The Federal Precinct is located at the northwestern apex of Zayed City and will serve as the national seat of government for the United Arab Emirates. The plan for the Federal Precinct supports the goal of making Zayed City a contemporary expression of an Arab City, with people living, working and thriving in healthy, supportive proximity of each other.
Precinct Structure The structural organization of the Federal Precinct is based on the visual and physical connection of the existing Abu Dhabi city centre to National Square in the heart of the Capital City District. The hierarchy of land uses places the larger more significant public institutions, such as libraries, museums, and government offices framing and reinforcing the monumental Capital Boulevard while allowing a fine grain mix of uses to promote viable streets that are activated throughout the day. Smaller scale embassies, offices, associated housing and services interface with medium density residential uses border the Federal Precinct.

The building blocks of the Precinct are combined to create a hierarchy of building types and uses, define edges and nodes, and provide landmarks for orientation within the greater community. The blocks are designed to ensure a fine grain street grid in order to allow maximum permeability throughout the neighborhood and to allow for linkages to surrounding neighborhoods.

Capital Boulevard is a ceremonial route which serves as a visual continuation from the Grand Mosque and Presidential Palace on Abu Dhabi Island into the centre of the Capital City District. From Highways E20 and E22, two Gateway Boulevards provide access to the edges of the Federal Precinct and direct access to the Capital City District radial boulevards. There are four collector routes which lead to the central International Park from the Gateway Boulevards and a network of local streets which serve to disperse and distribute traffic.

The overall architectural vision for the Federal Precinct is to create a grand sense of arrival to the capital of one of the world’s most prosperous nations. This vision will achieved through distinguishing characteristics appropriate to each individual zone within the Precinct, while achieving an overall cohesive image. Each zone shall reflect a unique expression of building materials, colours, finishing techniques, landscape features, signage, roof forms, and climatic response.

All government buildings, streets, and public spaces throughout the Federal Precinct will be carefully designed to incorporate security measures and best practices into their plans to preserve and protect Federal government assets and ensure the safety and well-being of
all residents and visitors.

The Federal Precinct is divided into four character zones, distinguished by their unique use, built form, character, and function within the Precinct

A well defined public realm in the Federal Precinct provides a diversity of opportunities for expressing local and national heritage and identity and for the programming of events, celebrations, monuments and commemorative spaces that reflect the unique history of
the UAE.

Souk District Building Prototype Organization
This district design incorporates a variety of land uses intended to enhance the symbolic character of the district and overall urban vitality of the City Centre Precinct.

At the heart of each of the sub-neighborhoods within the Emirati neighborhood is a neighborhood center. Along with mosques and parks, these centers will be the main focus of community activity. Neighborhood centers will contain multiple local services including commercial and retail establishments, and community support facilities such as recreation centers, day-care centers, medical clinics and men’s and women’s health clubs.

Adjacency to the higher density districts in the Capital Districts will allow residents of the Emirati neighborhood to take short trips to reach their work place, while still maintaining the relaxed ambience in the Emirati neighborhood. Emirati schools are also well distributed throughout for closer proximity to maximum neighborhood residents.

The intention of the Emirati neighborhood open space plan is to provide park facilities strategically located within walking distances to the residents. Park spaces are connected to each other and to the neighborhoods by a high quality streetscape and sidewalk network that promotes and encourages pedestrian activity.
Neighborhood parks are carefully located throughout the Emirati neighborhoods at approximately the same frequency as mosques. That is, every villa will be within a five minute walk of a public park. The design of the parks will accommodate small gatherings, events and a variety of recreational activities.

The street system in the Emirati Neighborhood is designed to allow for efficient travel through the neighborhood on an interconnected system of arterials and collectors, while preserving the quality and character of each individual sub-neighborhood. A tram service will be provided to connect the neighborhood with the high density CBD and the neighboring Khalifa City B development.