Chaal is our proposal for the public space of Ghaf Woods, Dubai's first car-free forest community. At its heart is a sunken plaza with water, inspired by the ancient stepwells of Rajasthan, where for centuries communities have gathered in the shade, cooled by water.
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The plaza sinks because sinking cools. Below ground level, the earth keeps a more stable temperature, cool air settles at the bottom, the stepped walls cast shade throughout the day, and the water cools the air as it evaporates. To make this possible, cars and infrastructure are placed on an underground level.
The entire surface is left free for people and the forest. And since the infrastructure already lives below ground, the plaza can descend naturally toward the coolness.
Chaal is understood by walking it. You enter through the trees and the canopies slowly open up, revealing the place little by little. The path descends gently toward the water, and with every step it gets a little cooler. Reaching the bottom feels like relief. Hence the name: Chaal (चाल) means, in Hindi, the walk.