London-based architecture firm dave edwards design has introduced the ‘feathered fabric’ wetland visitor center in abu dhabi. the project consists of three key elements: the viewing terraces, the dune-scape walls and the feathered fabric soffit. even though all of them are materially and visually distinct, the design suggests a carefully resolved harmonious composition.
Dave Edwards design has shaped the internal environment as a sequence of open viewing platforms where people can sit and observe the wetlands. these spaces are contained by the ‘dune-scape’ walls, which frame and wrap around the building, nesting into the ground, while highlighting the form and texture of the surrounding rocky outcrops.
Appearing as an ephemeral formation sitting on the terraces, this billowing soffit recalls a number of local context references, reminding of a desert tent or a palm groove. in addition, it attracts the attention of the visitors, leading their eyes through the inside spaces, and expanding outwards again, into the landscape. the density of its textured patterns responds to the curvature of the pleated roof, which similar to feathers, is both a sum of linear fibres and a single surface.
