Abu Dhabi Flamingo
Visitor Center

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.