A Bruto-style flying saucer art center in Shaja, United Arab Emirates, was designed by local architecture studio SpaceContinuum. The studio worked with the Sharjah Art Foundation to transform a 1970s Brutalist restaurant into sharjah's art center. Originally a French restaurant and pastry shop that opened in 1978, "Flying Saucer" has been transformed into an exhibition space for the Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF), which organizes the Uae's Art Biennale and is a partner of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial.
The local landmark was turned into a supermarket in the 1980s and a Fried chicken restaurant in the early 2000s before being acquired by the Singapore Armed forces in 2012. Today, it has been torn down to reveal its original distinctive silhouette. An additional attachment was removed along with its grey and orange aluminium cladding to show the unique, 32-point concrete dome, supported by triangular intersecting columns. Inside, false ceilings and partitions were removed to create a large space topped by a 7.3-metre-high dome that will be used for the main facility.
