海角视频

The Flying Saucer

Sharjah, UAE

海角视频 supported the Sharjah Art Foundation to refurbish and restore one of the UAE city鈥檚 most distinctive buildings, known affectionately to all as The Flying Saucer.

Its transformation has provided Sharjah with a peaceful and engaging space where the community can engage with the arts through workshops, exhibitions, a library and social spaces.

Challenge

When it first opened in 1978, it was a French patisserie. But in the years that followed, the building was used for various purposes, including a supermarket and a fast-food restaurant. But its position on a major interchange, meant that the distinctive star-shaped architecture quickly became a familiar sight to those living in Sharjah.

The Sharjah Art Foundation acquired the building in 2014 and made plans to turn the space into an art and exhibition centre. The refurbishment and repurposing works aimed to restore the building鈥檚 architectural integrity, and offer a fully panoramic view of the surrounding area.

The building had undergone a variety of uses over the previous four decades, with various interventions, many of which had not been fully in keeping with the original design. An annexe had been constructed to serve as a back of house space for the fast-food kitchen, the concrete dome had been concealed by a false ceiling and the building鈥檚 distinctive V-shaped columns had been cladded with aluminium sheets. Parts of the concrete roof had also degraded and would need considerable restoration.

To make full use of the space, the design team鈥檚 vision was to expand the space by adding a basement surrounding the existing structure. This posed complex geotechnical and structural challenges, which our experts would need to carefully consider and tailor the planned interventions accordingly.

The plot size and close proximity of the adjacent roads meant it would not be feasible to undergo an open-cut sloped excavation, so permanent shoring had to be designed and installed. Driving new piles into the ground so close to the original structure had to be painstakingly planned to mitigate against weakening the existing fabric. The cantilevering of the roof also limited the working height to less than 3m.

Solution

The design strategy has involved removing the later additions and creating a new underground space. This has transformed the ground level into a clean pedestal for the complex.

Sitting on a 2,500m虏 plot, the Flying Saucer has been renovated to incorporate a 1,185m虏 basement to serve as a community hub, encircling the existing structure, and allowing for the addition of a curated library, collaborative workshop space and a caf茅. The new extension houses a fully-glazed 7m diameter sunken circular courtyard, which acts as a centrepiece and provides natural lighting to the basement spaces.

The challenge around driving new piles with a working height of less than 3m, had to be carefully considered. We developed a bespoke solution that involved limiting the length of the UB (universal bearing) piles to a maximum of 2m sections. A 2m section was partially driven into the ground and then the next 2m section was carefully placed on top of the driven pile and welded to it. The pile was then driven further into the ground, until the required depth of 12m was achieved.

In the original building, a series of 16 V-shaped concrete columns support the roof and a 14m diameter concrete dome sits on eight concrete trapezoidal columns. But the design intent for the new basement space was to minimise the use of columns to ensure an open and engaging area.

Our structural engineers were able to work closely with the architects to develop a strategy that incorporated just one single column in the space, while our fire protection experts helped to integrate the sprinkler systems unobtrusively into the clean and uncluttered ceiling designs, ensuring a simple, open and light space, fully in keeping with the architect鈥檚 vision.

Original design drawings and plans for the existing structure were no longer available, so a point cloud survey was commissioned to generate a 3D Revit model, which allowed the wider design team to assess and develop the demolition and renovation works, fully informed of the current condition of the fabric. A testing scheme was also devised to ensure the structural integrity of the historic building, with minimal physical intervention into the original structural materials. Sufficient concrete strength was demonstrated, with carbonation of the structural concrete found to be more extensive facing the busy interchange.

Additionally, the chloride content analysis showed a high rate of chlorides in the cement, so a repair scheme was developed that would apply corrosion inhibitors into the structural elements, to ensure the future robustness of the fabric.

During paint removal on the underside of the triangular cantilever tips of the star-shaped roof canopy, it became evident that the concrete cover was crumbling in places. Our experts carried out a full assessment and developed a bespoke repair methodology.

The building services had to be fully stripped out and replaced with modern, efficient systems, which would ensure comfortable internal environment, whatever the heat outside. We developed a detailed strategy to ensure the infrastructure and plant for the new systems could be fitted into a constrained space, without imposing on the aesthetic design intent for the interiors by cluttering ceilings or the roof space.

Value

The client鈥檚 vision was to reinvigorate The Flying Saucer and return its past identity as a centrepiece of the city. While more space was needed to allow it to be activated as a community arts centre, it was deemed pertinent to not belittle the existing structure with an over-shadowing adjacent extension, so the innovative basement extension provided a unique solution.

Our experts helped to overcome the geotechnical challenges involved with digging deeper down into the site, while our structural engineering, fire engineering and building services engineers delivered a strategy to revitalise the existing building and integrate it seamlessly with the new extension.

Devoted to engaging the community more deeply with the arts, the new space provides a vibrant facility for Sharjah City and has been well received by the public. Making full use of the flexibility, centrality and rich socio-cultural history of this iconic building, the renovation and extension reintegrates The Flying Saucer within the daily lives of Sharjah鈥檚 residents.