NOOR ISLAND – German design studio 3deluxe shields a glass cube with a canopy of golden leaves to ensure a suitable atmosphere for its butterfly inhabitants.

On a man-made island In the United Arab Emirates' capital city of Sharjah – only 40 kilometers outside of Dubai – resides a leisure attraction revolving around the landscape. Upon crossing the Khalid Lagoon with a pedestrian bridge, visitors to Noor Island are presented with a garden route spotted with thematic pavilions. For a fluid experience, the island's masterplan and buildings were all designed by 3deluxe.

The first structure to open to the public, the Butterfly Pavilion, contains a stable biosphere for butterflies to thrive amidst the region's soaring temperatures. The building's transparent enclosure is shrouded with a roof canopy to help regulate the temperature of the interior spaces. Mounted onto an undulating space frame, 4000 aluminium petals depict an interpreted Arabian motif. The gold-hued canopy's ornate pattern shades the structure beneath it as well as conceals LED lights which illuminate in pulsating patterns to mimic butterflies in flight during the night.

Resting upon only nine points and three pillars, the detached roof structure's geometry – at times reching heights of 13 metres – produces a chimney effect to combat the arid desert climate. Air circulates over a water pool for a cooler microclimate.

A multisensory experience takes place inside as a walkway winds through a planted landscape and a soundscape fills the air. Hundreds of exotic butterflies reside within the rainforest biotope.

Project: Butterfly Pavilion, Noor Island, Sharjah, U.A.E.
Location: Noor Island, Sharjah City, Sharjah, U.A.E.
Inauguration: 15 December 2015
Area: 820sq-m
Contracting authority: Shurooq, Sharjah, U.A.E.
Client: Andre Heller, Artevent GmbH, Austria
Architects: 3deluxe, Germany
Interior Architects: 3deluxe, Germany
Roof construction: Seele middle east, Dubai, U.A.E.
Pavilion construction: Waagner Biro Gulf L.L.C., Dubai, U.A.E.
Interior works: Candido Hermida, Spain
Interior Material: KRION® Solid Surface
Light: HB-Laserkomponenten GmbH, Germany
Landscape: Greenworks, Dubai, U.A.E.

3deluxe.de