Sustainable beach extension and jetty design: Palm Jumeirah

The Palm Jumeirah is a man-made archipelago in Dubai, extending into the Arabian Gulf through land reclamation. Plot C8, situated on the south-western crescent of Palm Jumeirah Island, is designated for the ‘Hotels and Resort Zone’ (Zone H-2). This zone features low-density resorts that include villas or suite clusters of buildings. The new developments will align with the latest Masterplan and provide beach access to the Six Senses Hotel, villas, and a jetty.

Ayesa was appointed by BSBG, the Lead Designer, to undertake the necessary modelling works for extending the existing beach on the southern crescent plot of Palm Jumeirah Island. The objective was to assess whether the proposed beach would affect adjacent beaches, determine the necessity of a groyne structure, and provide input for the design of the beach and deck on pile structure. Ayesa conducted comprehensive modelling for the project, including spectral wave (SW), hydrodynamic (HD), wave penetration (BW), and beach and shoreline modelling (LITPACK) studies using the MIKE software. These studies were performed for both extreme and operational conditions for existing (baseline) and post-construction scenarios to assess and quantify the impact of the proposed development on the project site and neighbouring shorelines on the Palm. The modelling works were reviewed and endorsed by Deltares, the original designers of Palm Jumeirah Island.

Ayesa provided a well-engineered design for the beach extension and jetty structures that adhered to all coastal development norms within Palm Jumeirah. The primary challenge was that Nakheel, the developers of Palm Jumeirah, discouraged the use of hard protection structures like groynes, as these could disrupt the overall equilibrium of the shorelines. Consequently, Ayesa relied on detailed and robust modelling results to devise the most suitable beach extension that would be stable and have minimal to no impact on the surrounding shorelines. Ayesa’s work on Palm Jumeirah exemplifies optimal coastal development design within the constrained environments of artificial islands.