A vertical hanging garden comprising 100,000 green plants is being added to the Heart of Europe, being built 4km off the coast of Dubai.

The project, which claims to be the world’s most sustainable tourism project, said the green living walls will add to the hotel biodiversity as it will attract bees, butterflies and birds whilst keeping the building cooler.

A series of micro-jungles, vertical hanging gardens, rainy street offering cool shower during the hot summer season, solar power, re-creation of coral reefs and expansion of marine habitat, solar-powered hotel suites are some of the other key features of the project.

A car-free, noise-free and pollution-free destination developed by Kleindienst Group, The Heart of Europe is a $5 billion second home and tourism island destination being developed within the World Islands – a cluster of 300 man-made islands off the coast of Dubai’s Jumeirah district.

It aims to create boutique hotels, residential and hospitality properties to attract international tourists and investors seeking a second home and UAE residents looking for a new staycation experience.

The Heart of Europe is being developed on six of those islands and promises to offer year-round European cultural festivities – as many as 51 annual festivals – to bring the best of European flavour in Dubai while the restaurants and cafes will serve organic and authentic European cuisine.

“Zero discharge was almost impossible on an island tourism destination and unthinkable a few years ago. However, it is becoming a reality now, thanks to the development of environmental engineering and technology. We are now able to achieve zero discharge at the Heart of Europe,” said Josef Kleindienst, chairman of Kleindienst Group.

“Once completed, it will be the world’s first sustainable island tourism destination with a ‘zero’ discharge policy. This means, there will be no discharge into the sea waters.”

He added: “When we purchased the islands, the guidelines were simple – to build world-class touristic assets – to attract tourists to Dubai. Since then, the authorities have strengthened the engineering guidelines that will make projects environmental sustainability.

“As a developer, we have gone extra miles to make sure we not only fulfil those sustainability regulations, but exceed them. For example, our civil structures are built to last more than 100 years, although the regulation is for a 50-year building life.

“So, we have exceeded our environmental and sustainability requirements as a project developer. Moreover, all our projects are green and will be surrounded by sustainable landscape, vegetation, micro-jungles that are watered through underground piping system to maximise the utilisation of the water resources. The abundance of trees and plants in the micro-jungles will attract seasonal birds and become home to butterflies.”

The Heart of Europe that will host nearly 4,000 accommodation units spread across 15 hotels, 10 beach palaces on its Sweden Island, 32 luxury villas on Germany Island, 141 floating Seahorse villas, and host between 8,000 to 15,000 people including staff at its peak.

Construction of the Heart of Europe’s phase one which includes the development of nearly 600 units across 5 key projects is slated for completion in the fourth quarter of 2020 and handover processes will start upon getting necessary permission from the authorities, depending on the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

At the sub-sea level, Kleindienst said the Heart of Europe is expanding the marine habitat by creating and installing coral reefs for fish, breeding up to 50 species form the Arabian Gulf, including the carpet shark, to increase the marine environment and make it more sustainable.

“This will be a major attraction for underwater divers, snorkelers, marine biologists, students and those who want to explore the beauty of the marine habitat. We will have attractions above and below the water and all these will be sustainable,” he said.

A climate-controlled Rainy Street covering 1 kilometre stretch of walkway where it will rain on command maintaining an ambient temperature of 27 degrees Celsius as well as 5 kilometres per hour winds and 60 per cent humidity will also be part of phase one while a sustainable swimming pool measuring a record 12,000 square metres, which will connect the four hotels of the Côte d'Azur resort, will also feature.

Elsewhere, a rainforest will be planted with more than 100 types of exotic plants and palm trees right next to the Rainy Street. The forest will also have a sustainable irrigation system with recycled water and rain will fall on command to create a refreshing micro-climate.

Established more than 30 years ago in Austria and Hungary and present in Dubai since 2003, The Kleindienst Group employs more than 1,200 people.