Dubai Design Week is one of the UAE’s go-to events for eye-catching, inventive, and at times opulent creations. It covers both architecture and design.
But, in 2020, amid the pandemic and a weakened economy, the annual festival will take a different approach.
For its sixth instalment, which is scheduled to take place from November 9 to 14, Dubai Design Week will be more orientated towards local talent and will imbue a thematic approach that places sustainable and purposeful design at its centre.
Creatives have to be relevant. We cannot sit on the side and keep doing things like we always do
As Dubai Design Week describes it, 2020 will be all about “responsible design geared towards positive impact”.
"I was very interested in trying to focus more on design that is responsible and purposeful, rather than more aesthetically focused or luxury or the collectible types of design," explains Ghassan Salameh, creative director at Dubai Design Week.
“This has always been an important aspect of design for me. Our job as creatives is to provide solutions for the different problems the world is going through. We have to be relevant. We cannot sit on the side and keep doing things like we always do.”
One of the biggest changes to this year’s programme is that it will be developed, for the most part, via open call.
The Abwab pavilion, a highlight of the event that features commissioned architectural models, will now be drawn from submissions by creatives in the Mena region.
Participants are asked to propose concepts for architectural structures that tackle issues such as shelters for extreme weather conditions and spaces that consider physical distancing guidelines as a way to stem the spread of Covid-19. The structures must also be semi-permanent and multipurpose in order for them to be functional beyond the event.
One question it will tackle: how can we now share public space?
“We want to investigate the relationship between city dwellers and public space and ask questions about how we can share public space,” says Salameh. “We’re trying to get more purposeful rather than aesthetic installations that could be replicated in the future on a larger sale or be adopted by the public or private sector.”
For Abwab 2020, Dubai Design Week has tied up with Sharjah environmental company Bee’ah, which will provide designers with recycled and up-cycled materials, including rubber, aluminum cans, cardboard and plastic bottles, to create their works. Preference will be given to proposals that incorporate Bee’ah’s materials in their design.
Abwab’s winning proposal will receive $40,000 (Dh146,000) for production as well as $10,000 for design fees.
The event’s outdoor installations will also be chosen through an open call. The criteria for selection of these is similar to that of Abwab’s – modular, functional and sustainable pieces that address issues around public health and safety and the environment.
Exhibition dedicated to designers residing in the UAE
For the first time, the programme will feature an exhibition dedicated to designers residing and working in the UAE. It will also include displays from the businesses housed in Dubai Design District (D3), where the event takes place.
Mette Degn-Christensen, Dubai Design Week’s director, says this way of “looking inwards” puts the local creative community in the spotlight. “We see ourselves as being able to represent our community in D3, Dubai and the UAE. We always urge international brands and manufacturers to collaborate with a regional component so we can stay relevant to our regional audience,” she says.
She adds that the pandemic has “challenged everyone to do everything in the most efficient way”, not only in terms of sustainability, but also in harnessing existing digital technologies to run activities.
One example is the “hybrid format” of this year’s talks and workshops programme, which will limit the number of onsite visitors and conduct the rest of the talks virtually.
Even in this aspect, the event organisers want to keep the talks programme efficient, functional and practical. It will revolve around the question: "Resist change, adapt to it or re-invent existing models?"
“Usually we have a conference programme with very diverse subjects. This year, the idea is to offer practical tools for the creative community on how to navigate the difficulties that the Covid crisis has created, to offer the right tools for designers to understand how to manage their business better, rather than just talking about broad, conceptual ideas,” Salameh explains.
With four months to go before the event, the team at Dubai Design Week know that things may change swiftly, as they have since the virus outbreak.
“We’re taking a risk, in a way, but we feel it’s important not to skip the year, if it’s possible. It’s a financially challenging year for everyone, especially for smaller designers and architects, and for those who are starting out under these circumstances,” Salameh says.
Degn-Christensen acknowledges the uncertainty, but says the outdoor setting of the event will also help maintain physical distancing measures.
She adds that though the footfall may drop from last year's 90,000 visitors, it is "crucial for us to continue". She says, "Growing doesn't have to mean bigger. It just means finding new ways of working and planning new initiatives."
Salameh adds: “It was very clear that our role as Dubai Design Week should be about giving back or supporting the community as much as possible, because they’re really struggling.”
“The idea is to preserve continuity for the community and give them the opportunity to exhibit their work.”
More information is available at dubaidesignweek.ae
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
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Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
BIOSAFETY LABS SECURITY LEVELS
Biosafety Level 1
The lowest safety level. These labs work with viruses that are minimal risk to humans.
Hand washing is required on entry and exit and potentially infectious material decontaminated with bleach before thrown away.
Must have a lock. Access limited. Lab does not need to be isolated from other buildings.
Used as teaching spaces.
Study microorganisms such as Staphylococcus which causes food poisoning.
Biosafety Level 2
These labs deal with pathogens that can be harmful to people and the environment such as Hepatitis, HIV and salmonella.
Working in Level 2 requires special training in handling pathogenic agents.
Extra safety and security precautions are taken in addition to those at Level 1
Biosafety Level 3
These labs contain material that can be lethal if inhaled. This includes SARS coronavirus, MERS, and yellow fever.
Significant extra precautions are taken with staff given specific immunisations when dealing with certain diseases.
Infectious material is examined in a biological safety cabinet.
Personnel must wear protective gowns that must be discarded or decontaminated after use.
Strict safety and handling procedures are in place. There must be double entrances to the building and they must contain self-closing doors to reduce risk of pathogen aerosols escaping.
Windows must be sealed. Air from must be filtered before it can be recirculated.
Biosafety Level 4
The highest level for biosafety precautions. Scientist work with highly dangerous diseases that have no vaccine or cure.
All material must be decontaminated.
Personnel must wear a positive pressure suit for protection. On leaving the lab this must pass through decontamination shower before they have a personal shower.
Entry is severely restricted to trained and authorised personnel. All entries are recorded.
Entrance must be via airlocks.
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)
Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)
Playing September 30
Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
%3Cp%3EBy%202030%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%20aims%20to%20achieve%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2039.3%20million%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20nearly%2064%25%20up%20from%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20Dh90%20billion%20contribution%20to%20GDP%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2084%25%20more%20than%20Dh49%20billion%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20178%2C000%20new%20jobs%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20bringing%20the%20total%20to%20about%20366%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2052%2C000%20hotel%20rooms%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20up%2053%25%20from%2034%2C000%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%207.2%20million%20international%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20almost%2090%25%20higher%20compared%20to%202023's%203.8%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%203.9%20international%20overnight%20hotel%20stays%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2022%25%20more%20from%203.2%20nights%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
Spider-Man%202
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
