An exhibition gallery and education centre will form the heart of a new corporate headquarters by Zaha Hadid Architects for environmental management company Bee’ah. It will be built just outside Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

The building will be used as a learning resource to demonstrate practical environmental awareness to the community and will be the first building in the UAE to be fully powered by renewable energy.

A new video, released last night, shows the dramatic sweeps of the building's outline, which has been inspired by the sand dunes which surround it. A representative of Bee’ah said: "After careful analysis of the site location and environmental aspects, the design team found inspiration in sand formations created by the wind’s movement and direction. From here was born the idea of a ‘natural sand dunes’ pattern for the building and the landscape."

The video footage, created by MIR Creative Studios, shows the structure shimmering in the desert sun. The LEED Platinum Certified building will be clad with materials selected for their ability to reflect the intense sun rays, helping to maintain and control internal temperatures, as well as withstanding strong desert winds.

"The building's structure has been developed in conjunction with Buro Happold to minimise material consumption through architectural and structural integration," said Zaha Hadid, who imagined the design for the HQ with Patrik Schumacher.

They’ve created the Headquarters as a series of dunes which are orientated to optimise the prevailing Shamal winds and give the interiors high quality daylight and views, while limiting the quantity of glazing exposed to the harsh sun.

The building's two central dunes intersect and connect via a courtyard, which acts as an oasis, enhancing natural ventilation and maximising indirect sunlight to the spaces within.

In addition to the visitor attractions, the Bee’ah Headquarters building will include an entrance lobby, auditorium and management offices. A second domed structure will be occupied by departmental offices and a staff café.

Outline plans for the 7,000sq m (75,347sq ft) building were first unveiled in December 2014 and Bee’ah says the aim of the project is to "address advanced environmental solutions in terms of structure, work environment and visitor–staff interactivity."

"Individual elements of the building's structure and skin are of standard orthogonal dimensions, enabling significant portions to be constructed from materials recovered from the local construction and demolition waste streams managed by Bee’ah,” said Hadid “This will minimise demand for new materials.

"Bee’ah, as an organisation, is converting waste from being something that’s a consumptive by-product of society, to something that will be fundamentally important to society's future,” she said. “They’re transforming materials – though recovery and energy generation – and society – via social outreach and educational programs – to create an integrated ecosystem for the future”.

Developed in conjunction with engineers Atelier Ten, energy-saving initiatives include adjustable openings in the facade for natural ventilation and waste heat recycling from air conditioning to provide hot water.

The building continues the trend towards corporations integrating visitor attractions within their headquarters to enable them to raise awareness of their values and to influence stakeholders. “Bee’ah aims to transform attitudes and behaviours in individuals, communities, businesses and cities by providing the infrastructure, tools and support to achieve their environmental goals,” said Hadid.

About Bee’ah

Bee’ah is a fully integrated environmental and waste management company, aiming to develop coherent and sustainable solutions to meet the challenges of the community it serves.

The company was founded in 2007 as an environmental management company headquartered in Sharjah, with the aim of catapulting the emirate into becoming the environmental capital of the Middle East and making Sharjah the first Arab city to reach zero-waste to landfill by diverting 100 per cent of its waste through recycling and conversion.

Bee’ah has grown from "a handful of passionate individuals" into a business employing 3,500 people. It provides sustainable solutions in environmental and resource management, including integrated waste management, public cleansing, environmental consulting, education and awareness, renewable energy, facilities management and sustainable development.

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