The Buhais Geology Museum responds to its desert site within the former seabed basin of the al-Madam Plain in Sharjah, UAE.

Hopkins Architects designed five interconnected pods to accommodate exhibition areas, an immersive theatre, visitor facilities and a café offering panoramic views of the dramatic Jebel Buhais ridge rising above.

Fossilised urchins present on site inspired the geometry of the pods, which are clad in steel panels coloured to reference the different hues of the surrounding landscape.

These panels are fixed into an array of steel ribs, giving the pods their distinctive sculptural forms.

This project has been longlisted in the cultural building category of Dezeen Awards 2020.

Architect: Hopkins Architects
Project: Buhais Geology Museum
Read more: Hopkins Architects