Yas Acres mixed-use development, Abu Dhabi
Managing the engineering master planning services for Yas Acres
Located on the recently completed man-made Yas Island, the Yas Acres mixed-use development occupies 280 ha, and is entirely self-sufficient with parks, sports facilities, schools, and community retail facilities all on site. It has also been designed to fit in seamlessly with additional future developments as they come to fruition.
Yas Acres provides apartments and villas, ranging from two- to six-bedroom units. The villas are grouped in clusters and built around the various areas of the development, for example, one large group is located close to the golf course, for those who wish to be close to those facilities; while others will be built at the marina, for those preferring a sea view or enjoy water sports.
This design allows new residents to select both the size and siting of their preference, while being able to make adjustments to personalise their home during the development phase.
Our appointment involved managing the engineering master planning services for Yas Acres, as well as the initial design work for the villas.
The project presented two key challenges, namely the infrastructure had to be fully self-sufficient at the time of launch, while being flexible enough to connect with future developments, and, with a relatively high groundwater table, careful geotechnical design was needed to protect the development from any potential damage caused by the surrounding seawater, especially because of the numerous parks, golf course and other green areas.
This design allows new residents to select both the size and siting of their preference
Various layout plans for the marina and canal edge were assessed to optimise the user experience.
Various layout plans for the marina and canal edge were assessed to optimise the user experience.
As one of the largest master planned communities in Abu Dhabi and one of the first residential projects planned for the island, careful analysis was required so that the planning work incorporates the current requirements as well as aligns with the various permutations for future developments. This meant a lot of analysis around the planning of roads, services, etc, and coordination with the modelling team.
*The Aurecon Africa business has been officially renamed Zutari as at 21 July 2020. Zutari acquired Aurecon Middle East on 20 November 2020.
