Nine images: A wellness island is coming to Abu Dhabi
9 photos
Fahid Island is a wellness-focused development of more than 6,000 homes being built on a coastal stretch of Abu Dhabi. All images are renderings. Look through the gallery to see more.
Nine images: A wellness island is coming to Abu Dhabi
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At a time when there’s a growing focus on health and wellbeing, it is no surprise that wellness tourism is on the rise. On one small Gulf island, though, plans are in motion to make self-care not merely a temporary vacation, but a way of life
Slated to fully open in 2029, Fahid Island in Abu Dhabi is a development of more than 6,000 homes that promises future residents a coastal neighborhood that will be built from the ground up to enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of its occupants
The 40-billion-UAE-dirham ($10.9 billion) project is led by Aldar Development, a real estate development company owned by the Abu Dhabi government. Aldar says that all infrastructure, services and amenities are geared toward creating a fitness-dedicated “sanctuary.”
“We’ve made sure that every single design decision and commercial decision has always looked at the product through the lens of wellness,” Aldar Development senior vice president Emma McCreery Breen told CNN
“It’s about the basic principles to feel well. You need to make sure that your environment supports that.”
Fahid Island is set to offer residents a wellbeing-focused way of life.
The concept of wellness architecture — the practice of designing spaces that actively promote physical, emotional and cognitive wellbeing — is not unique to Fahid Island, which sits between the entertainment and cultural hubs of Yas Island and Saadiyat Island
Research has shown that surrounding environments can have a big impact on our health. Living in walkable, greener neighborhoods is associated with better physical and mental health, according to a nationwide US study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers, published this month. It cited short and well-connected blocks with a range of amenities and parks as good examples of urban planning
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Fahid Island developers are planning to hit these notes courtesy of the 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) Berm Park running through the center of the planned plot. A “fitness and wellness corridor” containing running tracks and three cycling routes, the park doubles up as a visual and acoustic buffer to the beachfront and mangrove forest on either side
Along the 11-kilometer (6.8-mile) coastline, three planned residential complexes — ranging from apartments to ultra-luxury villas — are set to be built on the 2.7-million-square-meter (29-million-square-feet) site. Apartment prices listed on the Aldar site begin from 1.9 million UAE dirhams ($517,000), rising to 7.6 million UAE dirhams ($2 million) for the premier residences
Residents will have access to a range of amenities, from a retail boulevard to beach clubs and watersports hubs, all accessible loop of interconnected footpaths. More than 70% of the routes will be shaded, Breen said, part of the developer’s plans to make the island navigable entirely on foot
“I think there’s a huge misconception of what wellness is. Just because yoga is a wellness activity doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what people need to feel well every day,” Breen said. “I need social engagement, and our waterfront promenade is going to give that to me.”
Properties will be plotted along the island’s coastline.
It will allow students at King’s College School Wimbledon to walk to school, with the UK private school set to open a campus on the island in September 2028
Breen says the institute will be the world’s first school accredited by Fitwel, a healthy building certification program developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US General Services Administration (GSA) that scores new structures based on their impact on occupant health
The island itself has also been certified by the program, another world first, receiving the maximum three-star rating, measured over categories including physical activity, healthy food options, mental health and wellbeing, and reducing morbidity and absenteeism
Gyms, spas and other fitness amenities will be spread across the island.
“What stood out most was Aldar’s commitment to viewing health as a system rather than a collection of individual amenities,” Joanna Frank, CEO of the Center for Active Design, which operates Fitwel, told CNN
“Fahid Island is demonstrating to the world that health can be intentionally embedded into communities from the very beginning, creating places that not only look beautiful but also optimized for people to thrive for generations to come.”
For Breen, it is evidence that the project is not simply “wellness washing,” whereby organizations appear to promote wellbeing but provide minimal tangible benefits
“People think putting a gym or a spa in a building is wellness. It’s not,” she said. “It’s about designing the environment to make sure that people can make the right decisions and healthier decisions on a daily basis
“It’s about people being able to feel their best, whatever that means to them.”
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