Second phase of Dubai Design District masterplan put 'on hold'.

The second phase of Dubai Design District (d3)’s masterplan has been put “on hold”, Gerard Evenden, head of studio at Foster + Partners confirmed.

The UK architecture firm was commissioned to design phase 2, also known as the Creative Community, which would comprise a mixed-use development featuring workshop facilities, design offices, live-work units, retail and F&B, as well as the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) campus.

He told Middle East Architect that the future status of the entire project remains unknown.

“We are hopeful that it will restart,” he said, adding, “I thought it was a great project for Dubai, and if you see how successful d3 is, [the Creative Community] was the next extension.”

Middle East Architect contacted d3 for a comment, which explained that the second phase is “evolving” from its original masterplan.

“The original masterplan for Dubai Design District is evolving to meet the changing needs of both the city of Dubai and the wider demands of the existing and future community of creatives,” said Khadija Al Bastaki, executive director at d3.

“d3 will continue to focus on the design and creative community at large through supporting and developing projects that provide creative talents with valuable insight and experience that will enhance their personal and professional development,” she added.

In September 2018, Foster + Partners released its annual statement revealing that the firm has seen a fall in turnover, profits and staff.

The company also reported a significant drop in the number of projects in the Middle East (although Foster cites Kuwait International Airport as the firm’s largest project of 2018) and South America, as well as a general decrease in workload across the UK and North America.

“I think [the market] has slowed down a bit this year,” Evenden said. “We had a number of projects which all had momentum and then they slowed down a bit which is a great shame. But things change and projects go through cycles. We are still very much focused on the [Middle East] and I think, for us, it is still a very important place to be working.”

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