World's first climate-controlled Raining Street coming to Dubai

Dubai - The Raining Street will have a boulevard setting filled with street cafes, casual dining restaurants, retail outlets, fashion houses, and souvenir shops.

Residents looking for a way to cool down during the hot summer months in the UAE can look forward to a trip to the 'Raining Street' at The Heart of Europe development, where visitors will be treated to a light rainfall every time the temperature rises above 27 degree Celsius.
The 1km-long Raining Street project is located at the Europe Island in Kleindienst Group's $5 billion leisure tourism destination, and is set to go live when Phase I of the project opens later this year. The technology behind the project ensures that as soon as the temperature goes above 27 degree Celsius on the island, cold water in the form of rain will fall from the top of the buildings through concealed pipes.
The Raining Street will have a boulevard setting filled with street cafes, casual dining restaurants, retail outlets, fashion houses, and souvenir shops. It will also host as many as 51 year-round European festivals that will enthrall local and international tourists.
Envisioned by Josef Kleindienst, chairman of Kleindienst Group and backed by Fraunhofer Institute, the Rainy Street is inspired by a 150-year-old architectural concept of Camillo Sitte, an Austrian architect, who proposed to build cities where everything was in walking distance. Sitte's idea revolved around cities being built with streets and boulevards within walkable distances.
But, to be able to walk from one place to another, one should have the right climate, explained Josef Kleindienst. "With the temperature ranging between 40 to 50 degree Celsius during summer, people are not going to walk outside. Therefore, we need a technology to create an outdoor climate-controlled area. So, we contacted engineers and consultants from the European institute who visited Dubai in 2008 to understand the climate here and conduct their research.
"Fraunhofer engineers asked us if we wanted to reduce the temperature as in any other buildings and malls by using cold air, or we wanted cold water in the form of rain. We opted for rain as we knew people would love it, especially in the summer season," he said. "But in one of the plazas on the island, we will control the temperature through technical snow produced from water that will be environment-friendly."
The technology interferes with the temperature, humidity and wind to ensure a cooler climate outdoors. The rainy street is also a sustainable project as it uses solar energy and produces zero carbon emissions.
The rainy street will be strategically located on Main Europe island, next to the Portofino family hotel, Marbella hotel and the Côte d'Azur resort, a cluster of hotels inspired by the lifestyle from Southern Europe. The street will cross the island allowing visitors and families to stroll along the vibrant high street and its line-up of boutique retail offering, all year long, as if in Europe.
rohma@khaleejtimes.com