DUBAI: Situated along a main road in AlUla’s AlJadidah Arts District is a handsome contemporary-style building made of corten steel, glass and polished concrete. Its rusty, orange-brown color and prominent build with intricate lattice façade is in striking contrast to the charming new style farm houses and more urban houses that dominate the Al-Jadidah or the “new town” of AlUla.
The building, designed by GioForma Studio, is a homage to the breezeblock used widely across buildings in the surrounding Al-Jadidah Arts District and it serves as the new Design Space AlUla that opened during the AlUla Arts Festival in February 2024.
The building, designed by GioForma Studio, is a homage to the breezeblock used widely across buildings in the surrounding Al-Jadidah Arts District and it serves as the new Design Space AlUla that opened during the AlUla Arts Festival in February 2024. (Photo by Nicholas Jackson Photography)
The space, under the direction of Sara Ghani, also the curator of the gallery’s inaugural exhibition, provides exhibition, workshop and archivespace, and isdesignedto foster collaboration amongdesignprofessionals, students, anddesignlovers.
Design Space AlUla places emphasis on the natural materials and traditional building styles native to the AlUla region. The building itself is a reflection of local traditional building practices. Formed around a plaza, the luminous courtyarddesignis complemented by the exposed geometrical brickwork, taking the shape of the lattice façade that further brings light and natural ventilation into the building.
“DesignSpaceAlUlacommits to celebratingAlUla’s natural history and cultural heritage,” Ghani told Arab News. “It does so through a focus on the vernacular materials found throughout AlUla that can inspire a sustainable future.”
It aims to engage with both emerging and establisheddesignprofessionals, regionally and internationally to exploredesignprinciples and creativedesignprocesses within the backdrop of AlUla’s natural environment and cultural legacy.
Thespaceis inclusive to alldesigndisciplines from architecture and urban planning, to product and graphicdesign. It will also support and engage with thelarger and local designcommunity, while also highlighting the wider role ofdesignin AlUla’s everyday life, cultural scene and wider economy.
“Our ambition is to fuel thedesigneconomy, provide resources to designers to explore and experiment, and be a place for visitors to research, explore and connect with the processes behindAlUla’sdesignjourney,” said Ghani in a statement.
The inaugural exhibition, “Mawrid: Celebrating InspiredDesign,” introduces the research and production process behind the design of 10 recentAlUla-inspiredcreationsacrossdesign, architecture and urban planning. The show marks the first in an ongoing exhibition program, which launches on 15 Feb. and runs until June 1.
Projects explored in the exhibition include GioForma Studio/Black Engineering’s Maraya, a 9,740m² mirror-clad venue that blends with its awe-inspiring surroundings, reflective of the natural textures and colors ofAlUla; the plans for the renovation of Madrasat Addeera,AlUla’s first arts anddesigncentre, by UK-based Hopkins Architects; Roth Architecture’s Azulik Eco Resort which draws inspiration from the stories of wind and erosion, ensuring the project integrates well with its natural surroundings; SAL Architects’ renovation of the historic Ammar Bin Yasser Mosque, which collaborated closely with the community to ensure a respectful and harmonious transformation; andAlUla’s Cultural Oasis District Masterplan, guided by Prior + Partners in collaboration with Allies and Morrison.
Each project is driven by the mission and vision to uphold and champion the cultural and natural landscape that makes AlUlaa region where communities, travelers, traders and pilgrims have for thousands of years gathered via the Incense Route.
Other exhibitors include finalists from the second edition ofAlUlaDesignAward Imane Mellah, Teeb, Sara Kanoo and Shaddah Studio, and representation from the first edition of theAlUlaDesignResidency.
The residency is a five-month program inAlUlathat brings together designers and experts to AlUla to work across multiple disciplines such as infrastructure development and architecturaldesign, exploring public realm interventions and urban furniture, sustainability and local building materials.
The fivedesignpractices currently engaged in the residency are bahraini – danish from Bahrain and Denmark, Hall Haus from France, Studio Leo Orta from France, Studio Raw Material from India, and Leen Ajlan from .
“We are working on celebrating and showcasing different projects that have been done within various design areas,” adds Ghani to Arab News. “From micro to macro scale, the smallest scale of design such as graphic design, branding and project design to furniture design, architectural design and to the macro scale, including urban design, urban planning and master planning.”
“All of it showcases how inspirational AlUla is on a cultural level and through its natural landscape and how this greatly inspired designers,” she adds.
The exhibition also explores the visual identity forDesignSpaceAlUlacreated by Clara Sancho Studio anddesignagency 29Letters from Madrid. The logo draws on a wide range of inspiration from acrossAlUla, from ancient inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah to the distinctive breezeblocks in AlJadidah and other architectural elements ofAlUla’s more recent visual terrain.
Over time these varous projects will enter the archive ofDesignSpaceAlUlaarchive which will serve as a growing source ofdesigninspiration as well as a living compendium of localdesigninitiatives.
Additionally, the workshop and archive will host aspiring designers inAlUla’s resident community who wish to participate in the creativespace.
“Design Space AlUla combines an archive, a gallery, and a workshop space where we showcase AlUla’s design initiatives and the design philosophy and the design journey that AlUla has been working towards for the past few years,” Ghani told Arab News. “AlUla has been working on developing its cultural scene for a long time. A lot of work has gone into the genre of design but it has never been showcased to the world. Now is the right time.”
