Construction has started, and within the next year or two there will be an architectural icon deep in the Sharjah desert…

A few years ago it was announced that Zaha Hadid was designing the headquarters of Bee’ah, an environmental agency, in Sharjah. Well, the ground has now broken and construction has begun, so yes, we will soon be able to go and see an environmentally-friendly, undulating Hadid design in the Sharjah desert.

Dame Zaha Hadid herself passed away last year, but her eponymous architecture firm continues her work, and this beautiful building was designed by her and the team back in 2013.

Here’s what it will look like (it’s about as dreamy as buildings get):

As you can clearly see, the building’s design is inspired by the sand dunes around it – and it has also been designed to be as environmentally responsible as is possible for a large structure.

“The headquarters will be a landmark achievement for UAE and the region as it will be powered by 100% renewable energy sources and utilise recycled materials in construction,” Bee’ah points out.

For instance, many of the materials used in the construction are those that have been recovered as waste from local construction and demolition sites by Bee’ah. Also, Bee’ah is using its expertise in water recycling for non-potable use to keep the building’s water consumption as low as possible.

This looks to be where the building is being constructed…

Here’s how the construction on the building is getting along…

A post shared by Bee’ah | بيئة (@beeahuae) on

When will it be finished? Well, Bee’ah is saying it will be open by the end of 2018.

What does Bee’ah do?

The organisation was founded 10 years ago, and its primary aim is to find and execute solutions to the environmental problems faced by the region. They are working to wards zero waste to landfill in the UAE, cleaner air and water, and sustainable and renewable energy solutions.

For instance, they have a great (and free) service for those in Sharjah called ‘You call, we haul’ – where they will come and collect items that are difficult to move around, so that they can dispose of them responsibly. They also have many recycling points throughout the emirate of Sharjah – find a map of the locations of each collection point here.

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Photos: Bee’ah and Zaha Hadid Architects