The Mega-Dunes Ecolodges of Abu Dhabi was a competition organized by Bees Breeders and the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD). These organization summoned designers and architect around the globe to design a sustainable complex of tourist lodges to promote ecotourism in the Arabian Desert. Habanero Architecture took an Honorable mention with its proposed design.

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE 
Type: Hospitality
Surface: 540 SF per Lodge [25 lodges + Hub Building] 
Honors: 
2020 Bees Breeders - Mega Dunes Ecolodges - Honorable Mention Award 
Featured in Design Boom Magazine 
In Association with Alejandro Mendoza

Abu Dhabi, located on the southeastern Arabian Peninsula along the Persian Gulf, has a hot climate and desert landscapes that are home to rich biodiversity. The native fauna includes a number of desert-dwelling species that can be found nowhere else on earth. The competition seek sustainable, innovative and creative solutions to design 25 eco-lodges and hub building.

The main focus of the lodges is to provide views of the natural desert scenery. A circular scheme allows the visitors to enjoy panoramic views of the dunes and the Arabian Oryx. At night, the panoramic curved window system in combination with the circular skylight located at the center of the lodges will provide the ultimate stargazing experience. 
The structures consist of a series of vertical brise-solei feature elements that follow the shape of the lodge’s radial scheme. Using renewable sustainable cross laminated timber (CLT) technology, the structure members are meant to be built on site and to be removed and relocated. To ease the assembly even further, the roof system is proposed as a tensile membrane structure, making it light and easy to transport and install.