Did you know we have flamingos in Abu Dhabi?
We’ve been in awe of the amazing pictures of the pink birds at Al Wathba Wetland Reserve.
And soon it will be even easier to see the wild flamingos up close thanks to a stunning new observation tower.
The winners of a competition from Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, architecture enthusiasts Bee Breeders and ARCHHIVE BOOKS, have just been announced.
Architects from around the world were invited to submit their designs for improving the visitor experience to the protected wetlands.
With the aim of creating a new landmark for the city, all entries had to include a boardwalk, a floor area of 400 sq ms and a height of 12 m.
The jury reviewed the entries based on environmental-responsibility, energy-efficient construction methods that considered minimal excavation and limited road access, given the site’s remote location.
The winning design was by Australian-based architects Bryan Fan and Shelley Xu, who created a observation tower dubbed Flamingo Dreams.
The design features a giant birds nest-like observation tower, designed to look like a thicket of grass that will allow amazing view over the huge wetland reserve.
It hides visitors from the view of birds and allows you to look through openings in the palm-leaf shell.
This is the first step of the process in seeing the structure come to life. We don’t know when the structure will be completed, but when it is, we can’t wait to visit and see it for ourselves.
For more information, visit www.beebreeders.com/architecturecompetitions/flamingotower
