Long term vision

Michael Sandford.
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THE PUBLIC REALM

One of the key focuses for Hyder’s landscape and urban design division is on the public realm. Much of the division’s work is related to the public realm, says Sandford, with the most obvious example being the projects the company has done for Abu Dhabi municipality. 

“The public realm is incredibly important,” says Sandford. “It is the space that most people experience outside their normal living and working conditions and all research shows an improved public realm in any city generates a much more positive attitude towards life in general.”

But despite the obvious benefits of a strong public realm, it is only in the last two or three years that the design approach has been extended to it, notes Sandford. “If you look around here, there has historically been a disregard for the quality of the public realm experience,” he comments.

From a design perspective, the main consideration in planning a public realm is comfort, he notes. “The main aspects you are looking at in terms of the philosophical approach are providing comfort for people in the outdoor environment so they can move between spaces effectively and easily and enjoy the outdoor experience in comfort,” he says.

“Of course this means shade where shade is necessary and access to the sun when and where that is required.  Those requirements will differ in different parts of the world in different seasons and at different times of the day.”

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In the GCC, with its extreme heat, many are put off by the perceived challenge of creating a comfortable outdoor space. But this doesn’t need to be the case, notes Sandford.
 
“If you look at the climate in the UAE, you get a few months of extreme heat and the rest of the year has quite a pleasant climate really where the outdoor environment is much more appreciated. In terms of trying to ameliorate the extreme conditions of the summer period, it is really a matter of providing settings that offer all of the things that make it more comfortable and number one of those of course is shade.”

“Providing useful spaces for people to use is the key,” he concludes.

FACT FILE HYDER CONSULTING

Established in region Approx 45 years ago
Landscape division established 2004
Regional offices Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain
Number of staff in regional landscape division 56 (includes Manila)
Services include landscape architectural design, public open space design, urban design, landscape and urban design documentation, irrigation design and documentation, sustainable landscape planning and design
Key projects in the region include Lusail, Qatar; New Corniche Swimming Beach, Abu Dhabi; Muroor Road Streetscape, Abu Dhabi, Tamouh Landscape Plan; Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi
Website www.hyderconsulting.com

BIOGRAPHY

Michael Sandford has 25 years experience in all aspects of landscape architecture discipline and practice. Prior to joining Hyder, Sandford established his own practice Edge Environmental Design in Melbourne, Australia.

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