Visitor center in Abu Dhabi
petrjanda/brainwork 


The firm of the Czech architect Petr Janda has won the competition to build a visitor center in the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, located in the United Arab Emirates capital, where flamingos abound. The project seeks to make the building blend into the landscape by means of materials, as well as through a shape that mimics a flamingo in slumber and the rock formations of the Arabian desert, with the stratifications revealed by erosion. With a circular floor plan and a wrinkled texture combining reddish and pinkish tones, the concrete volume intertwines curving exhibition spaces which are continuous, unfragmented, optimizing views of the surroundings. Two circuits of water will be incorporated for cooling in a system based on the temperature difference between day and night, relying on evaporation, humidity, and condensation.