Aidia Studio's low-rise fortress wins Barjeel Museum For Modern Arab Art design competition
Aidia Studio has won the Rifat Chadirji Prize 2019, which sought design proposals for a new Barjeel Museum For Modern Arab Art in Sharjah, UAE.
Established in 2017, the Rifat Chadirji Prize is one competition run by the Tamayouz Excellence Award and seeks ideas that respond to local challenges, as well as to celebrate architecture in the Near East and North Africa.
Aidia's proposal for a building to house Barjeel's collection of art from across the Middle East takes the form of a low-rise monolithic structure resembling a fortress.
Designers Rolando Rodriguez Leal and Natalia Wrzask shied away from a design that was too architecturally extravagant.
Instead, they opted for one in which visitors could immerse themselves, with courtyards, alleys and passages intertwining with gallery spaces.
Galleries inside the building are organized as a circuit around internal courtyards and are sunk below ground level to keep them cool and control the amount of natural light coming in.
Five reinterpreted "barjeels", or wind towers, are integrated into the building in a circular formation and draw air down into its volume from the roof for natural ventilation.
The towers appear as sculptures in their own right from inside and create circular undulations in the geometric pattern of the wooden roof.
This patternation filters light as it enters the public spaces of the museum to create similarly patterned areas of light and shade.
Speaking about the design, the judges said: "This project features elegant graphics and a beautifully thought-through analysis. It very cleverly interprets regional architectural, social and vernacular expressions.
"The roof, made of wood and based on a traditional Emirati weaving structure, generates a contemporary motif that naturally filters daylight and creates surprisingly high – and beautiful – semi-public spaces and landscapes, such as the sculpture route and walkway.
"The woven quality of the roof further allows the walls to be dynamic, as shade patterns created by the sun's changing position during the day dances across them. The walls, therefore, become a festive skin."
Aidia will receive the Rifat Chadirji Prize Statuette and US$5,000 (€4,500, £3,900) for winning the competition. They and the other finalists will be celebrated during Tamayouz Excellence Award’s annual ceremony in December.
Aidia Studio UAE museum competitionUAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
BrunelloCucinelli has madehisfortune from cashmere and has used hiswealthto restoreandrevive theItalian hamlet he callshome. Wefindout more