Plans have been unveiled to build a 125,000sq m (410,105sq ft) desert oasis in the shape of the Al Fayah Park in the city of Abu Dhabi.

Scheduled to open to the public in 2017 – with work starting as soon as the design stage is finished by architects Heatherwick Studios in late 2014 – the park will offer a variety of open spaces with exercise paths and picnic areas. There will also be organic fruit and vegetable gardens, which will be used to supply the various restaurants and café’s in the park.

Heatherwick has designed the park to protect the plants and foliage from the powerful desert heat. A statement from the company said: “Al Fayah Park incorporates a series of very special column structures, like the cracked pieces of a desert surface, which gently raise to form a three-dimensional landscape across the site, these elevated pieces create a perforated canopy of partial shade under which a lush garden can grow, protected from the hot desert sun."

Due to Abu Dhabi's rapid rate of expansion and transformation there is a desire to provide a public space devoted to the well-being of the people in the city and the new designs aim to achieve this.

The Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation are the developers behind the scheme. Founded by Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan in 2010, the foundation is “committed to creating sustainable and lasting contributions that enhance the UAE community’s well being”, and Al Fayed Park is already being hailed as one such contribution.

In addition to the park, a public library, mosque, outdoor cinema and arena are being constructed for the Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street scheme, in close proximity to Heathwicks project. Work is due to be start on this later this year.

Read More about the design here