The Sharjah Design Centre (SDC), a new institution focused on design, material research, prototyping, and production, is scheduled to open in 2029. It is part of the Sharjah Creative Quarter, located in the United Arab Emirates. The project was developed by the Taller de Arquitectura – Mauricio Rocha office in partnership with architect Daniel Rosselló, resulting in a customized building that will house specialized laboratories, research facilities, production areas, and public programs.
Under the direction of Her Highness Sheikha Hind bint Majid Al Qasimi, the SDC aims to integrate professionals from various fields—design, manufacturing, research, and entrepreneurship—through a unified structure focused on material experimentation, fabrication, and knowledge exchange.
The architectural concept of the building was designed to dialogue with the local climate and landscape, utilizing regional materials, traditional construction principles, and modern technology. The choice of rammed earth construction integrates a strategy to reduce the project's environmental impact.
As a member of the Sharjah Creative Quarter, the SDC will associate with other important entities, such as the Irthi Museum, the Sharjah Fashion Lab, the Qasimi Archives, the Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi Collection, and L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, which receives support from Van Cleef & Arpels. This complete district is set to open in 2029, consolidating a shared urban space with cultural, educational, and creative institutions.
Located opposite the University City of Sharjah and adjacent to the House of Wisdom, the center will be part of a new cultural hub dedicated to fashion, craftsmanship, design, art, and cultural heritage. The Sharjah Creative Quarter was planned as an interconnected network of institutions that foster creative industries through education, production, research, and public engagement.
In this context, the SDC will concentrate its efforts on linking design research with manufacturing capabilities and professional practice, providing the necessary infrastructure for projects to evolve from the initial experimentation phase to practical material application.
The center's facilities will include seven specialized laboratories, covering textiles, rapid prototyping, glass, ceramics, jewelry, metal, and wood. Additionally, there will be a Materioteca, a Digital Archive, exhibition spaces, coworking areas, private studios, and a point of sale.
The Materioteca will function to catalog material studies, register experimental materials, and assist in education through a collection of design publications. The Digital Archive, connected to the library, will store research, digital publications, and industrial mappings, serving as a consulting resource for both members and the center's research community. The SDC will also promote workshops, courses, masterclasses, residencies, collaborative research projects, and professional development programs, aiming to facilitate collaboration between designers and industry, addressing the link between education and professional practice.
Ongoing research partnerships exist with Atelier LUMA, a program of LUMA Arles, and with the American University of Sharjah (AUS), specifically focusing on the study of local materials and their potential uses. These activities are supported by the AUS Energy, Water, and Sustainable Environment Research Center, BEEAH, and the Sharjah National Oil Corporation.
Through Theatrum Al Kimiya, a continuous research initiative developed with Atelier LUMA, the SDC investigates locally sourced materials and waste derivatives, such as salt, brine, limestone, sand, clay, palm, shells, demolition debris, ceramic waste, wool, and mycelium. This study is based on the publication Architecture of Culture, released in 2023 by the Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council, which translates findings from material research from the artisanal scope to concrete design applications.
In other recent news, it was mentioned that the expansion of the Colburn School campus, designed by Frank Gehry, will open in Los Angeles in September 2027, including a thousand-seat concert hall and expanded dance facilities. Furthermore, the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity disclosed a master plan created by Herzog & de Meuron and EHDD to convert a 20th-century warehouse in Marin County into a cultural hub, featuring galleries, archives, and gardens designed by the Field Operations office. In Chicago, the RAMSA office presented plans for a new Welcome Hall at the Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, which will restore its historic north portico and connect it to exhibition spaces via a glazed structure.
