ray hole architects

Al Ain is located about an hour’s drive outside Abu Dhabi, on the border with Oman. The area is dotted with small oases which are feed by the surrounding mountains. The Fort is located in the middle of a date palm plantation and has been recently restored as a heritage site. It consists of a very simple perimeter wall surrounding a large courtyard, with other facilities including a mosque located around the towers on each corner.  

The design brief was to provide a visitor centre that would include an exhibition, cafe, guest facilities, storage and parking. Given the scale of the new accommodation relative to the fort, and the sensitivity of the existing architecture, the team elected burry it beneath the existing courtyard. This would create a non intrusive building, which could use the mass of the surrounding earth to create sustainable internal environmental conditions with the added advantage of natural ‘black out’ for the exhibition. 

The entrance to the visitors centre is identified by a new sculptural glass form which rises dramatically above the perimeter wall. The surface of the glass has been designed to have a film of water running constantly across it to help naturally cool the building and keep the glass free of sand.  It collects in a pool around the base which visitors then pass through to enter the building.  The overall effect is that of a large fountain of water, which is a metaphor for the oases that bring life to the area, which at night can be illuminated to become a glistening jewel in the sky.