Dubai Design Week 2022: ten sustainable exhibitions and installations under the Burj Khalifa

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Dubai Design Week 2022. Suhail installation by Reem Al Bustani - Courtesy of Dubai Design Week 2022.

Best of Dubai Design Week 2022: a pavilion made of upcycled fishing nets, an installation celebrating Iranian women’s endurance and persistence, and more.

Tanween 2021: 4 design, science and material innovation projects inspired by the UAE

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Tanween 2021 - The Kapok series by Tasnim Tinawi - Courtesy of Tanween.

A Biosand cabinet, a tech-crafted ottoman with river tamarind leather-like fabric, ghaf tree lamps and desert cotton upholstery. With the Tanween 2021 program, Tashkeel platform for the UAE design scene presents the work of four emerging female designers who teamed up with local botanists, scientists, engineers and manufacturers to develop innovative materials and create bespoke furniture and lighting collections.

The ‘Nature in Motion’ pavilion by Ahmed El-Sharabassy is inspired by the UAE moving desert

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ABWAB, Nature in Motion by Ahmed El-Sharabassy - Courtesy of Dubai Design Week 2021.

At Dubai Design Week 2021, Ahmed El-Sharabassy has created the NATURE IN MOTION pavilion inspired by shapeshifting dune landscapes in the UAE. Made of sustainable and recyclable materials, the sinuous lightweight architecture provides multi-functional and multi-purpose public spaces and hosts an exhibition exploring compostable building materials and structures made of paper pulp.

Dubai Design Week 2021: 10 must see exhibitions and installations

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Yovalah instalation by Bits to Atoms - Courtesy of Dubai Design Week 2021.

Dubai Design Week 2021: a pavilion referring to the UAE moving desert, communal spaces inspired by traditional Emirati dance and more…

Israel Pavilion at Dubai Expo welcomes the Arab world and beyond with a open tent-like architecture

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Israel Pavilion @ Expo 2020 Dubai - Courtesy of Israel Pavilion.

For the Israel Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, AVS and Knafo Kilmore Architects have created a multimedia experience inviting visitors to explore the country’s commitment to smart and sustainable innovation springing from the common desert landscape Israelis share with their neighbours in the Gulf.

Grimshaw’s Sustainability Pavilion at Dubai Expo is energy and water self-sufficient

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TERRA - SUSTAINABILITY PAVILION by Grimshaw Architects @ Expo 2020 Dubai - Photo by Dany Eid/Expo 2020 Dubai.

Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion by Grimshaw Architects at Expo 2020 Dubai features a forest of giant solar panel-clad e-trees following the sun like sunflowers, a thriving garden challenging desert environment and underground exhibition spaces thermally isolated with a smart earth roof system.

Italy Pavilion by Carlo Ratti at Dubai Expo is an experiment of circular and reconfigurable architecture

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Italy Pavilion @ Expo Dubai 2020 - Photo by Michele Nastasi, courtesy of CRA - Carlo Ratti Associati.

Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai features three boat hulls as the structure’s roof, a multimedia facade made with two million recycled plastic bottles and a natural climate mitigation system that substitutes air conditioning.

‘Wetlands,’ the UAE pavilion wins Golden Lion at Venice Architecture Biennale 2021

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WETLANDS, UAE exhibition at Venice Biennale 2021 - Photo by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy of La Biennale 2021.

The ‘Wetlands’ exhibition explores the fragile link between waste and production with forward-thinking, innovative and responsible solutions. The United Arab Emirates win the Golden Lion for best National pavilion at the 17th Biennale Architettura di Venezia.

Dubai 2020: 5 beautiful design stories from Dubai Design Week

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Dubai 2020. Frugal chairs by UAE working class migrants collected by Christopher Benton.

Dubai 2020: frugal seats by working-class migrants in the UAE, butterflies-inspired rugs empowering Afghani women and creative tools for kids who suffered during the Syrian war.

‘Fata Morgana’ pavilion by Hozan Zangana: Middle Eastern heritage meets social distancing in Dubai

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Dubai Design Week 2020 Abwab. FATA MORGANA by Hozan Zangana - Courtesy of Dubai Design Week.

Seven pillars and safely distanced public seatings compose Hozan Zangana’s ‘Fata Morgana’ centripetal installation in the heart of Dubai where people can safely cross each other’s paths according to Middle Eastern construction techniques.

Dubai Design Week 2020: 10 highlights on show under the Burj Khalifa

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Dubai Design Week 2019 - Photo vias IG via @mydubai

The city’s inaugural architectural festival, convertible benches and a palm tree textile design celebration. We have rounded up 10 highlights on show at Dubai Design Week 2020 kicking off on November 9.

Hotel entirely designed by Zaha Hadid opens at ZHA’s Opus building in Dubai

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OPUS by Zaha Hadid Architects in Dubai - Photo: ©Laurian Ghinitoiu.

Under the Burj Khalifa, Zaha Hadid Architects’ Opus building explores “the balance between solid and void, opaque and transparent, interior and exterior”. The project is home to the new ME Dubai hotel, the first and last one in which the late architect created both the architecture and the interior design.

Expo 2021 Dubai: 5 questions on the implications of the one year delay due to COVID-19

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Expo 2021 Dubai - Construction site of the central dome

Due to COVID-19, the 7bn $ global event expecting to welcome 25 million visitors has been postponed. Looking forward to exploring Expo 2021 Dubai! In the meantime, how such decision will affect the construction site? How much will it impact on budgets, investments and national participations?

Asif Khan designs monumental ethereal portals for Expo 2020 Dubai

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Asif Khan's ethereal portals for Expo 2020 Dubai - Photo by Helene Binet, courtesy of Asif Khan design studio.

The British design studio reveals first photographs of three ethereal portals that will welcome visitors of Expo 2020 Dubai which will inaugurate on the 20th of October 2020. The 7 storey tall carbon fibre structures are inspired by ‘mashrabiya’, a latticed design element in traditional Islamic architecture which allows to control light and airflow with see-through intricately geometric patterns.

T Sakhi Architects has created an interactive wall installation addressing social barriers in today’s climate

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WAL(L)TZ pavilion by T Sakhi Architects @ Dubai Design Week 2019 - Photos: courtesy of T Sakhi Architects.

What if walls dividing communities and countries could playfully bring people together? The ‘porous’ WAL(L)Z installation by T Sakhi Architects at Dubai Design Week “represents the act of resilience in overcoming any obstacle and transforming it for constructive change.”

Downtown Design 2019: 7 exhibitions and furniture designs inspired by Middle Eastern heritage

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Downtown Design 2019. 'Sarab' colection by Jawaher Alkhayyal - Photo by Jawaher Alkhayyal.

Palm weaving techniques, traditional Middle East architecture and landscapes of shape-shifting dunes are re-interpreted in contemporary designs at Downtown Design 2019 in Dubai.

Dubai Design Week 2019: 7 highlights on show in the UAE creative capital

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Dubai Design Week 2019 - Photo vias IG via @mydubai

Afghani crafts, a pavilion inspired by wind towers of the Gulf and a gateway exploding the patterns of light created by traditional gridded windows in Middle Eastern architecture. We rounded up some of the best installations and exhibitions at Dubai Design Week 2019.