Denver’s Semple Brown Design, working in collaboration with other design team members, including S.A. Miro Inc., has completed the $48.7-million, 35-acre Mushrif Central Park in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

In March 2009, Semple Brown was invited to join Denver-based Valley Crest Design Group’s team as design architect for several buildings throughout Mushrif Central Park. S. A. Miro was subsequently brought onto the team as architect-of record.

The revamped park now has numerous playgrounds and botanical gardens, some of which include plant species previously unseen in Abu Dhabi public spaces. The buildings that form the foundation for the new park include the Entrance Pavilion, Amphitheatre, Botanical Garden Shade House, Children's Garden Pavilion, Evening Garden Pavilion, Friends of the Park Pavilion, The Souk, and a number of support buildings, which include a maintenance building, a pump house and petting zoo structure.

The petting zoo—complete with goats, donkeys and camels—encourages education, interactivity and conservation. The team also created 14 water features and delivered an array of water and light shows to entertain the public.

“The number of visitors (our first) weekend was about 50,000 people… The best moment (was) when we opened the park and we saw the community actually enjoying every component of it and exploring it. It is like a vision come true,” said Tanuja Kothari, project manager for the park’s developer, Al Ain Properties.