| Drawings / Floor plans / Sections |
| About Dubai Design District (d3) |
| About ibda design |
| Project | Hai d3 |
| Architects | ibda design |
| Area | 1877 m² |
| Year | 2015 |
| Location | Dubai, UAE |
| Design Team | Yuka Takeuchi, Sho Ikeya, Takeshi Harikai, Takuma Fujisaki, Makoto Udagawa, Lloyd Fontilla |
| Architect in Charge | Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto |
| Urban Design | Cultural Engineering (Rashid bin Shabib) |
| Lighting | PSLAB |
| Swing Design | Case Design |
| Contractor | AMBB Interiors |
Hai d3 is a concept created as an incubation space for the development of emerging local creative talents from the center of Dubai's 'Design District'. It was supposed to be a temporary facility with a five-year program of use, and with a construction time of eight months. The shipping container development is intended to host a variety of events, exhibitions, collaborative works, and displays to foster growth in the different fields of art and design in the Middle East.
It was designed as a neighborhood, showing that the master plan of the entire Design District Dubai was intended to encourage a community of artists in the region. Inspired by the efficiency of the traditional planning of the Arab quarter, the general lines of the shipping container development project were arranged to accommodate open spaces, which are further worked through landscaped "pockets" that serve as patios for each of the complex's buildings. These patios not only complement the industrial nature of the architecture, but also promote the activity, and consequently, the vitality of the entire site.
These buildings are formed with the use of recycled containers of 12 meters long, all transformation is done by hand with careful consideration to preserve its raw, industrial form. The application of these shipping containers allows for rapid construction and dismantling that opens up possibilities for re-fabricating the architecture if deemed necessary. Six different stacking designs were carried out, compounded to respond directly to the program. Art galleries, a workshop, a library, retail spaces, as well as a cafeteria and prayer rooms were introduced into the shipping container development, which were arranged based on the use of the facility. Annex buildings were also introduced, adding 6-meter containers for services, toilets and storage, as well as an access piece. An element that not only welcomes the people of the neighborhood, but also serves as a multifunctional space that artists can arrange for film screenings, meetings or outdoor workshops.
Sustainability was key in this shipping container development project, taking into account the region's ecological construction initiatives. Passive cooling, through shipping containers implemented as "wind towers" distributed throughout the site. These wind towers promote natural ventilation by capturing strong currents of winds that channel into the patios. Additionally, passive lighting is employed in buildings with the use of full height windows and high side lights, as the abundance of sunlight is intrinsic to Dubai. The openings also frame both the landscape of the place and the built horizon of the city.
This shipping container development project, with the use of clean and simple shapes, and simple but welcoming views, offers its users a platform of flexibility, in which they can embrace the dynamism of their work, and in turn, use it as a way to boost the creative industry from the Middle East.