Introduction
Abu Dhabi, located on the southeastern Arabian Peninsula along the Persian Gulf, has a hot climate and desert landscapes that are home to rich biodiversity. The native fauna includes a number of desert-dwelling species that can be found nowhere else on earth.
One such species is the Arabian Oryx, a medium-sized antelope with long, straight horns, a tufted tail and a distinct shoulder bump - the smallest member of the genus Oryx. The Arabian Oryx was considered extinct in the wild in the 1970s. Breeding programs in zoos and private reserves helped to increase the population of the species, and they were reintroduced into the wild from 1980. As of 2009, there are a number of Arabian Oryx living in Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.
Despite a turnaround in the decline of the Arabian Oryx, the species is still listed as vulnerable. The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), an organization committed to maintaining a number of environmentally protected areas in the Emirates, has expressed interest in constructing approximately 25 sustainable “eco-lodges”, to garner stronger public interest in these amazing creatures by allowing visitors to view the animals up close.
This is the third Bee Breeders competition run in partnership with the EAD, following the Flamingo Observation Tower competition and the Abu Dhabi Flamingo Visitor Center challenge. The EAD will consider winning proposals for construction.
The jury sought creative, sustainable, and constructable proposals designed with sensitivity to this delicate natural environment. It is important that the visitor lodges be constructed with minimum impact to the protected site, while also providing an exciting and comfortable experience for visitors.
Bee Breeders would like to thank each of the participants for submitting their proposals.
1st Prize Winner
Heritage Machine
Because they allow us put theoretical visions into practice and push the boundaries of architecture. Moreover, a competition is always a way to learn more and more about yourself and your way to design.
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Italy
Jury feedback summary
Heritage Machine stands out with its unique conceptual approach of ephemeral placemaking that dissolves back into nature as ruins over time. The ideas of physical memory, and an original approach to sustainability and building life cycle is remarkable. Physically, the gradual transition from the exterior to the interior world through a series of thresholds, and the grand roof canopy of the common hub large enough to form its own microclimate, are low-tech but powerful architectural gestures that respond to local environmental constraints. The quality and nuances of the overall representation are commended.
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2nd Prize Winner
The Rub' al Khali OCULUS
We treat competitions as a means of testing lines of research currently being developed within the studio. We target specific subjects that help us expand our portfolios and where we can implement our research in complex geometries and sustainable design. The subject of the Mega Dunes Ecolodges was perfect for combining these two.
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Jury feedback summary
The range of possibilities offered by the reconfigurable shading structure is well-considered. The circular form offers a 360-degree panoramic mini-universe for users with the ability to reconfigure privacy, views, and shading to changing needs. The aggregation of units to form a common hub is consistent with the project's overall "constellation" concept. The desert cactus-like form feels appropriate to the context without becoming overly mimetic. The glazing extents and the double-curved glazing panel geometry appears excessive, adding solid thermal mass - optimizing the amount of glass in the inner shell should be considered, to increase thermal performance and decrease costs.
3rd Prize Winner
Desert Lens
Competitions are an integral part of the studio’s focus on research and development (R&D); they provide an opportunity to test, combine and iterate contemporary ideas and technologies that become part of our growing tool kit.
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Jury feedback summary
Desert Lens achieves a high level of flexibility via a reconfigurable tensile structure superimposed on a fixed bamboo shell. The ability of the tensile structure to provide privacy, shelter from elements, and shaded areas in a simple, low-cost, analog manner is effective. The rendering depicting the user interacting with the tensile structure in the windy, sublime context is a poetic depiction of man not alienated from - but part of - the dune ecosystem.
BB STUDENT AWARD +
BB GREEN AWARD
BB GREEN AWARD
Local.Smart.Simple. - Abu Dhabi Megadunes Ecolodges
Competitions offer a fantastic way to hone your skills and to test them in a competitive environment. From CAD- and rendering- to design skills, everything can be practiced. The same counts for group working; competing as a team is a great way to practice working together with other people and learn something about yourself.
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Client Favorite
DESERT CROWN
It’s freeing! You don’t get that limiting diction of “it has to be done this one way”. It’s out-of-the-box thinking and in line with the AL-L vision of exploration, innovation, and discovery, resulting in pleasant surprises that solve complex human and design challenges. While learning, I enjoy dreaming and envisioning beautiful things, and gaining positive exposure for thought-provoking and creative work. Regardless of the results, I always look forward to the next beautiful dream that we can actually build and inhabit.
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United States
Honorable Mentions
Shortlisted projects
The Memory of the wind
Kaywon University of Art and Design
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
South Korea Flower of the desert
DESERT CROWN
ECO - RAW
6 SAND POCHE
Dunes On Dunes
Traces
Blue Pansy Butterfly Lodge
Constellation
Local.Smart.Simple. - Abu Dhabi Megadunes Ecolodges
The Rub' al Khali OCULUS
Oryx Caravanserai
woven habitats
ECO LODGES - THE DUNES
Heritage Machine
desert waves
SAND DROPS
EQUILIBRIUM
Desert Lens
Lodges by the Dunes
Mega Dunes Ecolodges Abu Dhabi
O LODGE
Adaptable Oases
HOT OFF THE [3D] PRESS
The Zenith and Nadir
Dessert Flower Eco-Lodges
Oryx Eco- Lodge
The Wing
Nomadic Lodge
Tent-d(h)ome
THE DUNES
MicroDunes
Desert Oddity
Sparkling Dunes
Sand|Form Array
NOMADIC DUNE
EMPTY QUARTER
Mega Dunes Eco Lodges
TAKE ME BACK TO THE MOON
Black fabric
Mega dunes eco lodge
