Shurooq wins 3 awards

Sharjah / WAM

Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has announced that the House of Wisdom has received three awards for excellence in design at the seventh annual identity Design Awards held at the Address Beach Resort in Dubai.
Developed by Shurooq and designed by international architecture firm Foster and Partners, the House of Wisdom won the coveted 2021 Design Awards launched by identity – the region’s leading monthly magazine dedicated to contemporary design, interiors, architecture and property, in three prominent categories.
The futuristic cultural hub was named winner in the ‘Interior Design – Public Space’ category for its open square plan design that serves as an inclusive and immersive space for learning, sharing, creating, and accessing knowledge.
The jury named House of Wisdom as winner of the ‘Architecture – Design of the Year’ category for its minimalist aesthetic and contemporary design, which features a large cantilevered floating roof and a transparent rectilinear form.
The House of Wisdom was awarded in the category ‘Architecture – Public Building’ for providing collaborative, creative and culturally rich spaces to enrich the lives of the community by hosting a wide range of educational, cultural and entertainment activities.
“The three prestigious awards reaffirm House of Wisdom’s symbolic architecture and sustainable public space design as the bedrock which embodies its world-class cultural and social development goals. Its combination of distinctive interior and public designs, integrating rich Emirati cultural and heritage elements, coupled with its modernized architecture, are all major factors that position House of Wisdom as the library of the future created for all cultures, social groups, sciences and arts,” said Marwa Obaid Al Aqroubi, Director of the House of Wisdom.
“The House of Wisdom was designed to be more than just a library, and more of a futuristic construct that contributes to realising Sharjah’s vision in the sustainable development of its cultural projects, which continue to strengthen the emirate’s position as a global beacon that embraces people, knowledge, culture and nature forms all over the world,” Al Aqroubi added.
Commenting on the award, Khawla Al Hashimi, Director of Project Development at Shurooq, said, “The House of Wisdom underpins Shurooq’s holistic strategy of transforming public spaces by developing breathtaking destinations that enrich the cultural experience, honour the rich Emirati heritage, and raise the bar for responsible development.”
Nominees of the annual identity Design Awards are independently evaluated by an international jury and awarded to projects in the Middle East across 18 categories in architecture and interior design.