Sustainable Urban Living Projects
aoe and STUDIOI Complete the Ghaf Woods Experience Centre
Kalin Ned — September 16, 2025
The Ghaf Woods Experience Centre, situated within a forest-based residential community in Dubai, was designed to serve as an immersive introduction to sustainable urban living. It represents a collaborative architectural project between the Chinese firm aoe and the local Dubai practice STUDIOI.
The Ghaf Woods Experience Centre's architecture is intentionally modeled after natural desert formations, such as sand dunes. The collaborators achieve this through the incorporation of materials such as GRC to create an organic, flowing exterior that blends with the landscape. The sustainable urban living center's layout emphasizes a gradual transition from the urban environment into a natural retreat, incorporating features such as a 'Light Tunnel,' VR demonstrations, and detailed physical models to educate visitors on the community's eco-friendly design and future residences.
The Ghaf Woods Experience Centre also integrates climate-responsive strategies, including extended eaves for shading and water elements for passive cooling, and is surrounded by native landscaping to enhance biodiversity and reduce local temperatures.
