Al Ain, UAE / 2008

The sales centre is conceived like an oasis in the desert, able to generate and sustain a delicate micro-environment - a paradisiacal destination that users want to arrive and experience. Water- the element protagonist in the oasis- is used to separate and unite simultaneously the different landscape- existing and the new. Light- the most abundant natural element - is channeled through pin holes in the roof during day and by a grid of fiber optic poles in the landscape at night. Vegetation- a unique component in an oasis-is used to create haptic experiences of scent and color by the addition of various species of trees and flowering plants. The architecture itself is a series of programmatic multi-level circular cubicles, congealed together by landscape elements, a reactive skin and a stippled roof. Each of the cubicles creates necessary space for displays, meeting rooms and vertical connections, providing a single fluid architectural entity.

design team

Ahmed Al-Ali, Farid Esmaeil, Mario Baez, Adrian Duran