Aljada Central Hub

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Middle East

Completed · Mixed Use · Parametric Outdoor Entertainment Hub · Arid · 2022

A 110,000 m² outdoor entertainment district whose fluid canopy structures use algorithmic optimisation to maximise shade coverage across the public realm at the specific solar angles for Sharjah's latitude, reducing ground-level surface temperature by up to 12°C without mechanical cooling. The steel canopy geometry was resolved through computational form-finding and fabricated via CNC-cut node joints.

Innovation highlights

• algorithmic canopy geometry optimised for solar angles at Sharjah latitude
• measured 12°C ground-surface temperature reduction without mechanical cooling
• CNC-fabricated bespoke node joints for compound-curvature steel canopy
• parametric form-finding replacing traditional shade structure engineering
• passive microclimate strategy applied at district scale in arid climate

Client / Developer

Arada Developers

Architect

Zaha Hadid Architects

Engineer

Buro Happold

Type

Parametric Outdoor Entertainment Hub

#parametric canopy #passive cooling #computational design #arid microclimate #CNC fabrication #ZHA

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