Most people, upon seeing a park bench, paved promenade, or a beautifully planted streetscape, will say — nice. What they do not usually consider is what keeps them all together. The solution in the UAE, is increasingly precast concrete. But it’s doing a lot more than just looking grey.
Precast concrete is used in many innovative ways in the UAE for urban landscaping, extending beyond the realm of roads and bridges. Precast Concrete has recently emerged as one of the most versatile materials in urban design, from sculptural bollards lining a Dubai waterfront, to modular planter systems lining the pedestrianized corridors in Abu Dhabi. This guide focuses on how and why this is so in this part of the world.
Precast concrete offers many beneficial qualities for urban landscaping in the UAE
It is important to be familiar with some of the properties of this material that make it suitable for use in the UAE’s climate before discussing specific applications. This is a climate that is not kind. Many cities have hot summers (45°C+), strong UV radiation, and high humidity in coastal areas which increases the degradation of materials. Wood decays, metal rusts and plastics discolor. Precast concrete does none of those things.
In outdoor public areas, precast concrete is more resistant to weathering, vandalism and wear than wood, plastic or metal. In a nation that is constructing world-class cities at scale and pace, this durability is not a luxury, it’s a standard.
The government of the UAE has pledged to invest a sum of AED 110 billion in infrastructure and urban development, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the main thrust of that investment. The programme incorporates sustainability. The government has established a target of 70% green buildings and this is also rolling out into the design of public realm and landscaping. Precast Concrete is a suitable solution for this agenda, as the manufacture of precast concrete generates less waste on site, requires less labour and has a longer service life than the majority of the other solutions available.
PreCast Concrete Pavers & Pedestrian Surfaces
Precast concrete can be seen everywhere in the city, and one of its most prominent applications is on the ground. Walkways throughout Dubai and Abu Dhabi are paved with precast concrete pavers, along with public plazas, promenades and community gathering areas.
The case of Masdar City in Abu Dhabi is truly educational. All pedestrian network pavers are precast concrete and the judicious application of street width and material selection helps the city be 10-15 degrees cooler than the surrounding regions of Abu Dhabi. This isn’t a coincidence, but as part of any UAE urban landscaping strategy, precast concrete paving can help minimize urban heat island.
Precast pavers provide variety in addition to temperature not possible in poured-in-place concrete. Pavers are made in various textures, profiles, colours, and finishes by UAE manufacturers. All with the same material, but different moulds, landscape architects can say they want cobblestone-effect surfaces in heritage areas, smooth contemporary finishes in modern promenades, or textured slip-resistant profiles in high traffic areas.
Street furniture: benches, bollards, waste receptacles
Landscaping isn’t all about surfaces and plants. Furniture is the key to making public space livable. Precast concrete does this with great style.
Precast concrete benches are engineered to endure constant use, heat and even a little frustration for public furniture. Whereas wood benches must be treated regularly or metal benches heat up in UAE hot summers, concrete benches remain at a more stable thermal equilibrium, and require almost no maintenance after installation.
There are lots of design options available. Precast concrete manufacturers in the UAE can create backless benches, curved designs, planter-bench-integrated designs, and even pieces with embedded timber or stone accents. For instance, Orient Concrete Products is a UAE-based company that is especially renowned for architectural precast concrete and landscaping, such as street furniture — not an imported product, but one that is designed and manufactured for this market.
Another popular precast concrete element in the landscaping of cities in the UAE is bollards. They establish pedestrian areas, safeguard building facades and direct traffic flow. In coastal areas, steel bollards easily corrode in just a few years when exposed to salt air, while precast concrete bollards do not. This is directly beneficial to the cities along the UAE’s coastline, which is almost the entire UAE coast.
The prices of planters and green integration
That’s where it really gets interesting to the landscape designer. Precast concrete planters are definitely no longer the chunky rectangular planters of the 1990s. Precast planters in the modern urban landscape have multiple roles such as growing plants, creating pedestrian areas, establishing informal seating areas and creating a public space.
Cities can change the use of greenspaces flexibly without major infrastructure investments using modular precast planter systems. The modularity also enables the creation of green spaces that can adapt and evolve as per the needs of the urban environment. This adaptability is crucial in a city such as Dubai, which experiences rapid alterations in public realm.
Along pedestrian walkways, in the UAE, planters and benches have been combined to provide seating for people, while providing them with greenery. These can be used at shopping districts, waterfront promenades and at the outdoor dining areas to make them inviting and truly enhance dwell time and the experience of the public space. The concrete gives form to the building, while the plants give life to it. In combination, they synergize each other’s effects.
Retaining walls and level changes
The UAE cities are not even flat! There are frequent development projects on hillside sites in Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and parts of Abu Dhabi, which require level changes to be controlled. It is an efficient job for precast concrete retaining walls, and a well-designed wall can be a part of the landscape as well.
With modern precast retaining systems, the design flexibility can make the difference in the overall look of the retaining wall. Patterned finishes can be used to simulate a natural stone effect or a gabion basket finish. Custom form liners – cast patterns and textures directly into the concrete face. The end effect is a wall that is purposeful and intentional, not merely functional and functional.
Precast retaining walls serve a variety of functions for urban parks, residential projects, and waterfront applications without sacrificing their structure: they create terraces, enclose garden beds, provide seating ledges, and control stormwater flow. This all-round ability is just what city landscaping in UAE requires because of the scarcity of land and the need for everything to have purpose and value.
A collection of sculptures, monuments and architectural features
This is one app that most people aren’t surprised by. Precast concrete is a more than worker’s material, it is a medium for public art and architectural expression when in capable hands. UAE based precast manufacturers have created public sculptures, monument bases, decoration facade pieces and special landmark installations in the urban environment throughout the Gulf.
Precast concrete sculptures are not just functional and durable, but they are also aesthetically pleasing and can be used to create unique and memorable designs. It is possible to make almost anything in the material one can create using a mould, making the designer not limited by the material. Complex curves, geometric patterns, Arabic geometric motifs and organic forms can all be obtained. The material fades, cracks and needs to be maintained like bronze or steel public art does not in the Gulf climate.
Precast concrete art and architectural features are an ideal solution for cities in the UAE who are developing public spaces and are looking for a locally made, durable and scalable solution to match the aesthetic vision and practical needs of the region, from Dubai’s waterfront districts to the cultural corridors of Abu Dhabi.
The role of crash barriers and traffic management as landscape elements
This is a one that is rarely mentioned as part of a creative landscaping list but to mention it here is no harm. Precast concrete crash barriers and road delineators are not only safety elements in the UAE, they are an important part of the edge condition between road and landscape, they create a pedestrian zone and can be matched in terms of finishes with the other materials used in the adjacent streetscape.
Precast concrete crash barriers are designed to ensure road safety and traffic control and can be readily installed, moved, and re-positioned as urban configurations evolve. That flexibility is very helpful in a city that is constantly changing. When the public realm around the barrier system is mature, it can evolve into a permanent element of the landscape edge during construction.
The Sustainability Angle: Sustainability and Precast Concrete in the UAE
Sustainable landscaping in the UAE is not a wish, it’s a policy direction. Precast concrete helps in this regard in a number of ways. Less material waste is created in factory produced products than in on-site cast products. Precision moulding is a way of minimizing over consumption of concrete. The more they last, the fewer times the resource needs to be replaced, the less the resource is consumed over its lifetime.
When specified properly, the UAE’s pledge to have 70% of the building stock certified green is in sync with the material’s ability to meet LEED and Estidama credit requirements. Sustainable materials and practices are becoming more common among precast manufacturers in UAE due to both regulatory and market requirements. This is important for landscape architects and urban planners who are specifying materials for public realm projects: Compliance and credibility.
Selecting the Best Precast Concrete Partner in the UAE
When it comes to landscaping, the finish quality, dimensional accuracy, and design options of your supplier are the difference makers – not all precast concrete is created equal. The UAE precast industry is well established with precast manufacturers spread throughout Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah, many of which have been certified as ISO 9001, and are producing architectural grade precast components that are particularly suitable for urban landscaping works.
As for precast concrete to be used on public realm and landscape projects in the UAE, ensure the manufacturers have the capability to produce custom-moulded shapes, a variety of surface finishes other than grey, experience in producing precast concrete for public realm and landscape applications, and the logistics facilities to ensure delivery and installation in UAE cities without significant disruption.
The possibilities of precast concrete applications for urban landscaping in UAE are endless, as there are so many innovative ideas that can be used. The material takes care of the rest
