Dezeen School Shows: showrooms designed for celebrated car brands such as Bentley, Porsche and Lexus are included in Dezeen's latest school show by students at Ajman University.

Also featured is a museum design informed by mangrove trees and another that takes cues from the coastline of the United Arab Emirates.

Ajman University

Institution: Ajman University
School: College of Architecture, Art and Design
Course: Architectural Design IV
Tutors: Professor Jihad Awad/HOD, Dr Alaa Eldin Abdou, Sahar Makky and Nashwa Shiqwarah

School statement:

"The Architectural Design IV at Ajman University is a single-use building complex course deals with applying design strategy for a complex building with a multifunction approach.

"The student will have the opportunity to develop a preliminary program space analysis related to the selected site and develop a design scenario that meets the project needs, considering the surrounding environment and the topography of the area and all other design-related factors."

Cultural Center by Abdelaziz J A Awad

"This design of a cultural centre was inspired by traditional Arab cities and their organic morphologies with narrow alleys.

"The project consists of a main 'spine' that is oriented towards the centre of Ajman city to connect the project to the city's heart.

"Alongside the spine of the project, a green wall provides shade for pedestrians and encourages walkability on the southern side of the spine. The project has a multi-building layout instead of having one single building."

Student: Abdelaziz J A Awad
Tutors: Nashwa Shiqwarah and Jamal Hamsho
Email: 201820315[at]ajmanuni.ac.ae

Ajman Innovative Museum – Al Zorah by Hisham Rashed

"This museum concept was inspired by the surroundings of the site, which is located in Al Zorah, Ajman, UAE. Al Zorah has around one million square metres of natural forests and natural water features.

"The form was inspired by the most common tree in the forest – the Avicenna tree – and the feeling of the mangrove was reflected through projecting the building above the water facing the site and adding many water features in the landscape and the interior of the building.

"The main passive design solution was elevating the building, allowing almost all the landscape and open spaces to lie beneath the building to provide the maximum amount of shade possible."

Student: Hisham Rashed
Tutors: Nashwa Shiqwarah and Jamal Hamsho
Email: hishamrashedig[at]gmail.com

Cadillac Car Showroom and Exhibition by Sima Ahmad Zakzak

"This project's concept is informed by the Cadillac CTS car. The building houses four main zones – exhibition area, gallery area, auditorium and administration zones.

"The form of the building reflects the shape of the car's body, like the subtle curves which are clearly represented in the corners of the building, front grill elements that are represented in the main elevation as louvers providing shade, as well as the sharp lines that reference the car's aerodynamics."

Student: Sima Ahmad Zakzak
Tutors: Dr Alaa Eldin Abdou, Abdulwahab Al Osaj and Fathia Samir
Email: 202010736[at]ajmanuni.ac.ae

Bentley Car Showroom and Exhibition by Banan Albarum

"My design was informed by three primary ideas – curvilinear shapes, bird's wings and feathers – which were abstracted from the Bentley logo in the form of the dynamic movement of wings.

"The wing feathers are represented in the form of the random rhythm of specific shading devices and cladding patterns.

"I divided the building into four main functions: the car exhibition/museum area, the display area, the auditorium and the administration department."

Student: Banan Albarum
Tutors: Dr Alaa Eldin Abdou, Abdulwahab Al Osaj and Fathia Samir
Email: 202010700[at]ajmanuni.ac.ae

Porsche Car Showroom and Exhibition by Shaikha Abdul Jalil Alajmany

"The project was inspired by the famous Porsche 911 car, combining traditional sports car design with famous timepiece characteristics within a modern building.

"The car has a tall, flat bonnet, a slightly sloped windscreen, and a roofline that slopes down toward the rear.

"To define the car showroom and the exhibition, I captured the essence of these characteristics.

Student: Shaikha Abdul Jalil Alajmany
Tutors: Dr Alaa Eldin Abdou, Abdulwahab Al Osaj and Fathia Samir
Email: 202010317[at]ajmanuni.ac.ae

The Bentley Ecosystem by Itemat Sauria

"Purchasing a car is an essential milestone in one's life. This experience can be enhanced with the proper exposure of the brand's past, present and future.

"My project tries to achieve just that – from the exterior to the interior, the project tries to envelop the buyers into the Bentley world. The structure is inspired by the smooth curved lines of the Bentley logo.

"It is reminiscent of the infamous Bentayga headlights. The shell system built using space frame trusses acts as the perfect imitation of a micro-ecosystem.

"I wanted to create a project that is easily recognisable, and that generates an escape for the customers, providing anyone who enters with sufficient knowledge about the brand."

Student: Itemat Sauria
Tutors: Dr Alaa Eldin Abdou, Abdulwahab Al Osaj and Fathia Samir
Email: 202010475[at]ajmanuni.ac.ae

Lexus Car Showroom and Exhibition by Abdulazeez Ali

"Normal showrooms provide a transparent glass facade with few seconds of time for customers to look at cars.

"I wanted to increase the visibility of the cars and enrich the user journey through the building by integrating earth sheltering and an outdoor plaza.

"The project is located on Ajman Marina, providing considerable amounts of pedestrians to explore the building and its contents.

"An attractive focal point is created by adding a plaza that provides outdoor exhibition space connected directly to the indoor exhibition and display spaces."

Student: Abdulazeez Ali
Tutors: Dr Alaa Eldin Abdou, Abdulwahab Al Osaj and Fathia Samir
Email: 201720169[at]ajmanuni.ac.ae

Mitsubishi Car Showroom and Exhibition by Wod Abd Alnor

"This project included three main functions; a car showroom, an exhibition hall, and an auditorium. The concept presents these three primary roles separated to show each ones importance and how they connect.

"The design was derived from the car brand's logo, the three diamonds, with the first two attached forming the showroom and exhibition hall, and an auditorium on the side connected to them through an outside seating area.

"The sharp edges of the design represented the edginess of the car itself."

Student: Wod Abd Alnor
Tutors: Dr. Alaa Eldin Abdou, Abdulwahab Al Osaj and Fathia Samir
Email: 202011063[at]ajmanuni.ac.ae

Maritime Museum in Ajman by Asma Abdullah Alhermoodi

"Diving into the sea to collect pearls was a main source of income for people throughout the history of the United Arab Emirates – as a people, the Emirati's had to battle and overcome the vicious tides in order to provide for themselves.

"The sea, with its infinite mysteries and its unmerciful characteristics, provides an image of what life was meant to be from an early age for any Emirati.

"The Oxford Dictionary defines a tide as 'the flow of water that happens as the sea rises and falls'.

"As times have changed, the coast now provides a scene for all Emirati's to always look back at their origin story.

"The tides crashing against the coast has forged a bond between the architecture and the natural beauty of the Emirati coast."

Student: Asma Abdullah Alhermoodi
Tutors: Sahar Makky, Kareem Hassan and Majd Nasif
Email: 201910674[at]ajmanuni.ac.ae

In-N-Out Museum, Reserve The Legacy by Innovation by Rasha Sultan

"The In-N-Out Museum uses triangular shapes that represent the connections and the continuity between innovations and technologies.