‘The Lagoons’, a freehold, mixed-use project being developed by Sama Dubai, the international real estate investment and development arm of Dubai Holding, gave away awards to the winners of the architectural students design competition.

The top three winners, all university students from the UAE, won internships with Sama Dubai and attractive cash prizes at the ‘Rising Star Awards’ ceremony.   

Amani Abdulnaser Qaraqish, Hany Mohammed Mohammed Zakout and Farah Al-amin from the Ajman University of Science and Technology pursuing undergraduate programmes in architectural and engineering studies, walked away with the top three prizes, including coveted internship opportunities with Sama Dubai and attractive cash prizes of Dh25,000, Dh15,000 and Dh5,000 respectively.

The architectural students design competition mandated participants to submit innovative designs for the Observation Tower that will be developed at the Al Sedaifa District of ‘The Lagoons’.

The brief demanded architectural concepts that are ‘iconic, modern, and contemporary’, and reflect the overall ambience and aesthetic ideology that inspired the creation of ‘The Lagoons’.

The competition drew 32 submissions from 41 students from the Ajman University of Science and Technology, the American University of Sharjah, and the UAE University in Al Ain.

A jury panel comprising international industry experts was instituted by Sama Dubai to evaluate and select the best three prize-winning entries.

Farhan Faraidooni, executive chairman of Sama Dubai, said: 'We at Sama Dubai are constantly looking for ways to engage the community in all aspects of our landmark projects. The competition reflects our commitment to tap home-grown talent, and provide motivation that ignites their creativity and professional development.'
 
“Although the designs submitted by students will not necessarily be adopted as the final design for The Observation Tower at ‘The Lagoons’, they represented a mature understanding of the brief. The submissions varied from a cube inspired structure and a flamingo-like tower to impressions inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,” he added.

The Observation Tower, a place where visitors to ‘The Lagoons’ can view a spectacular panorama, including the city’s skyline, the adjacent sanctuary, and stunning Dubai Towers – Dubai, will occupy centre-stage within Phase-1 of the ‘The Lagoons,’ a development that is being crafted by Sama Dubai adjacent to the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary.-TradeArabia News Service