2023-10-09 15:26:12
The Dubai Design Week returns for its ninth edition, from 7 to 12 November, with a program that evolves and expands to celebrate design in all its forms. The event remains the largest and most important in the region and is expected to attract more than 150,000 visitors this year. Dubai Deisgn Week will host a wide range of activities, including exhibitions, pop-ups, talks, workshops and other innovative projects.
One of the key elements of this year’s program will be large-scale outdoor installations, with a focus on how design, science and technology can converge to recover materials from the past, as well as imagine new forms that foster practices sustainable with immersive public interventions made from materials such as palm leaves, sugar and paper pulp, with 3D printed architecture in the foreground.
Among the most interesting installations we highlight that of FabPub, a joint venture between Mamou-Mani Architects and Therme Group which will present the Altostrata, a 3D printed architectural pavilion, made with biodegradable sugar-based PLA, and eco-cooling walls made entirely in vegetable sponge and a modular system in paper pulp. Architects Wael Al Awar and Kazuma Yamao, of waiwai, will present Urban Hadeera, a prototype of a traditional shelter, using sustainable concrete, developed thanks to their award-winning research project Wetland Lab.
The highlight of Dubai Design Week is Downtown Design, preparing for its tenth edition at d3 Waterfront Terrace (8-11 November 2023). Recognized as the leading design fair in the Middle East, it features companies’ latest collections, innovative products, installations and events.
Throughout the week, a series of exhibitions will showcase the latest in design, including the annual UAE Designers Exhibition, curated by Fatma Al Mahmoud and supported by Dubai Culture, which will once again highlight the work of new emerging talents with 100/100 Best Arabic Poster, which will present a series of posters that aim to document the visual culture of the Arab world; the Royal College of Art in London will instead present projects that explore sustainability, design and emerging technologies linked to themes such as textiles, healthcare, infrastructures and environmental recovery; as well as other presentations illustrating the students’ most innovative projects, a library of materials and works from emerging and established architectural firms.
Returning to this year’s programme, Abwab is the platform for young designers from across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. The main commission of the 2023 festival has been awarded to the architect and founder of the design studio Mula , Abdalla Almulla.
Dubai Design Week’s design competition, Urban Commissions, returns this year, inviting designers and architects to propose innovative outdoor furniture in the public sector, with a responsible design approach. The winner will be revealed at Dubai Design Week 2023, and has been selected by a jury of experts in the field of design.
#innovation #sustainability