Jon Tugores + Architects

The BCH project was born thanks to a direct invitation of the 'Royal Court of Bahrain’, who asks us to design a building for multi-religious weddings. The initial program was enhanced to meet the needs of a convention centre, so it improved the economic performance of the building. The project is located on a privileged site. A triangular plot, where all facades of the BCH will be observed from a distance, without any visual obstacles.

Who lives in Bahrain? Under what, is the economy of the country based? what do they eat? how do they pray? How they socialize? How do they marry? how have they protected themselves from 'sand -storms'? as petrol related economy, do they have any environmental attitudes? ... We invested three months to gather information from an area we knew very little.

We decided to create a building that concentrated the required program in a easy shaped box created by other smaller volumes and empty spaces. And a skin protecting it from the extreme weather conditions, and that it would also assists in energy issues. Trying to communicate a respectable eco-attitude.

SKIN – Gold: In our first visits we observed the interest by the Bahraini people in gold related items, either in their ornaments when dressing, or in their home, where sofas, ceilings, railings, doors.... All share a golden look as a symptom of a high social level. We believe that incorporating gold, as one of the colours of the facade would be appreciated as well as we could express a certain critical social interpretation. We got to work with a company that makes the ambulances’ thermal blankets used in cases of accident. Exo and endothermic, gold plated on one side and silver on the reverse side. The reason is purely thermal. A face protects from heat while the other extracts the cold. ETFE: A part of the cold energy generated inside the building, we wanted to use it along the facades in a way to brake the thermal shock between an interior at 21ºC any an exterior at 45+ºC. Our partners at BDSP were who developed the 'dome ' project for the 'Eden Project' in Cornwall. And we found a system that the ETFE could meet our thermal requirement . Without diminishing the visual capabilities of ETFE. Metallic fabrics: To filter sunbeams and cause some intended shadows inside. A material that would use the sandstorms as a formal transformation of the building, changing its colour and texture. Trying not to emulate the glass skins you can see all around the middle east. In a way to also protect the thermal aspect of the building as the ancient architectures would do. Leaving it to cooler months where the sands was blown of in order to let the sun reach again, and heat the existing facade

Energy Membranes: Emulating local women dressed by a black 'Abaya', which protects them from wind and the sun. We decided to use a black membrane that via a double layer where we hide energy collection technology. Energy that will be transformed into hot water for the hotel, restaurant and service building.

Photovoltaic Surfaces: Large surfaces scavenging energy from the sun.

Structure: A large metal structure that combines the support element of the skin and other traces that emulate the road 'maps' that carried Bahrainis during their times of Pearl Fishers.

INSIDE – Behind the skin, there are two pedestrian 'avenues', one outside the interior volumes and one inside. Separated by a longitudinal part of the building that offers the accesses and distributes and welcomes visitors to the different areas. The area dedicated to weddings and/or conventions, is divided into six sub-areas, five inside and an extra one outside. Completing the building on the opposite side of public access, we have projected a building that serves the BCH, which feeds from level-1 to the roof where the hotel and the restaurant are located. The interior fits any customer request. The functional program is variable while the building fits acoustic requirements and/or visual requirements. To use options offer ranging from weddings to music, sports, political shows... The whole building is elevated in order to solve two problems; the vision of hundreds of vehicles and the thermal protection of the vehicles.