In Sharjah, UAE, Quito-based architectural studio Al Borde crafted a pavilion using raw materials that is both a welcoming threshold and meeting point. The project, entitled “Raw Threshold”, was designed for the 2nd Sharjah Architecture Triennial whose theme, The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability, inspired a structure that questions what it means to be local. In a world governed by capitalism, where everything is readily available and accessible, local, historic neighborhoods are often impacted, losing their identity.
The new pavilion’s design works within the limitations of locally available natural resources and is based at the Al Qasimiyah School in Sharjah.
The Al Qasimiyah School — a former primary school — now houses the Sharjah Architecture Triennial offices alongside exhibition galleries, a lecture hall, and library. The Triennial moved into the building in 2018, renovating the abandoned school premises and creating a new cultural institution.
Once a closed space used only by children, the building has now opened up to the public and connects with the surrounding city. New north and west pedestrian entryways converge on a platform that provided Al Borde with an opportunity to create a welcoming threshold.
“This threshold is defined by a shadow that creates the conditions for inhabiting the exterior,” says Al Borde. “It requires a structure that is possible to build with any available material. However, in a context where ‘everything’ is ‘available’, this concept becomes blurry.” The studio’s approach was to transform raw materials into architectural elements, thereby reducing the project’s environmental impact.
The Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas Authority (SEWA) is replacing wooden utility poles with metal poles: for the pavilion’s frame, Al Borde selected a number of wooden poles from SEWA’s storage depot and removed any damage. The shade was created using biodegradable and eco-friendly palm tree mats; available locally, these mats are used for many purposes, from flooring in homes to ceilings in souks.
“This design approach results in a raw and tactile work, one crafted with natural materials that allow us to establish an intimate and direct discourse with the place, grounding it on site,” says Al Borde. “The threshold will serve to welcome visitors and, simultaneously, become a way to experience and test the use of this new space.”
Initially, the project was conceived as a temporary construction. Its demountable design ensured the pavilion could be disassembled and subsequently reassembled in other locations. However, the Sharjah Architecture Triennial has decided to keep the structure.
If in the future it is no longer required, the poles will be returned to SEWA and the palm tree mats will find new purposes. “There will come a day when these materials naturally degrade, and the cycle of life will close harmoniously with nature,” says Al Borde.
“Raw Threshold” area: 340 square meters (3,660 square feet)
