Abu Dhabi scored a new international achievement following the victory of the Al-Hosn site at the "World Architectural Festival 2019", where the new Al-Masala building at Al-Hosn Palace, designed by the Sebra Engineering Company, won first place in the category "Completed Religious Buildings".
The festival, which is considered one of the most prominent annual events specialized in engineering and architectural projects in the world, announced the list of winners of its 2019 awards during a special ceremony held from 4 to 6 December in the Dutch capital Amsterdam, amid a large presence of delegations representing the brightest engineering offices and poles of architecture on International arena.
The "Al-Musalla" building at Qasr Al-Hosn, which was implemented by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, topped the category of "completed religious buildings" ahead of a number of competing projects such as "Novena Church" in Singapore, and "Mary Help of Christine" (Chawing) in Thailand. , And the funeral church "El Spessor Vasio" in Spain.
Saif Saeed Ghobash, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi said, “The Al-Hosn Palace is the heart of history and civilization in Abu Dhabi, and an essential part of its cultural and heritage fabric, and a symbol of its origin and development. Today and in the future, the awarding of the prestigious international award to Al Musalla Building in Al Hosn comes as a celebration of the highest standards of design and restoration adopted in the “Al Musalla” project, and reflects Abu Dhabi’s leading position in adopting the values of excellence, quality and innovative design In all its projects, our award for the "International Architectural Festival" confirms that our constant pursuit of excellence achieves tangible strategic results and is appreciated by the world.
The architectural team supervising the project set a number of ambitious goals, namely reviving the most important cultural and heritage site in Abu Dhabi through an innovative vision that welcomes the local and global audiences and encourages them to interact and participate and explore the emirate's cultural and civilizational heritage. The jury of the "International Architectural Festival", in terms of granting the first prize to the project, indicated its success in employing natural features to improve the atmosphere of the heritage site in a distinct architectural style.
The building is designed to emulate the traditional character recognized in coastal buildings, which is characterized by the appearance of cracked clay on its walls and structure, as the architects devised a unique structure for the chapel building that includes the "Voronoy" engineering forms that reflect both the ancient architectural style and the landscape of the emirate. The architectural form of the Al-Musala building combines an architectural building with part of the general landscape of Al-Hosn area, where all new buildings in Al-Hosn area have the advantage of fading in the overall view of the area, so Al-Hosn Palace remains the main building in it. The color of the building's concrete also matches the color of Abu Dhabi's sands, which enhances the integration of the building with the overall nature of the site and imagines the viewer as if the chapel had been constructed and grown from the ground.
It is mentioned that the "International Architectural Festival" was held for the first time in 2008 as a live exhibition and competition to honor architectural excellence from all over the world. While its first four sessions were held in Barcelona, the festival will move from 2012 between Singapore and Berlin and then Amsterdam in 2019. The "World Architectural Festival 2020" is scheduled for Lisbon.