The Competition

The brief provided by the Abu Dhabi Youth Hub called for:

• A structure inspired by the phrase “ الشباب الباني ”, from the poem of the Late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The material of the structure to be durable to withstand the harsh weather conditions.
• Lighting to be considered; as the structure must be visible and lit at night time.
• Participants to produce plans, sections, elevations, and 3D renders.

The winning design was intended to be constructed and installed at the Abu Dhabi Youth Hub front/main entrance area. However, limiting factors halted the project as shown here. A different design was conceived by Farasat Mirza and Rashed Al Mazrouei which was built and sits at the entrance of the Abu Dhabi Youth Hub.

Our Inspiration

The verse: 'معكم ثقافه و علم و إتقان' from Sheikh Zayed’s poem, 'الشباب الباني' was the main inspiration behind the design of our pavilion. The design consists of three main concrete blocks. The large, 3 meter tall block imitates a book, representing knowledge and signifies Abu Dhabi Youth Hub as a center for the exchange of ideas.

The two smaller blocks represent youth. These smaller blocks look to be leaning on the largest block, creating imagery of youth gaining knowledge from a book.

Early Sketch

The first idea in the thought process was to create a pavilion that is in high contrast in shape to the main building.

Our design mirrors the aesthetics of Abu Dhabi, taking inspiration from modern cultural sights in Abu Dhabi such as The Founder's Memorial , Wahat Al Karama, and Qaser al Hoson.

Integrating with the Surroundings

We wanted our pavilion to integrate with its surroundings, namely with the main Youth Hub building. The Youth Hub building has an organic shape inspired by the rear wing of an F1 race car. In order to make sure the pavilion isn’t mistaken for a building of some other purpose, we decided to add a cantilevered concrete canopy that mirrors the design of the main building. The combination of angular and organic design blended seamlessly together create for an overall striking, visually appealing and clean modern design.

Providing Access to the Main Building

As our design progressed, an issue arose. Access to the main building was obscured by the pavilions canopy/shading element. This meant that people would be inconvenienced, as they would have to walk to one side of the pavilion to enter and exit. The solution to this problem came in the form of another swooping line that cuts out part of the rear of the canopy. This line is an elegant solution to the problem and adds character to the overall structure.