01 December 2024

Foster + Partners have unveiled the designs for the Bilaj Al Jazayer Beach masterplan that will create a dynamic new destination on Bahrain’s southwest coast.

 Spanning 3.5 km of beachfront, the walkable mixed-use district provides new homes, hotels and retail, alongside public green spaces and state-of-the-art amenities, said Foster + Partners.

 Drawing inspiration from Miami’s low-rise Art Deco buildings and Bahrain’s traditional vernacular, the masterplan puts forward a multi-layered and human-centric approach to architectural design.

 The British international architecture group said the masterplan framework has been developed for Edamah, the real-estate arm of the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Gerard Evenden, the Head of Studio, Foster + Partners, said: “We are creating a green and walkable community on the beach, which offers a range of crafted experiences for residents and visitors. The permeable development features tree-lined streets, shaded courtyards, and a spectacular public park that directly connects with the waterfront. Needless to say, the west-facing district will also offer some of the best sunset views in Bahrain.”

 The masterplan is organised around three primary axes: Beach Drive, which spans the full length of the beachfront; Main Boulevard, which is set back and runs parallel; and Bilaj Al Jazayer Avenue, which directly connects the two.

 Lined with native trees, these green arteries are designed to encourage walking and cycling across the district, with clearly articulated pedestrian walkways and bike lanes.  Human-scale buildings on Beach Drive feature ground-level shops, restaurants and cafes to provide unobstructed views of the water and activate the beachfront.

 Foster + Partners said two large hotels and branded residences bookend the site and visually anchor the scheme. Smaller boutique hotels are interspersed at 500-m intervals across the masterplan, with residential communities located between them.

Learning from Bahrain’s traditional passive design strategies, the mixed-use neighbourhoods feature shaded green courtyards and alleyways.

 The centrepiece of the masterplan is a public surf park, which uses state-of-the-art wave generating technology to replicate the natural ocean environment on land.  A verdant park acts as a green buffer between the beachfront and the main road. The beach connects with a series of piers, which extend into the sea and create protective coves to shield the shoreline. 

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