Found in the Arid Zone / Ras Al Khor Visitors’ Center, Dubai

Located within a 6.2 km² sanctuary hosting 450 animal species and 47 plant species, the project is conceived as a light infrastructure embedded in a fragile ecosystem.

The design minimizes impact through punctual columns and non-invasive foundations, relying on renewable resources and low-impact construction throughout the building’s life cycle.

The spatial sequence leads visitors through a gradual encounter with the environment: from collective learning spaces to quiet zones for individual bird watching. Functions are accommodated in floating pavilions that hover gently above the soil, allowing the landscape to remain continuous and alive.

The result is not a single object, but a porous infrastructural system where architecture frames environmental experience

Team: Riccardo Vannucci, Giuseppina Forte