Dubai Design Week celebrates a new generation of designers, creating beyond the spectacle

Dubai Design Week Celebrates a New Generation of Designers

The natural landscape surrounding Dubai’s Creek has served as a major link between East and West for centuries. Today, it remains a lively crossroads of ideas and cultural exchange, highlighted at the ongoing Dubai Design Week, which continues through November 9.

This annual event unites global creativity with local traditions, shaping the city’s evolving cultural identity. In a city known for its soaring architecture, the festival asks how Dubai can reconnect with its more grounded heritage.

Design District and the Urban Commissions 2025 Theme

At the heart of this exploration lies the Dubai Design District, where modern materials meet natural elements. Palm fronds form the walls of a courtyard built from concrete blocks, and corrugated metal sheets create an open roof that lets in light and air. This installation is the winning concept for the 2025 Urban Commissions theme, titled Courtyard.

When Does a Threshold Become a Courtyard?

This project, called When Does a Threshold Become a Courtyard?, was envisioned by the UAE-based design and research studio Some Kind of Practice, founded by Omar Darwish and co-led by Abdulla Abbas.

“Our fieldwork focused on places that have so far remained untouched by development; in the mountains, along the coast, and in the desert,” said 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,” added Abdulla Abbas.

Rooted in Local Heritage

In Dubai, the native Ghaf tree remains protected; it cannot be cut down. Its deep roots draw nutrients from the depths of the desert, and buildings are often constructed around it—a fitting metaphor for a city seeking balance between progress and preservation.

Author’s summary: Dubai Design Week reinterprets the city’s identity, linking its rapid modern growth with enduring traditions through inventive architectural storytelling.

Wallpaper* — 2025-11-08