< Previous50 - STYLE - As with all things Hermès, there was a robust practicality to them alongside the refi nement and luxury. The brand had cut its teeth making fi t-for-purpose equestrian leather goods, and the scarves, however deco- rative, followed that ethos – the Chinese silk employed was twice as thick as delicate European varieties and designed for tying around saddles as well as looping around the shoulders. Princess Margaret and the young Queen Elizabeth became fans, as did Audrey Hepburn. Princess Grace of Monaco fash- ioned her scarf into a glamorous sling when she broke her arm in 1973, while Jackie Onassis opted to employ them as elegant headscarves, a sophisticated form of protec- tion against the blustery sea gales of Nantucket or beating sun of Capri. Part of the appeal lies in their extraordi- narily ornate design within a relatively small space; each scarf can take an astonishing two years to craft from design to production, at the company’s factories in Lyon, with arti- sans screen-printing each one, layer by layer. However experimental some of the pieces may be – from clashing Bauhaus patterns to electric neon swirls – the bedrock of the pat- terns focus on the imagery that Robert Dumas himself dreamt up. There’s the quaint nautical scenes, alongside luscious botanicals and tropical fl ora, and the tools and tropes of equestrian life that have been at the core of the 183-year-old house since its incarnation. This year, the oldest luxury house in the world, and its most iconic accessory, gets set for a 21st century take-over in the Middle East. hermes.com – STEPHEN DOIG CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Prêt-à-porter scarf in vintage silk, SS21; model wears a Della Cavalleria double-sided scarf in silk twill; Les Leopards Modernes scarf in silk twill, AW20. All by Hermès. AD_036_48-50_Radar_Style Hermes_11450174.indd 5013/12/2020 11:57:21 AMa celebration of excellence in the middle east DESIGN AWARDS 2020 IN ASSOCIATION WITH:SPONSORED BY: AD Awards_036_1-26_AD Awards_11466456.indd 113/12/2020 08:44:47 PMUntitled-11 All Pages10/12/2020 03:22:14 PMUntitled-11 All Pages10/12/2020 03:22:14 PMBEST OF THE BEST AD Middle East DESIGN AWARDS 2020 EDI TOR-IN-C HI EF Talib Choudhry ART DI R ECTOR Leanne Botha C O NT RIBUTING EDI TOR S Amy Bradford Pratyush Sarup C OMMERC I A L DI R ECTOR Salma Eddinari The following pages reveal the talented individuals and firms who are the winners of the inaugural AD Middle East Design Awards. Read on to join us in a celebration of regional excellence in the fields of architecture, interiors and product design. You can also read profiles of the winners and all the nominees online at admiddleeast.com 04 AD DESIGN AWARDS WELC O M E CONTENTS 05 / THE NOMINEES 06 / ARCHITECTURE – RESIDENTIAL House of Many Vaults 07 / EMERGING TALENT Sayar Garibeh 08 / ARCHITECTURE – COMMERCIAL Ayla Golf Club, Aqaba 09 / PRODUCT DESIGN Archer Rugs 10 / HOSPITALITY DESIGN Elixir Bunn, Riyadh 11 / CULTUR AL PROJECT, Nuzul Al Salaam, Muharraq 12 / INNOVATION Deciduous Pavilion, Dubai 13 / INTERIOR DESIGN Villa 53, Dubai 20 / DESIGNER OF THE YEAR Pallavi Dean, Roar 26 / THE AWARD A bespoke creation designed by Jaime Hayon for Lladro AD Awards_036_1-26_AD Awards_11466456.indd 413/12/2020 08:45:21 PMTHE NOMINEES ARCHITECTURE - RESIDENTIAL CARL GERGES, VILLA CHAMS, LEBANON — LEFT ARCHITECTS, HOUSE OF MANY VAULTS, LEBANON — NIU STUDIO, THE STONE HOUSE, DUBAI — STUDIO TOOGLE, TERNION VILLAS, KUWAIT CITY ARCHITECTURE - COMMERCIAL FOSTER + PARTNERS, ICD BROOKFIELD PLACE, DUBAI — OPPENHEIM ARCHITECTURE, AYLA GOLF CLUB, AQABA, JORDAN — ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS, BEE’AH HEADQUARTERS, SHARJAH CULTURAL PROJECT HOPKINS ARCHITECTURE, BUHAIS GEOLOGY PARK, SHARJAH — CEBRA ARCHITECTURE, AL MUSALLAH, QASR AL HOSN, ABU DHABI — GIO FORMA + BLACK ENGINEERING, MARAYA CONCERT HALL, KSA — NUZUL AL SALAM, MUHARRAQ, BAHRAIN DESIGNER OF THE YEAR ALJOUD LOOTAH, DUBAI — DAVID/NICOLAS, LEBANON — PALLAVI DEAN, DUBAI — RIYAD JOUCKA, MEAN*, DUBAI EMERGING TALENT MESHARY ALNASSAR, KUWAIT — SAYAR GARIBEH, LEBANON — SYBIL DESIGN STUDIO, KSA — YARA HABIB, UAE /HOSPITALITY DESIGN ANARCHITECT, AL FAYA RETREAT, SHARJAH — BASS STUDIO, AVLI BY TASHAS, DUBAI — SHAHAD ALAZZAZ — ELIXIR BUNN, RIYADH — ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS, ME BY MELIA HOTEL, DUBAI INNOVATION & SUSTAINABILITY HOPKINS ARCHITECTURE, BUHAIS GEOLOGY PARK, SHARJAH — MEAN*, DECIDUOUS PAVILION, DUBAI — ROAR, NURSERY OF THE FUTURE, DUBAI INTERIOR DESIGN AND PARTNERS, INDEX TOWER, DUBAI — NAKKASH DESIGN STUDIO, VILLA 53, DUBAI —MARC DIBEH, RUE DU LIBAN, BEIRUT — SACD, SAUDI AMBASSADOR’S RESIDENCE, WARSAW PRODUCT DESIGN MUDEEM BOXES, ALJOUD LOOTAH —CONSTELLATION SERIES, DAVID/NICOLAS — HYGGE SERIES, SACCAL DESIGN HOUSE, — ARCHER RUGS, TAHER ASAD BAKHTIARI FOR CC TAPIS AD Awards_036_1-26_AD Awards_11466456.indd 5AD Awards_036_1-26_AD Awards_11466456.indd 520/12/2020 09:21:01 AM20/12/2020 09:21:01 AMHOUSE OF MANY VAULTS architecture - residential An inspired reinvention of tradition, this home by Beirut practice L.E.FT Architects occupies a lofty site overlooking the Mediterranean in the ancient town of Niha, in Lebanon’s Chouf mountains. It takes its cue from the cross-vaulted houses that have been typical of the region for the past century or so, but with a dramatic mod- ern twist: a higher elevation at the front is designed to be impressive, while the downward slope towards the rear of the house refl ects its more private, domestic side. It also means that the building appears to kneel – appropriate enough, as it’s located close to the shrine that marks the burial site of Biblical prophet Job. The design merits further acclaim for its radical interior structure. The vaults help to organise the house’s various functions, with all the communal areas, including kitchen and dining room, at ground level, and bedrooms higher up; the edges of the vaults mirror the boundaries between rooms. It makes for a well-ordered atmosphere, and better still, it’s ecologically sound – a drain between the pitched roofs collects rainwater to irrigate the surrounding land- scape. As the architects say, the design celebrates “a new geometry”. leftish.net L.E.FT Architects, Niha, Lebanon 06 AD DESIGN AWARDS WIN N ERS AD Awards_036_1-26_AD Awards_11466456.indd 613/12/2020 08:46:26 PMSAYAR & GARIBEH STEPHANIE SAYAR AND CHARBEL GARIBEH met 12 years ago at college and set up their studio in 2015. Since then, they’ve carved out a distinctive aesthetic, combining organic and geometric forms with traditional crafts and whimsical anthropomorphic touches. They describe their work as “happy, colourful, fi ctional and functional”: those qualities are embodied in pieces like Willowy Chair, whose oversized, spiralling form is made using a traditional Lebanese wicker technique and dyed naturally with water-based terracotta; and Morphe, a “free, spontaneous and naïve” table created in collaboration with Brooklyn artist Katie Stout. An impressionistic rendering of a freehand sketch in ceramic, clay and cast brass, it’s shaped entirely by hand and decorated with splodgy patterns. Equally playful is their Lochness coff ee table, whose sculptural green form is an evocation of the mythical Scottish monster. It’s caught the eye of Lebanese designer and curator Nada Debs, who shares our opinion that this young duo is one to watch. “We like to work independently as it allows us to be experimental and reveal our artistic side,” they say. “But it’s our ambition to go global – being included in a museum’s permanent collection would be a dream for us.” sayargaribeh.com EMERGING TALENT Beirut, Lebanon AD Awards_036_1-26_AD Awards_11466456.indd 713/12/2020 08:46:45 PMResplendent in terracotta-hued concrete, the undu- lating form of this golf clubhouse is a masterclass in designing buildings that are sympathetic to their sur- roundings. Designed by Miami- and Basel-based practice Oppenheim Architecture, its form mimics those of the desert dunes and mountain peaks all around, and is also infl uenced by traditional Bedouin tents. Modern, minimal landscaping, with cacti and palm trees, completes the organic look, while panels in perforated Corten steel fi lter the bright sunlight. The diamond patterns on these panels are borrowed from Jordanian heritage and echo Arabian mashrabiya fretwork. The canopy itself is one continuous shell, made from shotcrete, a concrete material that was sprayed onto a base frame and coloured with rust-orange pigment that blends with the desert sand. The shell’s curves defi ne the spaces beneath – a spa, restaurants and shops – while the interior walls were fi nished by a local artist, who used traditional pigmentation techniques to create a raw, natural eff ect. Ultimately, the clubhouse will be at the heart of a huge, 17-square-mile leisure complex currently in development. This will feature apartments and a hotel, plus a golf course designed by former world number one Greg Norman. Oppenoff ice.com AYLA GOLF CLUB architecture – COMMERCIAL Oppenheim Architecture + Design LLP, Aqaba, Jordan 08 AD DESIGN AWARDS WIN N ERS P H O T O S : R O R Y G A R D IN E R (A Y L A G O L F C LU B ); M A R IN A D E N IS O VA (A R C H E R R U G S ) AD Awards_036_1-26_AD Awards_11466456.indd 813/12/2020 08:47:10 PMARCHER RUGS HOW TO REINVENT THAT MOST FUNCTIONAL of car- pet forms, the runner? Give it a new shape and symbolic identity. That’s what self-taught, Iranian-born textile artist Taher Asad-Bakhtiari has done with his new Archer collec- tion for Italian rug brand CC-Tapis, which takes inspiration from astrology, religion and past civilizations and features graphic arrow-like shapes. “I’m a Sagittarius and to me, the arrow stands for the values or energies - think peace, suc- cess, love – that we throw into our lives,” says the Tehran- based designer, who’s long been fascinated by this ancient weapon. “Arrows are symbols of how we unleash these energies and watch them gain momentum.” There are seven designs in the collection – an auspicious number all over the world, says Asad-Bakhtiari – each hand-knotted in the CC-Tapis atelier in Nepal using Himalayan wool, silk, lurex and mohair. Their extravagant shapes and colours add per- sonality to a hallway or staircase, but can also be used as accent rugs or even wall hangings. Highlights include Jade, which represents an endless loop and the healing powers of the jade stone; Ziggurat, reminiscent of the tiers of ancient Mespotamian temples; and Pardis, a vibrant, abstract rep- resentation of paradise. This is the fi rst time CC-Tapis has devoted an entire collection to runners and it’s proof that this humble form can still inspire and excite. cc-tapis.com; taherasadbakhtiari.com product design Taher Asad-Bakhtiari for CC-Tapis AD Awards_036_1-26_AD Awards_11466456.indd 913/12/2020 08:47:40 PMNext >