Dubai Design Week Celebrates Emerging Designers Creating Beyond Spectacle
Dubai's Creek has historically been a crucial regional hub connecting East and West trade for centuries. Today, it remains a vibrant center for exchanging ideas and culture, showcased at Dubai Design Week, running until November 9th. This event brings together global creativity and local heritage to shape the evolving identity of the city.
Reconnecting with Heritage Amidst Modernity
Known globally for its towering skyscrapers, Dubai also seeks to reconnect with its roots, often concealed behind glass and steel in the fast-growing metropolis. Within the Design District, a unique courtyard enclosed by palm fronds and built on concrete blocks offers an open roof structure made from corrugated metal sheets, allowing natural light and air inside.
Winning Proposal for the 2025 Urban Commissions: Courtyard Theme
The acclaimed installation "When Does a Threshold Become a Courtyard?" was designed by the UAE-based studio Some Kind of Practice, founded by Omar Darwish and co-led by Abdulla Abbas. The studio's work focuses on preserving spaces untouched by development, such as mountains, coastlines, and deserts.
"Our fieldwork focused on places that have so far remained untouched by development; in the mountains, along the coast, and in the desert," says Omar Darwish.
"We wanted to recreate the regionally important courtyard space using off-the-shelf and natural materials, combined with traditional techniques such as the stacking systems we observed in the desert," explains Abdulla Abbas.
Respecting Nature in Design
An important aspect of the project is the native Ghaf tree, which cannot be cut down. Its deep roots sustain the tree, and it is common in Dubai to build structures around it, respecting its significance.
Summary
Dubai Design Week highlights a fusion of modern creativity and traditional heritage, emphasizing sustainable design that honors the natural environment and regional history.
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