urko sánchez architects’ landscape for research and learning
Sharjah Bridi Park by Urko Sánchez Architects is located within the Al Bridi Reserve in the UAE, where a series of low, thatched-roof pavilions introduces visitors to an environment dedicated to research, education, and the study of African ecosystems. The project organizes arrival, orientation, and learning through a network of modest structures built from earth and dispersed through vegetation and open ground.
The development brings together entrance buildings, ticketing spaces, retail areas, and an educational camp designed for field programs and workshops. Each component contributes to a sequence that guides visitors from the perimeter of the reserve toward spaces for gathering and observation. Circulation follows gentle paths through planting and shaded courts, allowing movement between buildings to remain connected with the surrounding terrain.
images © Arch-Exist
Reinterpreting Vernacular Forms
The design by Urko Sánchez Architects draws from traditional African building typologies, reinterpreting familiar forms through contemporary construction methods and spatial planning. Rounded volumes and deep thatched roofs shape the overall composition and shape silhouettes that appear almost sculpted from the ground itself.
The team shapes several structures with conical or softly curved profiles, while others stretch into elongated pavilions with sweeping rooflines that hover above open terraces. These variations introduce a rhythm across the site while maintaining a shared architectural language. The buildings read as a family of forms, each responding to a specific function while maintaining a consistent dialogue with the reserve’s vegetation.
a series of thatched pavilions form a new entrance for Sharjah Bridi Park
A Structural Language of Timber and Thatch
At Sharjah Bridi Park, timber frameworks define the underlying structural order, as Urko Sánchez Architects arranges columns and beams to create open interiors that allow air and light to move freely through the spaces. Of course, this expressive structure is celebrated and remains visible from within.
Above this framework, thick layers of thatch extend outward to form protective canopies. Rather than functioning as an applied surface, the thatch grows directly from the timber structure beneath it, creating an integrated assembly where structure and enclosure operate together. The texture of the roof introduces depth and warmth while providing essential shading from the desert sun.
curved roofs create sculptural silhouettes that rise gently from the land
climate-responsive earth architecture
Extensive studies informed the adaptation of traditional thatched roofing systems to the climate of the United Arab Emirates. The roof profiles stretch outward to create deep overhangs, casting shade across outdoor seating areas and walkways. Light filters through the layered construction, producing soft interior conditions that shift across the day.
Within the pavilions designed by Urko Sánchez Architects, thick earthen walls and sculpted columns guide movement through the spaces. Benches and low partitions form places for pause along the circulation routes. Visitors move between shaded interiors and open landscape, experiencing architecture and environment as part of a continuous spatial sequence.
the buildings by Urko Sánchez Architects reinterpret traditional African architecture
thatch roofs extend outward to bring shade and climatic protection
educational facilities support research and learning about African ecosystems
timber frameworks create a rhythmic structure that’s expressed along the interior
earthen walls and timber columns shape shaded gathering spaces for visitors
project info:
name: Sharjah Bridi Park
architect: Urko Sánchez Architects | @urko_sanchez_architects
location: Sharjah Bridi Park, UAE
completion: 2026
photography: © Arch-Exist | @archexist
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