Al Mayya Saluki Welfare Center

Fujairah, UAE

This is a 3,250m2 new-build facility adjacent to a mountainous area and the Al Mayya Dog Rescue Center in the Fujairah desert.

The brief called for a site layout that would allow the centre manager to be able to see all activities from their office/residence. The resulting design is a long organic shaped ‘ribbon’ of buildings that wraps around the northern and eastern boundaries hugging the base of the mountainous area to the east and opening up the centre of the site. All buildings can see each other. This provides the most efficient use of the site with all areas within the boundary being used for building, circulation or paddock space.

In the centre of the site is the ’show ring’ which will be used for showing the salukis outside under controlled conditions for the benefit of visitors.

The accommodation consists of a reception building for visitors, a majlis for VIP visits, a puppy house, an isolation kennel block, a main kennel block with 24 large sized kennels (2 dogs sharing), a staff accommodation block and a services block - all arranged as a curved L shape. In the ‘elbow’ of the curved block is a circular two storey residential block for the center manager which has commanding views of the whole site from the first floor level with a wraparound balcony.

The project has been tendered in readiness for construction.