Princess Sabeeka Park

This site was a flat piece of land that held several buildings of various uses scattered around its edges. Among them was a derelict movie theatre, a refrigeration plant and electrical substation and a library that remains in use. Bordering the site is a cricket pitch and a school.

The brief included removing the theatre, and installing a park that was reminiscent of Bahrain’s historic Date Palm farms. A key feature was a walking path system that would traverse the park and meander around and over a water feature.

Upon meeting with the client and analysing the site, LSC proposed a park design that is unique and pleasurable to use. We introduced a central pavilion, around which the park is organised. This pavilion is open and provides a stage with a formal seating area on one side and an informal grassy area on the other.

To add to the enjoyable experience, LSC created several terraces that provide outdoor additions to the buildings, i.e. a library terrace for reading, and a terrace for the coffee shop. To complement this system of terraces LSC designed a multi-pool water feature that engages with the coffee shop terrace and the library. The lower pool is axially aligned with the pavilion to strengthen the visual cohesiveness of the park.

The pathway system is hierarchical and provides a diverse range of experiences from rolling grass hills to winding through palms and trees. The path also connects the various buildings of the site, tying them together into a cohesive unit.