Zaha Hadid Architects Design Walkable Oasis District in Sharjah

Zaha Hadid Architects have revealed their master plan for Khalid Bin Sultan City, a new district adjacent to the BEEAH Headquarters in Sharjah. The scheme merges commercial, creative, and residential functions within a climate-responsive urban framework.

Inspired by the desert’s prevailing winds and the shifting forms of sand dunes and oases, the master plan is conceived as a design and business district featuring seven residential neighbourhoods, each centred around a public plaza. These neighbourhoods are linked by shaded walkways and a two-kilometre oasis, ensuring that all residents and workers remain within a five-minute walk of shops, cafés, and recreational spaces.

The central oasis forms a green spine running south from the BEEAH business district, providing a corridor with running and cycling tracks, sculpture gardens, wildlife ponds, cafés, and wellness zones. Tree-lined boulevards and shaded terraces connect the commercial and residential buildings to this landscape.

The master plan responds to the challenges posed by car-centric urban layouts, which can raise city temperatures. Instead, the design prioritises walkability, threading pedestrian routes throughout the district and sheltering them with trees and planting. Building façades are recessed, and colonnades offer further protection from the sun, generating cooler microclimates.

Children’s centres, sports facilities, and wellness clinics are distributed so that all homes have easy access to daily essentials. Shaded colonnades and outdoor seating areas are intended to foster neighbourly interaction, while landscaping is used to moderate ground temperatures and extend the usability of outdoor spaces throughout the year. Khalid Bin Sultan City represents a shift towards integrated, people-focused urbanism in Sharjah.