Sharjah Design Centre (SDC), a new institution for design, material research, prototyping, and production, is scheduled to open in 2029 as part of the Sharjah Creative Quarter in the United Arab Emirates. The building, which incorporates rammed earth construction as part of its effort to reduce environmental impact, was designed by Taller de Arquitectura, Mauricio Rocha in collaboration with architect Daniel Rosselló. The Sharjah Design Centre rammed earth scheme will bring specialist laboratories, research facilities, production spaces, and public programmes together in one purpose-built home.
Sharjah Creative Quarter development (render). Image Courtesy of Sharjah Design Centre
The centre operates under the leadership of H.E. Sheikha Hind bint Majid Al Qasimi, and it aims to connect designers, manufacturers, researchers, and entrepreneurs through a single framework for material experimentation, fabrication, and knowledge exchange. Its architecture responds to the local climate and landscape by combining local materials, vernacular principles, and contemporary technology. That mix places the design within an approach that treats regional building traditions as a working resource rather than a backdrop.
The centre sits across from Sharjah‘s University City and next to the House of Wisdom, in a newly established cultural district dedicated to art, design, craft, fashion, and cultural heritage. The Sharjah Creative Quarter is conceived as an interconnected network of institutions that support creative industries through research, education, production, and public engagement. SDC will join Irthi Museum, Sharjah Fashion Lab, Qasimi Archives, the Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi Collection, and L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, and the district is also scheduled to open in 2029.
Image Courtesy of Sharjah Design Centre
Inside the Sharjah Design Centre, the facilities are organised around seven specialist laboratories, which makes the programme unusually concrete for a research institution. The full list of spaces includes:
- Laboratories: textiles, rapid prototyping, glass, ceramics, jewellery, metal, and wood
- Knowledge spaces: a Material Library and a Digital Archive
- Public and working spaces: exhibition spaces, co-working areas, private studios, and a retail space
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Within this framework, SDC will focus on linking design research with manufacturing capabilities and professional practice, so projects can move from initial experimentation to material application. The Material Library will catalogue material research, document experimental materials, and support education through a collection of design-related publications. Connected to it, the Digital Archive will store research, digital publications, and industrial mappings as a searchable resource for the centre’s members and researchers.
Beyond its physical spaces, SDC will organise workshops, courses, masterclasses, residencies, collaborative research projects, and professional development programmes. These activities will address the relationship between design education and professional practice while helping designers and industry work together. The same collaborative aim shapes the research already underway, which gives the centre a body of material work before its building is complete.
Sharjah Design Centre’s Textile Lab, Dyeing and Weaving Space (render). Image Courtesy of Sharjah Design Centre
Research collaborations are already running with Atelier LUMA, a programme of LUMA Arles, and with the American University of Sharjah (AUS), focusing on local material research and its possible applications. The work is supported by the AUS Energy, Water, and Sustainable Environment Research Center, BEEAH, and Sharjah National Oil Corporation. Through Theatrum Al Kimiya, an ongoing initiative developed with Atelier LUMA, SDC is investigating locally sourced and waste-based materials, including salt, brine, limestone, sand, clay, palm, shells, demolition waste, ceramic waste, wool, and mycelium. The research builds on the Architecture of Culture publication released by Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council in 2023, translating material research findings from craft into design applications.
Olivia Bennett is a seasoned American news editor at Arch2O, born in the UK and a proud alumna of UCLA, where she studied Architecture and Media Studies. With a strong editorial background and a passion for design storytelling, she excels in translating complex architectural ideas into engaging narratives. Olivia focuses on contemporary trends, sustainability, and emerging talents in the field, offering readers a fresh, global perspective on the built environment.