Dubai Design Week 2020 | Expect virtual and IRL events, workshops and exhibitions

Dubai Design Week will host a plethora of virtual and IRL events, workshops and exhibitions. One of which, The Shape of Things to Come, will display how 28 leading architects and interior designers from the region imagine how we work and play in social settings in a post-pandemic world.

By Olivia Melkonian

Re-evaluating established modes of interaction and the new challenges placed upon us, Dubai Design Week cast an open call for artists and designers to pose what they believe the future of our surroundings will look like. An exhibit of forward-looking solutions, attendees will see an array of housing, shopping, cultural and worship buildings reinvented with the hopes of a positive and more aware future. Held in Building 4 of Dubai Design District (d3), exclusive digital footage from the event will be posted on Downtown Design’s Instagram account.

Those exhibiting work include MEAN* (Middle East Architect Network) founded by multifaceted designer and architect Riyad Jouka. With a mission to provide innovative solutions responding to current social, environmental and economic developments. MEAN* are most known for their work with computer programming, robotics, 3D printing as well as Virtual and Augmented Reality.

Lebanese architect Carl Gerges takes a more human approach to his designs, preserving the social, environmental and historical aspects of the surroundings in which he works. His studio admires client’s stories and identities and tailor each piece of work individually to them, keeping in mind the sustainability of natural resources within the designated space. Preserving the past environment while reinventing its modern structures, the studio is one to watch at Dubai Design Week.

Villa Shams, a project by Carl Gerges Architects

Dubai-based interior design company Roar (previously Pallavi Dean Interiors) will also present work for The Shape of Things to Come. Dedicated to positive human experience through design, Roar are experienced designers of indoor social environments, including offices, restaurants and schools. The studio will re-work how we can safely and hygienically interact and return to social settings.

Stay up to date with all things going on at Dubai Design Week here and via instagram @dubaidesignweek.

Cover Image/Abwab Fata Morgana – © Generous Studio & Hozan Zangana studio