Sharjah Design Centre to Open in 2029 With 7 Labs
Designed by Taller de Arquitectura and Mauricio Rocha, the Sharjah Design Centre in the UAE will open in 2029 featuring seven specialist labs.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Sharjah Design Centre (SDC) is scheduled to open in 2029 in the UAE.
- Designed by Taller de Arquitectura – Mauricio Rocha in collaboration with Daniel Rosselló.
- Features seven specialist labs including textiles, ceramics, metal, and wood.
- Focuses on local material research and sustainable construction methods.
The United Arab Emirates is set to welcome a major new hub for creativity and manufacturing as plans for the Sharjah Design Centre (SDC) have been officially announced for a 2029 opening. Designed by the architectural firm Taller de Arquitectura – Mauricio Rocha in collaboration with architect Daniel Rosselló, the forthcoming institution is created to bridge the gap between creative concepts and physical material realization by housing research, experimentation, and production under one roof.
Situated within the Sharjah Creative Quarter, right opposite the University City of Sharjah and next to the House of Wisdom, the facility responds directly to the local climate and landscape. The architectural approach integrates vernacular building principles with modern technology, utilizing rammed earth—an ancient construction technique—to significantly minimize environmental impact.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
At the core of the center are seven specialist laboratories designed to function simultaneously as research facilities, learning environments, and production spaces. These dedicated labs include:
- Textiles
- Rapid prototyping
- Glass
- Ceramics
- Jewelry
- Metal
- Wood
Alongside these seven technical labs, the institution will host a Material Library, a Digital Archive, private studios, co-working spaces, exhibition areas, and a dedicated retail space. The center will be surrounded by cultural neighbors within the creative district, such as the Irthi Museum and the Sharjah Fashion Lab.
The establishment of the Sharjah Design Centre highlights a vital shift toward localized production and resource circularity in modern architecture. By placing experimental labs, material archives, and industrial mapping directly adjacent to educational institutions and local manufacturers, SDC effectively solves the classic dilemma where innovative design concepts fail to reach commercial production due to a lack of accessible infrastructure.
As part of its ongoing material research, the center has partnered with Atelier LUMA on an initiative called Theatrum Al Kimiya. This project investigates the reuse of local resources and industrial byproducts—including salt, sand, clay, shells, and construction waste—for future architectural applications. Furthermore, SDC is collaborating with the American University of Sharjah (AUS) to establish a rigorous material certification program for real-world scalability.
"Promising ideas often remain at the research stage because the infrastructure to develop and realise them is not readily accessible. Sharjah Design Centre will change that and give designers a place to research, test and realise their ideas with the expertise, resources and collaboration opportunities to take them all the way into production."
H.E. Sheikha Hind bint Majid Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Design Centre
Source: designboom
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