Lailak Park at Emirates Hills

Emirates Hills is described by the developer as "an established community that continues to be one of the most-desirable ultra-luxury residential areas in Dubai”.

This gated community was the first to offer expatriates freehold property in Dubai and the UAE. Today, Emirates Hills is the most exclusive neighbourhood in Dubai. Leafy residential streets are laid out around the 18 hole Montgomerie Championship Golf Course.

The creative direction for the park was initiated by the resident’s association for Emirates Hills. The design brief was to create a place that appeared wild and natural, in contrast to the highly maintained streetscapes and open spaces around the community. Parents wanted a place for kids to play by creating their own games, to explore and develop confidence.

The park is island of wildness surrounded by ultra-manicured landscapes. Long grasses with seeds heads catch the light and flow in the breeze. This space offers kids a chance to step out from the ordinary and into a world to be explored.

The centre of the park is elevated to create a low hilltop. This makes the park more visible from the approach road. From the hilltop, kids survey the surrounding areas, knowing they hold the most advantaged territory. A tall space net at the top of the hill further accentuates the high point.

Level changes are created by low and wide retaining walls. The extra width of these walls invites kids to walk along the walls through the thick planting and discover new pathways through the park.

There are several formal entries to the park and also informal pathways through planting, mostly linking the high point with the footpath that surrounds the park.

These “hidden paths” invite kids to explore different ways in and out of the park. This encourages kids to take risk, not in a physical sense, rather the risk of taking a path less trodden. This park is designed to stimulate a sense of adventure.

Special paving patterns were custom designed for every paved surface in the park. No two paving patterns are the same. The patterns are meant to stimulate kids imaginations and invent different kinds of games.

The pattern logic is based on the shape of the paved area. For example, patterns for long paths could be used for running or racing games. Patterns for broader shaped areas could be used for chasing or ball games.

The lawn is used for games or sport and can also be used for community events like small scale markets or iftar tents during Ramadan.