Making the desert bloom: the UAE's restored wetlands
Observation gallery, Wasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
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Article Author: Making the desert bloom: the UAE's restored wetlands
Media Source: CNN (USA)
Date: 18 September 2019
The judges of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture selected an eclectic mix of winners this year. These included an amphibious bamboo school in Bangladesh, a wedge-shaped museum in the West Bank, and the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah, UAE. The latter entry, created by Dubai architecture firm X-Architects, is the centerpiece of an…
The judges of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture selected an eclectic mix of winners this year. These included an amphibious bamboo school in Bangladesh, a wedge-shaped museum in the West Bank, and the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah, UAE. The latter entry, created by Dubai architecture firm X-Architects, is the centerpiece of an ambitious restoration project that has seen a stagnant dump transformed into a flourishing natural ecosystem and popular visitor attraction. "The project sets a powerful precedent that encourages low-impact and environmentally conscious development in a region known for its propensity to go in the opposite direction," the award judges commented.