Through invitation by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Chris prepared a design competition to re-imagine one of the city’s largest community parks.

The existing Khalidiya Park's formal layout and features appear superimposed without considering the urban setting or contexts. His reimagined vision for the park seeks to reconnect the site with the city and the nearby waterfront. The removal of perimeter barriers enables the residential urban grid to enter the park and dissolve the edges with small market-stall buildings and shade structures inspired by nature.

Surrounding the park, adjacent streetscapes become paved, shared streets - providing well shaded, pedestrian, and bike-centric connections to the residential districts. New vistas are created that take advantage of the park's proximity to the Gulf and Corniche.

The site's heart is "The Hub," a dedicated civic building and park space where the community can gather and exchange ideas. The Hub includes offices at a mezzanine level with grand views of the park. The building consists of a library, coffee shop, open workspaces, classrooms, and ample flexible assembly space.

The design brief also included a climate-controlled park space. Chris’ response creates a dramatic sinuous biome with landscapes inspired by the country's rich and diverse ecological habitats - mountains, wadi, desert, mangroves, and tidal basins.