The headquarters of the Dubai Silicon Oasis

AN integrated smart city project called Silicon Park has been launched at the free zone technology park Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO).

The 150,000 sq m park will cost Dh1.1 billion ($300 million) to build and feature buildings that boast of green roofs and solar energy generating photoelectric panels, said the DSO authority (DSOA).

DSOA chairman Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum said work has commenced on the project and will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2017.

The Silicon Park project comprises 97,000 sq m of office space, 25,000 sq m of commercial space, 20,000 sq m of residential area, and a 115 room-business hotel in addition to value-added facilities that suit contemporary living such as restaurants, cafes, health and fitness centres, jogging tracks and cycling trails, prayer rooms, a shopping centre and underground parking for more than 2,500 cars.

“The project articulates Dubai’s Vision 2021 to transform the emirate into a smart city while ensuring it remains on a par with the latest global trends for smart cities,” remarked Sheikh Ahmed.

Sheikh Ahmed

Sheikh Ahmed

“We are confident this project will succeed in offering a modern lifestyle for residents, workers and visitors.

“The project’s standards are aligned to the Dubai Government’s strategic directions on smart cities that focus on six pillars: life, society, mobility, economy, governance and environment.”

The project is compliant with the UAE Green Building Regulations and Specifications and the international LEED standard and is aimed at enhancing environmental sustainability.

Silicon Park buildings will be topped with green roofs, which will include plants and trees that require minimal irrigation and utilise direct sunlight. The park will optimise renewable energy resources and apply measures to achieve efficiency in energy consumption. It will also feature smart lighting systems with motion sensor systems that respond to traffic and individuals.

Smart street light poles will be equipped with digital signboards that can be remotely controlled. The project will implement advanced technologies to control water consumption through recycling procedures at homes and offices for re-use in irrigation to minimise the ecological impact on the carbon footprint, stated the DSOA chief.

About the smart community’s lifestyle, Sheikh Ahmed said there would be solutions ranging from charging-docks for smart devices on the street to smart pop-up furniture and digital play tables.

Visitors will be directed through the most advanced technology – Augmented Reality – which converts real spaces to virtually-generated maps.

Wi-Fi will be available to tenants and visitors. There will be easy access to neighbouring areas through
tunnels.

Electricity-powered vehicles will serve as the primary form of transportation. Additionally there will be smart rechargeable electric bikes.