Dubai, Émirats arabes unis, 08-04-2026 - 

The Garage for Car Collection by ATRIUM, completed in 2024, redefines the architectural typology of the private garage. More than a storage facility, the building functions as a curated gallery, fitness space, and venue for business gatherings — all unified within a single, fluid form that responds to its forested setting.

Located on a wooded plot, the 200-square-meter structure is the latest addition to a private estate originally developed by ATRIUM in the early 2000s, which includes a modern manor and guest house. The new garage continues this architectural lineage while introducing contemporary spatial strategies and material expression.

The design emerges from a Möbius-inspired ribbon that wraps around the site, preserving every existing tree. This continuous gesture organizes the program: at ground level, it encloses a glazed exhibition space for the automobile collection; along its length, it frames entrance and rear terraces; and as it ascends diagonally, it leads to a rooftop outdoor workout zone. Below ground, the volume extends into a gym and office, with natural light drawn in through discreet ground-level apertures.

Large glazed facades with ultra-thin profiles on the north and south dissolve the boundary between interior and landscape, reinforcing the project’s integration with nature. The seamless white Corian envelope articulates the automotive design metaphor, evoking aerodynamic surfaces and precision engineering, while interior accents in wood and copper introduce warmth and tactility.

Functionally, the garage operates as a multi-layered civic object within a private domain. The ground floor serves as a luminous gallery for vehicles, directly accessible from the driveway. The upper terrace supports physical activity, while the subterranean level accommodates wellness and administrative functions. Circulation between these layers is intuitive and experiential, guided by the building’s sculptural logic.

Designed with minimal site disruption, the project exemplifies a sensitive approach to development in ecologically valuable areas. Its compact footprint, underground expansion, and tree-preserving layout demonstrate how architecture can coexist with mature woodland without compromise.

ATRIUM’s sculptural gallery-garage, set within a forest reserve, has been selected as a finalist of the World Architecture Festival 2025 in two categories: Completed Buildings – Transport and the Small Project Prize.