Introduction
The Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, located south-east of central Abu Dhabi, was declared a protected area in 1998. The 5km² reserve is home to some 260 species of birds and other wildlife, including shrimp, scorpions, and lizards. Each autumn through spring, a wave of 4000 pink flamingos flock to the reserve, where they breed and spend the cooler winter months.
The Abu Dhabi Environment Agency (EAD) oversees the conservation of this special habitat. It manages a rehabilitation program that has, among other things, planted native trees to form a protective barrier around the reserve. The EAD also regulates the amount of water that enters the wetlands from a nearby water treatment plant.
Following the success of the Flamingo Observation Tower competition, the Abu Dhabi Flamingo Visitor Center challenge is the second Bee Breeders competition set in the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in partnership with the EAD. The EAD will consider winning proposals for construction.
Competition participants were tasked with submitting concepts for a new visitor center, designed in balance with Al Wathba’s unique natural environment. The visitor center is to be programmed with facilities including an information center, cafe, terrace, souvenir shop, display area for specimens, training center, toilets, and a car park.
The jury sought designs with sustainability and constructability in mind. Above all, the designs were judged positively if they showed respect for the reserve’s fragile ecosystem. The visitor center is to be both a subtle building in harmony with its context, as well as an iconic architectural landmark.
Bee Breeders thanks all the competition participants. This particular competition received an especially strong collection of proposals submitted from around the world. The winning and shortlisted entries below are evidence of a wide array of material and programmatic investigations, as well as excellent visual and communicative drawing techniques.
We sincerely thank our jury panel
for their time and expertise
Kerim Miskavi
Miskavi Architecture Studio - MAS
Turkey
1st Prize Winner
To see and not to be seen
We have been participating in competitions that we consider challenging and that focus on content as well as architectural design.
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Czech Republic
Jury feedback summary
According to the jury, “The project's conceptual framework of "seeing while not being seen" is remarkable. The proposed structure behaves as part of a living habitat rather than a building.” The project achieves the status of being an icon in a subtle manner that blends in with the landscape. The structure does not dominate its surroundings. Program and circulation flows are organized intelligently in intertwining loops that add meaning to the complexity of the overall form. Structurally, the project is quite complex and may prove to be prohibitively expensive or difficult to build in its current state, however the proposal makes up for this through the originality of its design.
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Troll’s Tongue Observation Platform
2nd Prize Winner
Incubator
We see architectural competition as an excellent opportunity to broaden our perspective. It offers us the chance to experience and learn from different cultures, to evolve our ideas, to gain a better understanding of the relationship between humans and architecture.
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United States
Jury feedback summary
Incubator imagines a rich interior universe sheltered by a delicate shell and an oculus that opens up to the site in a dramatic way. The inner world with point lights, murals, ramps and mini pavilions is convincing, and can be imagined to offer respite to visitors from the harsh exterior environment when needed. The overall form is powerful in its soft iconicity while the materiality anchors it to its context. The rectangular cafe and terrace, however, appears foreign to the overall building form and disturbs the simplicity of the architectural gesture. The limestone cladding panels feel unnecessary and ornamental, given the otherwise light and sustainably-minded bamboo structure.
3rd Prize Winner
THE DUNE
We believe regenerative architecture and sustainable design will be a key aspect in the formation of future generations of architects and users of architecture.
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Mexico
Jury feedback summary
The Dune offers a design that makes use of the entire site. It conceives a series of dispersed pavilions unified under a single roof canopy with a central void - its form is reminiscent of SANAA’s 2009 Serpentine Pavilion, or the same studio’s later multipurpose Grace Farms project. The jury writes of The Dune: “It feels appropriate to the needs of the site. The porosity of the structure and the central oasis space that incorporates wetlands is commendable. The building section is well crafted to demonstrate the strength of the project. The amount of glazing seems excessive from a performative standpoint. Excessive lighting at night seems to overpower the natural habitat in the rendered views.”
BB STUDENT AWARD
Well-balanced
This is a chance to create an interesting concept not defined by money. And besides, this is a good opportunity to present our solutions to the many problems with which the world today is measured.
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Client Favorite +
BB GREEN AWARD
BB GREEN AWARD
VERNACULAR 2.0
I participate in architecture vision competitions to compete with talented people from all over the world. This particular mind-set challenges your ability to develop conceptual approaches and strengthens your ability to communicate your proposal.
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France
Honorable mentions
Shortlisted projects
OASIS
Carleton University [Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism]
+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Canada The Oasis at the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve
Nest Within
THE DUNE
Horizontal Landscapes
GET LOST IN THE WOODS
Flamingo Visitor Center
Flamingo Visitor Centre
Gateway to Al Wathba Reserve
Flock
Elegant white tower
The Modern Areesh
Flamboyant Shelter
Incubator
Frame Work
Umbrella Forest
ZIGZAG
Fluttering Landscapes
The Feather Cloud
Abu Dhabi Flamingo Visitor Center
OASIS
Flamingo Visitor Center
Al Wathba Flamingo Visitor Center
Well-balanced
The Yardang
CRIMSON WING
ADFVC_Flamingo Deconstruct
Concrete Flamingo
A HELIX INTO THE HORIZON
Abu Dhabi Flamingo Visitor Center
Slightly Off
viewing circle
VERNACULAR 2.0
Nesting Grounds
To see and not to be seen
Storytime
Wood Wave
FLAMINGO DUNE
Al-Wathba Flamingo Visitor Center
