EAD announce winners of Architecture Competitions for Abu Dhabi Flamingo Visitor, Mega Dunes Ecolodges
ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 04th Aug, 2020) The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, EAD, in collaboration with Bee Breeders, the Architecture Competition Organisers, have announced the winners for two main competitions that were launched at the end of last year. The competitions included the design of two major projects; the Abu Dhabi Flamingo Visitor Centre in the Al Wathba Wetlands Reserve and the Mega Dunes Ecolodge in the Arabian Oryx Protected Area.
The top three winners of the Abu Dhabi Flamingo Visitor Centre include: Petr Janda, Anna Podroužková and Kateřina Tšponová from the Czech Republic in first place with a project called To See and Not Be Seen. In second place were Wenqi Huang and Yi Yan from the United States with their project called Incubator. Laurent Herbiet and Giordana Rojas from Mexico with a project called The Dune came in third place.
The top three winners of the Mega Dunes Ecolodge competition were: Giuseppe Ricupero, Egidio Cutillo, Stefania Schirò and Enrico Capanni from Italy in first place with a project called Heritage Machine. In second place were Natalia Wrzask and Rolando Rodriguez-Leal from Mexico with a project entitled The Rub' Al Khali OCULUS. While in third place, the authors were: Ahmad Nouraldeen, Luca Fraccalvieri, Jana Semaan and Lama Barhoumi from Lebanon with their project - Desert Lens.
Winners were selected on the premise that their designs were cost-effective, environmentally responsible and energy-efficient for remote areas with limited road access.
Regarding the competitions, Ahmed Al Hashemi, Acting Executive Director of the Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector, said, "The participation in both these architectural competitions was exceptional.
We received 237 design entries for the Flamingo Visitor Centre and 117 designs for the Mega Dunes Ecolodges. Due to the presence of so many distinguished proposed projects, it was a challenge for the jury to select the final winners. The winning designs were all eco-friendly and aligned with the sustainability needs stipulated by EAD, as part of our vision of establishing green buildings in the emirate of Abu Dhabi."
Al Hashimi indicated, "EAD will work with the participants who have the winning designs to finalize the project designs and prepare them for any future executive work."
Established in 1998, the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is a nature reserve consisting of both natural and man-made bodies of water located 40 km southeast of central Abu Dhabi. Covering a total of 5 square km, the wetlands are comprised of wetlands, sabkhas (salt flats), fossilized sands and dunes, and are densely packed with animal and plant life. The most spectacular of which is the flamingo population, who flock to the reserve in their thousands to enjoy the warmth during the winter months, with some remaining all year round.
The Arabian Oryx Protected Area is home to the largest population of Arabian Oryx in the world. Spanning over 5,900 square kilometers, it is located in the southern region of the UAE, bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman. The majority of the Arabian Oryx Protected Area consists of sand sheets and dunes, with some mega dunes and gravel plains with dwarf shrub vegetation located throughout the area.