Dubai Design Week - Expo : International Design Suppliers

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3 Dec

Written By WOOLF interior architecture and design

The Netherlands Pavilion - Expo 2020 Dubai

WOOLF attended the ‘Dubai Design Week and The Design Expo’. Keeping abreast and broadening our reach in the international interior design community. WOOLF look at the most innovative interior suppliers from around the globe at the Dubai Design Week. The WOOLF studio are always inspired by the annual design shows that take place globally. Knowing the best suppliers and their ranges, is an essential part of our work as Interior Designers. Explore WOOLF’s hotel projects in the UK and Internationally. WOOLF Interior Design & Interior Architecture has many years of experience designing and consulting for a number of commercial developments and hospitality projects; including, prestigious hotels, restaurants and high-end residential developments both in the UK and Internationally.

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This year we were able to attend the annual, week-long festival celebrating design and creativity in the UAE, Dubai Design Week. Dubai Design Week is owned and managed by the Art Dubai Group, and is held under the dedicated patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (DCAA). It is in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), and supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and A.R.M. Holding.

Throughout the week there were extensive programme of free-to-attend exhibitions, installations, engaging activities and pop-ups, talks and workshops. The festival’s main hub was in Dubai Design District (d3) where the latest in international design trends were showcased, with 130+ leading brands and designers. Exhibitions also displayed a look into the future through a multi-media exhibition that teleported visitors through the next 20 years of Dubai, showcasing ideas and solutions to improve lives within the Middle East.

With a key focus on supporting the creative community in Lebanon this year, rising and established Lebanese design talent was highlighted throughout the festival’s program; from architectural installations and product design, to artisanal Lebanese delicacies at The Marketplace and outdoor music sessions.

November’s fair celebrated high-quality design from around the world, hosting brands from over 20 countries as well as major national representations from European countries including Italy, Spain and France. The fair also featured the largest exhibition of limited-edition and collectible design to date, with a particular focus on the Middle East’s creative scene.

Abwab translates to ‘doors’ in Arabic and is an annually remodelled key feature of the Dubai Design Week program. After multiple jury deliberation phases, the Abwab commission has been awarded to Dubai-based architect Ahmed El-Sharabassy for his proposal titled ‘Nature in Motion’, responding to this year’s theme of regenerative architecture and restorative design, the pavilion structure referenced the Dubai desert’s constant motion, emulating the city’s continuous development and evolution. Abwab acted as a united platform for creative talent from the UAE and the wider MENASA region that invited visitors into the creative landscapes of neighbouring communities.

Supported by A.R.M. Holding, this year’s Urban Commission was awarded to the ‘Yowalah’ project by Beirut-based studio Bits to Atoms, for their proposal responding to the 2021 theme of PLAY! Inspired by and named after the traditional Emirati dance, Yowalah, the installation aimed to reclaim the public spaces where communities can be reunited and social engagement enacted with public health in mind, Bits to Atoms devised a system that can be configured in public spaces as interactive platforms for all ages.

The Yowalah installation is a colourful, digitally fabricated, 3D printed chain link system, created in a parametric design using locally sourced recycled plastic. The structure can be configured to propose sports, leisure and gardening activities for all age groups, created out of recycled polycarbonate elements that are used to form a continuous curved spatial beam, standing on thin steel pillars. Each element; ladder steps, swing seats, plant pots and exploration tubes are 3D printed with local recycled material, in an original design. The modularity of the design is key in its flexibility to adapt any program or site, but also for easy maintenance and replacement. Parts are fabricated on-demand, without moulds or stocks, reducing further the overall impact on the environment of the initiative.

The highly anticipated Expo Dubai presented an unprecedented cultural program that highlighted international and local design, craftsmanship and innovation. The main site of Expo Dubai is a 438-hectare area (1083 acres) located between the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, near Dubai's southern border with Abu Dhabi. The master plan, designed by the American firm HOK, is organised around a central plaza, entitled Al Wasl, enclosed by three large thematic districts. Each one is dedicated to one of the sub-themes of Expo 2020 – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. It is also the host to one of the world’s most sustainable sites, with 50% of Expo Dubai's energy to come from renewable sources.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Interior - Image by jemasmith

Set to gather the world’s 192 countries under one global platform, Expo Dubai is staged under the theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, delving into ideas of mobility, opportunity and sustainability. Each country has the opportunity to convey their interpretation of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” in a pavilion of their design.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Exterior- Image by Visit Abu Dhabi

**The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Interior - Abu Dhabi**

A main highlight of the global event’s extensive line-up, including its Design and Crafts Program, which features more than 40 local and international designers and artisans who honor the UAE’s budding artisanal culture, inviting creative partners from around the world to explore the Emirate’s rich history of craft. Taking its name from MENASA, meaning platform in Arabic, the MENASA – Emirati Design Platform will present a range of inspiring design collaborations and activations that highlight the scale of the UAE’s contemporary design scene for a global audience.

Through Designer of the Week, another initiative of the program, 24 designers and organisations from across the UAE will offer a showcase of the UAE’s creative talent, spotlighting individuals and organisations that support the local crafts and design community.