the composition, which the wall gracefully surrounds.
The organization was inspired by the simplicity of the line - providing clarity for the internal circulation and a common interior path for all students to travel.By bending the line, proximities between schools and colleges are reduced and a single exterior gathering space, the oasis, is formed.
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