Immersion in the Desert
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Zaha Hadid Architects has been announced as the winner of an international competition for the new Sharjah headquarters of environmental and waste management company Bee’ah. Taking an aesthetic cue from the local desert environment, the project site appears as a series of sand dunes. Two larger central dunes form the basis of the core Headquarters building.
At the intersection of these two dunes is a central courtyard, designed as an ‘oasis’ for the building users. One dune will be reserved for public and management facilities – such as the entrance lobby, auditorium, visitor’s education centre, gallery and management offices – and the other providing administrative space – such as departmental offices and the staff café.
Given Bee’ah’s industry, sustainable features have been integrated into every element of the design. The LEED Platinum concept utilizes 100% green renewable energy resources and benefits from the client’s expertise in recovered water recycling and the reuse of local construction and demolition waste from Bee’ah’s streams.
Externally the building will be finished with materials that reflect the sun’s rays to reduce the impact of the harsh sunlight, with the entire form orientated to maximize the effects of prevailing Shamal winds and natural daylighting. Large arrays of photovoltaic cells will be incorporated into the landscaping which also features native and adaptive species of vegetation to reduce the irrigation demands of the 90,000 sq m site.
ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS