Tag: abu-dhabi | ArchDaily

Construction Begins on Frank Gehry's Dar al Funoon Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Center

Antonia Piñeiro — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 05:30:00 +0000

Dar al Funoon Abu Dhabi, the new performing arts institution designed by the late architect Frank Gehry, is among his final works. Translating to "House of the Arts," the landmark building, commissioned by Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism, was designed as a global hub for the performing arts and is expected to open in 2030. The project adds to Gehry's work in the emirate, which also includes the upcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and follows the city's designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Music in 2021.

Oil, Glass, and Identity: Gulf Modernism Between Global Image and Local Climate

Ananya Nayak — Mon, 18 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Step from the heat of Dubai into the lobby of a glass tower, and the desert seems to disappear. Outside, temperatures climb past 45 degrees Celsius; inside, the air is cold, sealed, and perfectly controlled. For decades, this contrast became the defining image of Gulf modernity. Architecture became less a negotiation with climate, and more a demonstration that climate could be overcome. Towers of reflective glass rose from the desert as symbols of arrival, projecting financial power, technological confidence, and global ambition. Beneath this urban image sat an infrastructure built on oil, cheap energy, and the continuous mechanical suppression of heat.

Blu Pizzeria / Kidz Studio

Hadir Al Koshta — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

The Blu Pizzeria project was developed by KIDZ for a long-term client with whom the studio has collaborated on several projects. The client's vision consistently draws inspiration from natural elements, and in this case, KIDZ created Blu Mare — a concept rooted in the dialogue between water and sand, exploring the interplay of wet and dry and the balance that emerges between them.

Heritage Transformations, New Capital Cities, and Residential Innovations: This Week’s Review

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 06:30:00 +0000

This week's news landscape brought together diverse approaches to built and cultural heritage, ranging from the design of a Museum of Jesus' Baptism at a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Jordan to major transformations of modern industrial sites and the development of major cultural districts. The World Monuments Fund's support for 21 locally led heritage projects foregrounds conservation strategies that reinforce the role of architecture in safeguarding both material and intangible heritage. Across this week's highlighted projects, adaptive reuse, landscape integration, and the reconfiguration of civic space emerge as recurrent strategies for extending the life and relevance of existing built environments. The projects also reflect broader contemporary concerns, including material research in timber construction, zero-waste urban installations, large-scale residential efficiency, and infrastructure upgrades linked to global events like the Olympic Games. Framing these developments within a wider territorial perspective, discussions on relocating capital cities worldwide offer an example of how geopolitical discourses continue to shape architecture, revealing the evolving relationship between the built environment and structures of power over time.

Choreography of a Cloud, Dancing Shadows Art Pavilion at the Louvre Abu Dhabi / YOKOMAE et BOUAYAD

Miwa Negoro — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

YOKOMAE et BOUAYAD announce their selected entry, among five others, inside the Louvre Abu Dhabi for the Richard Mille Art Prize. Inaugurated under the Louvre Abu Dhabi's iconic dome on October 10th and running until December 28th for the Art Here 2025, Richard Mille Art Prize launched an international competition that attracted more than 400 projects to design and build five art installations and/or architectural pavilions reflecting on this year's theme of "shadows."

Zayed National Museum / Foster + Partners

Pilar Caballero — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The Zayed National Museum has opened its doors to the public. Located at the heart of the Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, the new national museum of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) traces the history of the Emirates, from the earliest evidence of human habitation to the civilisations that shaped its culture and identity, rooted in the values of the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The building's form addresses the challenge of sustaining life in a desert environment and the strong cultural traditions of the UAE.

New National Museum in Abu Dhabi and The Nomadic Library: This Week’s Review

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 07:30:00 +0000

As cultural institutions advanced major preservation projects and new demographic data reframed understandings of urban growth, this week's architectural discussions centred on how cities and museums adapt to evolving social, environmental, and infrastructural conditions. Efforts to safeguard modern heritage, developments in long-term urban planning, and reflections on architectural legacy intersect with global observances such as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, highlighting the ongoing need for more inclusive and accessible environments within the built landscape.

Foster + Partners’ Zayed National Museum Opens to the Public in Abu Dhabi

Reyyan Dogan — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Zayed National Museum, the national museum of the United Arab Emirates and a major anchor of Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Cultural District, has opened to the public. The project was awarded to Foster + Partners following a 2007 design competition, with construction commencing the following year. Its inauguration marks a significant moment in the UAE's cultural development, coinciding with a year that saw the opening of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi and the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, as well as the reopening of Al Ain Museum, broadening the region's institutional landscape.

Mecanoo’s Natural History Museum Opens in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District

Antonia Piñeiro — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Back in April 2022, Abu Dhabi unveiled the first images of a new Natural History Museum designed by the Dutch practice Mecanoo. Three years later, on November 22, 2025, the museum opened its doors to the public, presenting 13.8 billion years of science and discovery with a special focus on the Arabian region. Covering more than 35,000 sqm, the design is intended to resonate with natural rock formations. Geometry acts as the unifying theme, with pentagonal shapes referencing cellular structures. Water and vegetation, symbols of life in the desert, also play an important role in the design. Located in Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Cultural District, the building houses rare meteorites, dinosaur fossils, and reconstructions of the region's prehistoric landscapes, combining natural history, storytelling, and immersive environments. Through interactive exhibitions, special events, and community-science programmes, the museum seeks to encourage audiences of all ages to engage with the natural world.

2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize Ceremony Video Released Honoring Liu Jiakun

Reyyan Dogan — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 04:30:00 +0000

The Pritzker Architecture Prize has released a special video honoring Liu Jiakun, the 54th Laureate of the award. Filmed at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the ceremony celebrates Liu's architectural vision, characterized by a deep engagement with civic life, cultural continuity, and the human condition. The film captures moments from the event and offers insight into Liu's broader practice, emphasizing architecture's capacity to reconcile tradition and modernity while addressing social and environmental challenges. The release of the ceremony video marks the culmination of the 47th edition of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The 2026 Laureate will be announced in March, continuing the award's legacy of recognizing architects whose work advances the discipline and its role in shaping human experience.

Louvres Around the World: The Export of Museums and Architecture as a Global Brand

Camilla Ghisleni — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:30:00 +0000

It is undeniable that, at first glance, the idea of a Louvre in Abu Dhabi or a Centre Pompidou in Brazil may seem somewhat disconcerting. The image of these museums, internationally renowned, appears in many ways inseparable from their original cultural contexts. And to some extent, it truly is. The Louvre, deeply rooted in the history of France as a former fortress and later royal residence, embodies a set of invaluable heritage values, further amplified by I. M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramid intervention in 1989. The Pompidou, meanwhile, is remembered as a historic turning point: by redefining the concept of public infrastructure through radically unconventional architecture, it marked the first time culture drew in mass audiences.

Grand Egyptian Museum Opens and Torre dei Conti Collapses in Rome: This Week’s Review

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 06:30:00 +0000

This week's architectural highlights traced the intersections between heritage, climate awareness, and contemporary design practice. As the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale approaches its closing, projects exploring collective intelligence and material experimentation offer reflections on small-scale responses to global challenges. In Egypt, the completion of the Grand Egyptian Museum marks a long-anticipated moment in cultural preservation, while new competition initiatives in Jordan extend this dialogue toward sacred and archaeological contexts. Complementing these developments, the recognition of Abdelwahed El-Wakil with the Tamayouz Lifetime Achievement Award highlights the continued influence of tradition-informed design across contemporary practice.

From Abu Dhabi to Oklahoma City: Architecture Now and New Announcements by Heatherwick Studio, MANICA, Kengo Kuma, and More

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 04:00:00 +0000

As cities around the world respond to shifting environmental, cultural, and social dynamics, new architectural proposals are reshaping how we think about public life, community engagement, and the built environment. From Aldar's coastal wellness destination on Fahid Island in Abu Dhabi, to a flexible scaffolding-based office concept in Athens by Georges Batzios Architects, this edition of Architecture Now features diverse projects that reinterpret architecture as both infrastructure and interface. In Seoul, Heatherwick Studio is leading a resident-initiated redevelopment model for a housing complex near the Han River, while Toronto's College Park is set for a major transformation balancing heritage restoration with vertical intensification. In Oklahoma City, MANICA and TVS are designing a new sports arena that anchors an emerging entertainment district through material, landscape, and civic gestures. Together, these diverse yet interconnected efforts signal a broader shift toward integrated, future-oriented urban design.

AD Government Office / Agata Kurzela Studio

Miwa Negoro — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 02:00:00 +0000

This space is under a dramatic, undulating roof, on the last level of a heritage building. It had been designed for a government body overseeing major public projects that also hosts workshops and exhibitions. A key challenge was the fluctuating office occupancy because of varying numbers of external consultants. Rediscovering the building's architectural qualities, its genius loci, was at the core of this concept. We focused on the clarity of the previously underutilized space, and reestablished its logic through the addition of volumes that pay homage to the architectural proportions in an act of creative archeology.

104 Abu Dhabi Neighbourhood Parks / SLA

Hadir Al Koshta — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 03:00:00 +0000

Danish nature-based design studio SLA has completed one of the largest urban greening projects in the UAE: 104 new neighbourhood parks across Abu Dhabi, designed to improve health, biodiversity, and the everyday quality of life for all Abu Dhabi's residents. The project is delivered in close collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport.

Architecture Now: C.F. Møller, Sasaki, 10 Design, and Others Unveil Projects Across Middle East, Asia, and the U.S.

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 30 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

A series of recently announced projects across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America reflects an ongoing shift in architectural thinking toward approaches that integrate buildings with their landscapes, programs with public life, and design with long-term environmental goals. In Nantes, France, a healthcare campus redefines medical education through climate-conscious planning, while in San Antonio, Texas, a new arboretum transforms a former golf course into a research-driven public landscape. Residential towers are rising beside Bangkok's Lumphini Park, a new coastal community is underway in the UAE, and an expansion to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City reconsiders how cultural institutions connect with their surroundings. Together, these announcements point to a growing interest in projects that embed architecture within broader ecological and civic systems, proposing new models of spatial integration, accessibility, and resilience.

Watch Liu Jiakun, Riken Yamamoto, and David Chipperfield at the 2025 Pritzker Prize Laureate Lecture & Panel Discussion

Reyyan Dogan — Wed, 07 May 2025 06:30:00 +0000

The Pritzker Architecture Prize, in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, hosted On Land: A Model for Community, the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Lecture and Panel Discussion. The event took place at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, May 3rd.

Rethinking Sustainability Through Site-Specific Strategies

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Sustainability in architecture is often framed as a universal challenge, leading to standardized solutions that prioritize efficiency over context. However, architecture is inherently tied to its environment — buildings interact with climate, topography, and cultural history in ways that demand specificity. Instead of relying on standardized sustainability checklists, how can architecture embrace site-specific solutions? This conversation is deeply connected to the concept of Genius Loci, or the spirit of a place, introduced by Christian Norberg-Schulz and embraced by architects advocating for designs that resonate with their surroundings. It suggests that architecture should not be imposed upon a site but rather emerge from it, informed by its materials, climate, and cultural significance. This philosophy challenges the widespread application of generic sustainable technologies, instead proposing that sustainability must be inherently tied to the location in which it operates.