Designers in the UAE often have ideas that stall before they reach the workshop. The Sharjah Design Centre (SDC), due to open in 2029, is built to close that gap. It will place textiles, glass, ceramics, jewelry, metal, wood and rapid prototyping labs in one facility, so designers can test and make work in the same building.
The project sits in the Sharjah Creative Quarter, a cultural district in the UAE. The Quarter brings together institutions working in art, design, craft, fashion and heritage. SDC will stand opposite the University City of Sharjah and next to the House of Wisdom.
Seven labs, one building
Each of the seven labs will work as a research facility, a teaching space and a production floor at the same time. Members will have access to equipment, technical staff and fabrication resources. The building will also hold a Material Library, a Digital Archive, private studios, co-working areas, exhibition space and a retail space.
The center is not designed only to display finished work. Its main goal is to shorten the distance between a sketch and a physical object. Designers will be able to move from testing a material to building a prototype without leaving the site.
A building made from local materials
The architecture comes from Taller de Arquitectura – Mauricio Rocha, working with architect Daniel Rosselló, who collaborated on the design. The team combines local materials and traditional building methods with current technology. The design responds to Sharjah’s climate and open landscape.
Tying architecture to its climate has deep roots, and Geoffrey Bawa’s tropical modernism in Sri Lanka shows how that balance works in practice.
Rammed earth is a central technique. The method packs damp soil into formwork, the temporary molds that hold the walls in shape, until the wall hardens. The studio uses it to lower the building’s environmental impact. The studio, known online as @taller_mauricio_rocha, has credited the team behind the design.
Research on resources close to home
A large part of the program asks which local resources and industrial leftovers could become useful design materials. Through Theatrum Al Kimiya, a research initiative developed with Atelier LUMA, SDC is studying salt, brine, limestone, sand, clay, palm, shells, demolition waste, ceramic waste, wool and mycelium. Mycelium is the root-like network of fungi. The project looks at how each material could serve in architecture and design beyond its current use.
The work extends research the Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council began in its Architecture of Culture publication from 2023. Earlier studies focused on craft. The new program turns that knowledge toward construction and product design.
SDC is also building a material certification program with Atelier LUMA and the American University of Sharjah (AUS). The university’s Energy, Water, and Sustainable Environment Research Center supports the effort. The partners will test experimental materials and certify their performance. Certification confirms whether a material can be produced at scale and used in real buildings.
Turning leftovers into building material is also the focus of Forestry waste turned into carbon-storing tiles, a useful comparison for SDC’s waste research.
Linking designers to Sharjah’s factories
The center is also mapping the emirate’s production capacity. Working with the Sharjah Economic Development Department and the AUS College of Engineering, SDC is developing Sharjah Industrial Mapping. The platform will list local manufacturers so designers can find the right partner for a prototype or a production run.
The map could help independent designers, manufacturers and new businesses find each other. Designers will be able to test materials, build prototypes and draw on specialist manufacturing knowledge in one place. The center will also run workshops, courses, masterclasses, residencies and professional development programs. The programs aim to bridge the distance between design education and professional practice.
Production as part of the process
Sheikha Hind bint Majid Al Qasimi, director of Sharjah Design Centre, argues that promising designs often fail for practical reasons. Designers may lack the equipment and expertise to build what they have drawn. She says the center will give them a place to research, test and produce that work from the start. Her plan treats making as part of the design process, not an afterthought.
With its 2029 opening approaching, SDC will test whether a single building can hold research, teaching and manufacturing under one roof. If it works, regional designers may spend less time searching for workshops and more time turning their ideas into objects.
Sources & Links
Source: designboom.com
Frequently asked questions
When is the Sharjah Design Centre scheduled to open?
The Sharjah Design Centre (SDC) is due to open in 2029. It is designed to place textiles, glass, ceramics, jewelry, metal, wood and rapid prototyping labs under one roof.
What kinds of labs will the Sharjah Design Centre include?
The Sharjah Design Centre will include textiles, glass, ceramics, jewelry, metal, wood and rapid prototyping labs in one facility. Each lab works as a research facility, a teaching space and a production floor at the same time.
Which materials is the Sharjah Design Centre researching for design use?
Through Theatrum Al Kimiya, the center is studying salt, brine, limestone, sand, clay, palm, shells, demolition waste, ceramic waste, wool and mycelium. The project examines how each material could serve in architecture and design beyond its current use.
What is Sharjah Industrial Mapping and what will it do?
Sharjah Industrial Mapping is a platform being developed by SDC with the Sharjah Economic Development Department and the AUS College of Engineering. It will list local manufacturers so designers can find the right partner for a prototype or production run.
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