06 Jun 2018
Baharash Architecture design biodome ecotourist attraction for UAE
BY Kim Megson
London practice Baharash Architecture have designed three self-sustaining biodome attractions for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which are being developed to promote the country’s booming ecotourism market.
Located in the eastern part of the UAE, in the Al Hajar Mountains, the project will provide facilities for a wildlife conservation centre, a restaurant, educational workshops and an adventure-based wilderness retreat – all housed within the three giant domes.
The structures will be made from prefabricated components to minimise disruption and allow fast assembly on site. They will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, and recycled wastewater will be used for irrigation.
“These biodomes are examples of a semi-subterranean typology that provides passive cooling benefits and is in harmony with nature,” said Baharash Bagherian, design director and founder of Baharash Architecture. “The bioclimatic indoor environments will provide visitors with thermal comfort, restorative and therapeutic benefits”.
By 2021 United Arab Emirates is expected to attract 45 million visitors, many of whom will be drawn to its mountain ranges. Fears that conventional tourism will cause harm to these natural areas – through increased pollution, soil erosion, loss of natural habitats and endangered species – have led the government and developers to invest in ecotourism projects.
Baharash Architecture are already working on The Oasis; a resort in Abu Dhabi they claim will be “the world’s greenest.” Scheduled to open in the emirate’s Liwa region in 2020, it will be powered by 157,000sq ft (14,500sq m) of solar panels and operate a wildlife conservation area. The design is built around an oasis’ spring, and water will be extracted from the ground for use in the resort before being treated onsite and recycled.
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