< PreviousDesign news commercialinteriordesign.com April 2021 10 Downtown Design to return as physical event for 2021 The commercial centrepiece of Dubai Design Week is back, bigger and, dare we say, better? Downtown Design returns for 2021 with an in-person event being held at Dubai Design District (d3) during the annual Dubai Design Week. Taking place over fi ve days instead of the usual four from November 8 to 12, Downtown Design will return to its purpose-built venue at the d3 Waterfront. The 8th edition is the only regional design fair that coincides with Expo Dubai 2020 and will welcome country pavilions promoting their native design talent to the MENA, alongside the latest collections by international and regional brands. This year's talks programme is set to focus on the opportunities and challenges presented to the design industry by the 'new world.' New features include sections dedicated to key design segments, including furniture, lighting and accessories. New collection for Rubelli Italian fabric maker Rubelli has brightened up 2021 with a new collection. Designers at the intergenerational family fi rm looked to nature for inspiration in creating 'Di Varia Natura,' which also celebrates the 1,600th anniversary of Rubelli's home city of Venice. Patterns in the collection range from geometric to fi gurative, with fanciful prints to the classic jacquard fabrics that traditionally have embodied Rubelli's style. Materials focus on sustainability and featured alongside natural fi bres – silk, cotton and linen – are environmentally- friendly yarns, including one produced from biological extracts of castor beans. Such experimentation arises from Rubelli running its own mill, says Nicolò Favaretto Rubelli, the great-great-grandson of Rubelli's original founder. He adds: "Every fabric that leaves our 'laboratory' carries within it an emotion that can be traced back to Venice. Venice is our cultural heritage and at the same time the source of energy that drives us to look further." Look to Dubai's Business Bay to see Rubelli in the Middle East. Exploring artworks at Downtown's 2019 edition A print from the new rangeBranded content 11 April 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com SPLASH OUT Casa Milano hosts a wide range of exclusive designs from world famous bathroom brands, inspired by Italian design and craftsmanship Go vintage with a reclaimed roll top Plazo bathtub. Freestanding baths can work to create a stunning focal point for bathroom projects, while adding a touch of both elegance and personality to the aesthetic. There are many different bath options for properties with a spacious bathroom – choose from different styles, sizes, shapes and depths of baths. Depending on the space, an authentic roll top Victorian bath could be a great option. This classical bathtub from Casa Milano is outstandingly adapted to the body and conveys an especially high feeling of comfort, with generous dimensions of 1,745 x 830 x 810/650 mm (L x W x H). Factory fi tted lion feet in brass or chrome fi nishes are a classy touch to an already stunning bathroom centrepiece. See it for yourself when you visit Casa Milano's showroom in Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai. www.casamilanoitaly.comDesign news commercialinteriordesign.com April 2021 12 Isabel Pintado bids farewell to Wilson Associates Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has brought in Isabel Pintado as SVP of design and innovation. In her new role, Pintado will advance the design vision and aesthetic of all future Four Seasons projects, which include a range of high-end residential products, with one in Marrakech. Previously the SVP for Wilson Associates in Africa, China, the Middle East and Thailand, under her leadership, the Wilson team grew to have a team of more than 300 architects and designers globally, working on some of the world's most innovative commerical projects covering hospitality, residential and F&B. In 2019, she came out on top of the Commercial Interior Design Power List, and we noted: "The power she wields is near enough unparalleled." Commenting on her move to Four Seasons, Pintado says: "I am optimistic that we are on the cusp of an exciting period for the luxury hospitality industry, as we continue to create inspiring and exceptional design experiences for our guests, residents and employees." 100architects plan colourful "interventions" for Dubai Seven 50-metre long 'villages' make up an outdoor playground at Dubai Creek Harbour. Connected by brightly coloured walls and pavement patterns inspired by Dubai's vernacular Arabesque shapes, each capsule offers a different function. The project by 100architects is way of coming to terms with the new world, says the studio, which was founded in Shanghai in 2013. Designers were commissioned to create the piece for new urban district Creek Island that could be the fi rst in a landscape architectural series. "Neighbourhood intervention" concepts 'Canopy Rings,' a 'Blooming Forest' and 'The Garden of Delights' would be instrumental in encouraging the rise of high public affluence and establishing an urban landmark that can cultivate important human dynamics and boost commercial activity, they add. The public art is free to see, interact with and enjoy at Dubai Creek Harbour. Isabel Pintado The outdoor playground at Dubai Creek HarbourBranded content 13 April 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com Acareful mix of technology and emotions, industrial production and craftsmanship, enhanced by an artistic approach, Wireline is Formafantasma's latest lamp for Flos. It is the second lamp designed for Flos by the studio run by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin and follows the success of WireRing in 2017. Previewed in 2019 at Salone del Mobile and at Miart international art fair in Milan, where it lit up the VIP lounge, WireLine is now available to the global market. THE DESIGN CONCEPT: AS ES SENTIAL AS LIGHT ITSELF WireLine is a long and thin body with the power cable used as an essential aesthetic feature. Flattened to look like a strap, made of rubber and hung from the ceiling, it delicately supports a sophisticated extrusion of grooved glass, which contains and diffuses the LED light source. TECHNICAL DETAILS The cable is manufactured as a soft-touch rubber strap and contains two electrical conductors. Its length can be adjusted according to the height of the ceiling, from a minimum of two metres to a max of eight. WireLine gives off a compact and homogeneous light thanks to its diffuser, an extruded extra-clear borosilicate glass bar that contains the LED light source. Two metal connectors, one electrifi ed and one mechanical, fi x the light bar to the belt. The lamp is completed by two ceiling roses, one placed in correspondence with the light point that contains the power supply and the dimmer. IN THEIR OWN WORDS "Every author has an obsession. Ours is light," explain Trimarchi and Farresin. "We explored it with independent projects and then with Flos, with WireRing fi rst, and now with WireLine. What we love of light that it is intangible, but also technical and emotional. It is one of the few fi elds of design that has been recently completely transformed by an important technological innovation: LEDs have changed the rules of the game in terms of design, use and human experience."www.flos.com Presenting the WireLine Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin CLOSE TO THE WIRE WireLine by Formafantasma for Flos is a ceiling lamp designed using a light source and a power cable Branded contentTrending commercialinteriordesign.com April 14 ECO-FRIENDLY EXPO How the Netherlands Pavilion has sustainability at its core Here's the pavillion's exterior The structure celebrates sustainabilityInside there's a vertical farmTrending 15 April commercialinteriordesign.com Mega event Expo 2020 is set to take place in six months, at the time of writing, after its original 2020 date was rescheduled due to the global pandemic. When the UAE won the Expo bid in 2013, no-one could have predicted that when the event came about, it would be in a world ravaged by a deadly virus. While the pandemic has caused the visitor experience of Expo 2020 to be reformed from its original conception, architectural and design plans eight years in the making have happily still come to fruition at the site near Jebel Ali. The 173-day 'World's Greatest Show' will still be the biggest happening of its kind ever held in Arab world and when Expo 2020 opens on October 1 2021, we'll see pavilions created by architecture fi rms from around the globe rising together for this quinquennial global summit. Each one promises to a wonder in its own right and also be a showcase for the respective country's innovations and idea – previous Expos across the years have been the launching pad for such inventions as the telephone, ice cream cone and humanoid robots. International exhibitions have their roots in Europe, with the best-known 'world expo' taking place in 1851 at The Crystal Palace in London's Hyde Park, at the impetus of Prince Albert, husband of then-reigning monarch, Queen Victoria. Dubai's participation in the Expo tradition will be a similarly global offering, with pavilions representing countries from Australia (theme – Blue Sky Dreaming) to Zimbabwe (Untapped Jewel of Africa). A trio of districts are centred around three thematic pavilions – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability – in a 1,000- plus acre layout masterplanned that HOK served as the lead designer. In the Sustainability quarter we'll fi nd the Netherlands Pavilion, which exists in its own climate system – known as a biotope – to allow people the chance to experience the connection between water, energy and food in a sensory way. Designed by V8 Architects, the structure is made from reusable, recyclable and bio-degradable materials, meaning its footprint will be minimal once the six- month lifespan of the Expo is over. As many of the building materials as possible were sourced from the UAE, utilising civil engineering expertise from the Netherlands. Sheet piles and construction tubes were rented to be returned post-Expo. Brimming with sustainable solutions, the Netherlands Pavilion will collect energy from the sun; water will be harvested from the sky and food will be grown. Inside, a layer of light and refi nement is inspired by the rhythm of the ordered Dutch landscape and the centuries old tradition of using geometric patterns in Arabic art. Highlighting the meeting of both cultures is the bio-based curtain, a fi rst-of- its-kind creation made from bio-polymers. Specially designed roof lights generate energy while having sunlight feed the plants in the right colour spectrum. A new bio-based material is used for fl oor and wall fi nishings. It contains mycelium – part of a fungus – that is now the subject of research between the architects and Dutch universities to look at more ways it can be used – another marvellous Expo legacy. Entering a miniature world with its own climate system, visitors to the pavilion will be able to see and smell edible plants and oyster mushrooms grown inside a cone-shaped vertical farm. Michiel Raaphorst, architect-director and founder V8 Architects, says: "This world expo is all about 'connecting minds, creating the future,' showing the best the world has to offer in order to fi nd new solutions to global challenges. Our legacy is to inspire people with the concept behind the design of the Netherlands pavilion. Besides the re-use and circular approach of materials and the use of bio-based materials, which we believe are building materials of the future, we also like to show that a building can be used in different ways. A place to live and work in and, at the same time, a place where plants and mushrooms can grow, irrigated with self-harvested water and being self-sustaining in energy. "The Netherlands Pavilion can act – and support – as a blueprint for those future buildings." Expo Dubai 2020 takes place from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. A miniature world with its own climate system... Acoustic wall panels and fl oor tiles made from mycelium A cross section of the pavilioncommercialinteriordesign.com April 2021 16 The firms that help make the region's biggest and best design projects come to life, listed A to Z 17 April 2021commercialinteriordesign.com NEED TO KNOW: Founded in 2009, A&T Group Interiors has evolved into one of the top interior fi t-out companies in the region today. For over a decade it has provided clients with premium quality fi t out and turnkey solutions covering engineering, planning, execution, and delivery. Whether a restaurant, hotel, offi ce, retail, residential property, the focus is always on delivering superior quality combined with long-lasting results. All projects are executed in accordance with internationally-recognised ISO systems. NEW FOR 2021: A very positive start for A&T Group Interiors following the award of fi ve new, exciting hospitality projects. These include, to date, four restaurants and one hotel. The fi rm is also on site at EXPO 2020 creating a 6,000 sq ft fully- immersive dining experience. A number of additional EXPO projects are in the fi nal stages of the tendering process and A&T Group Interiors Al Tayer Stocks NEED TO KNOW: ASI was initially borne in 1997, from the need of parent company ASGC to have a group business which would accommodate the fi t-out side of projects. The brand continued to develop and now has an extensive portfolio of projects across all sectors of the fi t-out industry, from hospitality and F&B to commercial and residential projects. rather than working in isolation. NOTABLE PROJECTS: From 2020, several national pavilions at Expo 2020 including Australia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Egypt, Palestine, Colombia, Sustainability and others. Completing in stages over the next Al Shafar Interiors (ASI) shortlists. Pictured here is founder Fareq Khalafawi and with recent recruitment at the fi rm, a new general manager in Saudi Arabia is to be named soon. WWW.ATGINTERIORS.COM few months of 2021 are the The Address Hotel at Dubai Creek Harbour, H2B hotel at DWTC, First Dorchester Hotel Business Bay and the new Marsa Al Arab Hotel (pictured to the left). In 2021, ASI is exploring process automation and a wider adoption of data driven decision making. One of the key initiatives planned for the year is the introduction of a PMO to standardise and centralise reporting. It will also begin to offer Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt training sessions (a framework of principles, tools and techniques for problem solving and process improvement) resulting in cost savings. ASI's factory is set to complete the Black Belt project in the same training later this year. The project will focus on capturing and reporting on key factory metrics, while helping identify ineffi ciencies and opportunities for improvement within the factory to help improve effi ciencies and profi tability. ASI managing director Dimitri Papakonstantinou says: "In the next 10 years we would hopefully see some more meaningful use of sustainable designs and use of materials. Although the intention has been there for some time to make this happen, short term budgets often override long term gains." WWW.ASI-AE.COM NEED TO KNOW: For Al Tayer Stocks, business is about "our people," says CEO Ian Milford, pictured. As a 'family' of 600- plus, the company is proud to say that staff retention is exceedingly high, with 60 percent of employees being with the fi rm for the past 10 years. An interior-fi t out company with divisions in building, design and build and MEP divisions, Al Tayer specialises in sectors including commercial offi ce, hospitality, healthcare, education, entertainment, technology, retail, F&B, residential and industrial. It has been successfully delivering projects in the UAE for the past 22 years, with work totalling AED5 billion to date. Al Tayer has its HQ in Dubai and is set to move into new offi ces in Business Bay this month. It also has offi ces in Abu Dhabi and is about to cement its division in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. NOTABLE PROJECTS: Al Tayer is proud to say it continued to deliver on 25 live projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Milford adding: "We delivered these projects safely with consistent and effective procedure reviews." Projects from that year include the Google Innovation Hub, Internet City, Dubai; a fi t- out of Le Fouquet at Louvre Abu Dhabi and a fi t-out of an offi ce in Dubai for PwC. WWW.ALTAYERSTOCKS.COMCover feature commercialinteriordesign.com April 2021 18 NEED TO KNOW: ALEC FIT-OUT transforms luxury design into reality, specialising in the fi t-out and refurbishment of fi ve-star hotels and resorts as well as cultural, immersive and luxury mixed-use developments in the MENA region. Since its establishment in 2009, ALEC FIT-OUT has executed projects with a value of AED4.5 billion, covering more than 1,100,000 sq m. The fi rm consistently delivers high quality fi t-out solutions with a cost-effective budget by utilising an in-house network of specialist contractors in addition to extensive local and international specialist partners. NEW FOR 2021: Some of the exciting news coming in 2021 includes continued geographic growth across the business, with an increasing demand for services of ALEC FIT-OUT in Africa and Saudi Arabia, particularly Riyadh, which presents an exciting opportunity for future growth in line with the Government's 2030 vision. The company also says it's "excited" for the completion of its work on the KSA Pavilion at the upcoming Expo 2020 (pictured left). ALEC FIT-OUT worked in collaboration with parent company ALEC for the full development of the pavilion, which has been recognised as the largest international participant pavilions, covering 13,000 sq m. WWW.ALECFITOUT.AE NOTABLE PROJECTS: In 2020, the fi rm was proud to work on Brunch & Cake restaurant at Marsa Abu Dhabi; Beiruti restaurant in Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai; Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) Studio, Emirates Towers and Millennium Twin Towers Hotel, Barsha Heights, Dubai. In 2021, Blue Camel continues to work on various projects with longtime clients at Dubai Airport and Emirates Airlines. The company has also won the contract for another presidential penthouse at beachfront residences Serenia The Palm Jumeirah and an as-yet-unamed upcoming multi-story hospitality project that consists of a restaurant, club/bar and a shisha lounge totalling a gross area of 33,717 sq ft. WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/BLUECAMELDESIGN NEED TO KNOW: For over 15 years, Bashhesnef has brought ambitious visions to life. Its 360-degree turnkey design and fi t-out services can perpetuate a single central idea from conception right down to the last bespoke detail of furnishing. Some of the most prestigious multinationals, local businesses and SMEs in the region stand testimony to Bashhesnef's commitment to innovative design, impeccable craftsmanship and uncompromising quality. In-house capability includes architects interior designers and MEP engineers. Bashhesnef Interiors Design The fi t-out team has carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters and masons, plus a joinery workshop in Al Quoz, Dubai. NEW FOR 2021: Bashhesnef has re- focused its F&B side of the business with the burgeoning market in the UAE has some very exciting projects coming. This year the company will also enter the large-scale Saudi market, partnering with leading local and global design companies, as well as direct clients, to facilitate projects in the Kingdom. WWW.BASHHESNEF.COM ALEC FIT-OUT Blue Camel Design NEED TO KNOW: Blue Camel Design was founded in Dubai in 2004. It offers turnkey interior solutions for all market sectors and its scope of work ranges from engineering and shop drawings, submissions and obtaining approvals, to complete fi t out work including: civil works, MEP services, and furnishing and FF&E.Cover feature 19 April 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com NEED TO KNOW: BW Interiors is a multi- disciplinary, turnkey fi t-out contractor. Based in new offi ces in Al Quoz, it employs over 1,450 people spread across various in-house divisions and sites. BW has its own factories and installation teams for joinery, marble and stone, upholstery, metal and glass works, as well as a fully staffed MEP division. This year marks its 20th year and managing director Michael Melnick says he is "extremely proud" that BW remains the contractor of choice for many clients and designers, for many bespoke fi t-out solutions. He adds: "Our philosophy is simple. Our aim is not to be the biggest BW Interiors but to be the best. Our intention is to focus on quality rather than quantity as well as providing, in some cases, lifelong partnerships with our clients and consultants." New for 2021 is the opening of BW's purpose-built joinery facility at National Industries Park, where two of its existing joinery factories have merged into one large modernised facility. The fi rm also fi tted-out and moved into new offi ces in Al Quoz and consolidated various divisions into the same building. NOTABLE PROJECTS: A portfolio of completed works includes The Arts Club, Zuma, La Petite Maison, Flamingo Room, Il Borro, Alici, Avli, Coya, Nusr-Et and Amazonico amongst many other well- known F&B outlets, many of which are signature venues in the region. Ongoing are fi t-outs at Visa Headquarters, Arts Club Night Lounge, and three upmarket and bespoke food and beverage projects. Also specialising in high-end residential, hospitality, retail and mixed use fi t-out, BW has executed notable works across the region at Richemont Operations Centre, Tiffanys, Le Meridien Hotel and Index Retail Development amongst many more. BW can also be proud of of a comprehensive portfolio of commercial offi ce fi t-outs including Legatum, Bloomberg, Asharq News, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Credit Suisse, Oracle and Zurich Insurance Group. WWW.BWINTERIORS.AENext >