< PreviousThis award recognises the region’s most promising young architects (under 35) and their commitment to strong design, innovative solutions and progressive projects. Nominations for the award acknowledged the potential within the candidate/s, and not necessarily their demonstrated body of work. Getting closer to Maku, west Azerbaijan, where most of the firms projects are located, you are faced with a winding road trapped in a narrow valley, a river flowing within and the city view surprisingly appears as you pass a crescent. This mys- terious city including forgotten values like city view and ar- chitectural aesthetics, is the context for White Cube Atelier ‘s work - they have designed and constructed more than 50 buildings here over the past eight years. The firm has been trying to influence the city view with modern architecture concepts, using vernacular materials. The 34-year-old architects are graduates of the University of Tehran, and in 2011, founded White Cube Atelier to work to- gether. They decided to focus on their hometown and could design and construct some buildings in a context which was devoid of any modern contemporary architectural content. Painstakingly teaching regional contractors how to develop every detail of the projects, the firm believes in the architect’s responsibility to create high quality spaces for better life. “We dedicated our career to have an influence on this city,” said the duo behind White Cube Atelier. The practice spans villas and residential complexes, to commercial interior design, malls and hotel design. The stu- dio, which currently numbers at 10 staff members, worked on a number of projects last year including V villa, shortlisted for 2018 MEA residential project of the year. For 2019, they are looking forward to the developments of a four-star hotel and a shopping mall and completing a number of residential pro- jects, office and commercial spaces. YOUNG ARCHITECT OF THE YEAR Winner: Reza Asadzade and Shabnam Khalilpour, White Cube Atelier Highly commended: Ahmad Saffar, Saffar Studio MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 01.20 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 30 / MEA AWARDS 2019MASTERPLAN PROJECT OF THE YEAR Winner: District 2020 Dubai by AECOM Highly commended: Istanbul Airport City by Perkins + Will Expo events are transformative for the host cities, leav- ing a legacy that lasts for generations to come. The Dubai Expo 2020’s legacy, District 2020 Dubai, mas- terplanned by AECOM, bagged the award for the best masterplan project in the Middle East or North Africa. Nominations for the award acknowledged the project’s con- sideration of its context, end users and client needs, as well as offered innovative solutions to current problems facing mas- terplanning in the region. The District 2020 masterplan heavily focuses on maximis- ing the built structures from the Expo, repurposing them into usable spaces. District 2020 will also embody Expo 2020’s themes of smart mobility and sustainability, reduced power and water consumption and flexible floor plates. Buildings have also been designed with open workspaces to encourage collaboration and flexibility. With plans to house a world-leading research community with campuses seamlessly flowing between living and work- ing environments, as well as key research institutes focusing on the region’s growing industries, the District will be the first of its kind community in Dubai. With a soft opening date in 2021, the development will re- purpose 80 percent of the Expo site. MEA AWARDS / 31 MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 01.20 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 2019MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 12. PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR Founder of Dabbagh Architects, Sumaya Dabbagh bagged the award recognising one of the region’s best celebrated and es- tablished principals. Nominations for the award acknowledged innovation, leadership and inspiration, as well as decision-making skills, professionalism and vision. A Saudi architect educated in the UK with diverse experience in architecture, interior de- sign, and project management spanning more than 20 years, Dabbagh began her career in London and Paris. On returning to the Gulf, she observed that the large majority of buildings in the region re- flected design and construction standards that are primarily commercially driven: where the emphasis is on the return on investment rather than quality, sustainability or the impact on the city. Although she felt that the profession in the UK was male dominated, she found that this reality was magnified across all sectors in the Gulf. This was the beginning of her personal “calling” to work towards restoring gender bal- ance in the workplace as well as bringing aware- ness to how better standards and core values can positively impact the city, its people and their environments. As part of her goals as principal of Dabbagh Architects and through her architectural work she has broken stereotypes and limiting beliefs about Saudi, Gulf and Arab women. In Saudi Arabia, Dabbagh is one of a handful of women of her generation in the country, who are highly qualified, accomplished architects. She has helped accelerate access to higher levels of education and RIBA Chartership. As the current Chair of the Gulf Chapter, Dab- bagh has contributed to increasing the offer- ings by the Chapter in the region where RIBA introduced the RIBA Part III courses as well as the MEAP Access course in March 2016 for the Gulf region. Winner: Sumaya Dabbagh, Dabbagh Architects Highly commended: Shaun Killa, Killa Design MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 01.20 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 32 / MEA AWARDS 2019The Haramain High-speed Railway de- signed by Foster + Partners bagged the award for best public sector and educa- tion project. The award takes into con- sideration both aesthetics and practicality for the general public that they were designed for. The Haramain High-speed Railway is a major infrastructure project for Saudi Arabia, connect- ing Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and the develop- ing King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). The stations are conceived as gateways to each city, filled with places to meet, shop, eat and shelter from the sun. Altogether, the large, flexible sta- tions cover an area more than 30 times the size of London’s Trafalgar Square, accommodating an anticipated 60 million passengers, expected to increase to 135 million passengers by 2042. The travel time between Makkah and Madinah will be cut down to just 2 hours 20 minutes. In addition to operational and structural flexibility, the stations also offer seamless connections to other intracity transport networks, particularly with the Jeddah Metro – also designed by Foster + Partners – as well as the developments sur- rounding the stations. Following a ‘kit-of-parts’ approach, each sta- tion has a combination of different facades ac- cording to their orientation – solid facades are used where visibility is not essential, in order to reduce solar gain. PUBLIC SECTOR & EDUCATION PROJECT OF THE YEAR Winner: Haramain High Speed Rail by Foster + Partners Highly commended: Mom Fertilization and Biotechnology Research Cente by Pendar MEA AWARDS / 33 MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 01.20 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 2019Studio Toggle took home the award for the year’s best residential project for their House in Mishref, located in Ku- wait. Home to two brothers and their families with their varying lifestyles and needs for privacy and open spaces, the house is an in- troverted composition of two separate living units, grouped around an internal courtyard; a new interpretation of the traditional courtyard house. Presenting a clean and serene façade to the street, the resulting massing can be best described as a white monolithic volume poised elegantly on top of a stone cladded podium. Rhythmic arrangement of louvered windows across the façade softens the volume by lending it a sense of lightness. The harsh desert sun in one of the hottest cit- ies in the world sees ambient temperatures rise up to 50°C regularly during the summer. Dust storms are also a regular phenomenon that dic- tates the planning and construction strategies in the area. The house is organised around an internal courtyard cutting across all the floors. The U- shaped volume faces this courtyard in an Omani stone clad skin. The courtyard and the void re- sults in an inward-looking typology that can benefit from maximum diffused daylight, with- out compromising on privacy. The house, thus, opens up towards the interior featuring a private citrus tree-lined courtyard with a sculptural fountain, reminiscent of the gardens from the Moorish Alcazars. Interiors feature a simple palette of white and natural woods. The design response is sen- sitive to both the cultural and climatic aspects of the region. It addresses the issues of privacy, social interaction and maintenance of a stable microclimate with architectural elements like courtyards, fountains, shaders etc. In doing so it achieves the high programmatic requirements of the client, the client’s budget and remains sensitive to the environment. RESIDENTIAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR Winner: House in Mishref by Studio Toggle Highly commended: Parnian House by White Cube Atelier MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 01.20 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 34 / MEA AWARDS 2019Recognising the achievements of firms with fewer than 50 employees, the Bou- tique Middle East Architecture Firm of the Year this year was Tehran-based CAAT Studio. The award was accepted by a rep- resentative of the firm. The award is given to boutique firms that have made the most significant impact on the GCC region through their work throughout the year. Nominations for the award demonstrated a large body of work from across the region, and special consideration was given to firms incor- porating unprecedented design, innovative ma- terials, striking forms and eco-friendliness. CAAT Studio (C/KambooziA ArchitecTure Studio) was established by Iranian architect Mahdi Kamboozia in 2011. The firm’s architectural solutions are based on the use of unique and natural material (Mahallat Residential No3), or the right construction tech- nique (Kahrizak Residential No1). Sometimes, it is crucial to create a new space as a new use is defined (Jewelry Retail Office No4); sometimes the contexts of the project elucidates the usage or design. (Installation No5). The studio has projects across the built, unbuilt, competition and renovation categories. BOUTIQUE MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECTURE FIRM OF THE YEAR Winner: CAAT Studio Highly commended: 10Design MEA AWARDS / 35 MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 01.20 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 2019Architects share their forecast for the decade ahead HOW WILL EXPO 2020 TRANSFORM BUSINESS? AND BEYOND... NEWS, DATA, ANALYSIS AND STRATEGIC INSIGHTS FOR ARCHITECTS IN THE GCC Seamless innovation 2019 has been a truly transformational year for BMA Studio. As architects it’s important to be aware of the fluctuations in our market and adapt accordingly, so our studio invests in being up to date in the latest trends and shifts in design and construction, while still maintaining our primary core of being a boutique practice. Given the general slowdown in demand for architectural services in the UAE, we have used this opportunity to explore international projects and have become involved in several large-scale residential developments in Europe. In the meantime, Expo 2020 is approaching and we have been involved in several participating country pavilions, both in design and on site. One cannot think about 2020 in the Middle East and not associate it with the Expo in Dubai – the whole country is focusing on it. Consequently, private developers and clients have already begun looking at investment opportunities in residential and commercial properties, developing both towards the south and offshore. This means an increase in larger-scale, mixed-use projects for our industry. THE EFFECT OF EXPO 2020 With Expo 2020 Dubai being the highlight of the year ahead it’s clear that the focus will be on the success of the event. Expo has promoted a new set of high quality standards (across HSE, project management, workers’ welfare, and so on) for the construction industry in Dubai that will also have to be applied to smaller scale pavilions. We hope that this can be further replicated in other developments in Dubai. Our studio has been involved in Expo 2020 for over a year now and has put together some tailormade service packages for clients; liaising with designers and country representatives abroad to showcase their vision here in Dubai, and providing them with a seamless, one-stop-shop service for their pavilions. At the same time being on the ground at Expo has been incredibly inspirational for us, both in terms of design as well as technology. We are amazed by what Dubai is really capable of when it comes to design and linking tradition with future innovation. This gives us an opportunity to be pioneering and positive about the direction of our industry in the UAE. Apart from the Expo, 2020 for BMA Studio will be about maintaining a diversified practice and developing our expertise in both mixed-use projects and innovative architectural concept design, some of which we have already kicked-off this year outside of the Middle East. All in all we are looking forward to an exciting year ahead and remain optimistic that it will lead to a huge push in the market to maintain the growth in the UAE as the common question arises, what will happen after an event like Expo 2020? Leila M Asl, director, BMA Studio, shares why 2020 may well be a watershed year for the region’s design industry Diamond Tower by BMA Studio MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 01.20 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 38 / 2020 AND BEYONDA year of landmarks Expo 2020 Dubai makes next year an exciting one to look forward to in the UAE, for designers, architects and engineers in particular. Expo 2020 is expected to set new standards internationally and be a major milestone for the UAE and the region. The architecture of the site and the pavilions will aim to unite the worldwide participants under the overall theme of ‘’Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” and the sub themes of “Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability”. Optimism for the future underlines all aspects of the Expo, with the UAE having already led by example in showcasing how vision and determination can create a happier, more inclusive and cleaner planet. P&T Architects and Engineers Ltd established the Dubai office in 2004 and in the past 15 years, the company has been proud to witness and participate in the truly inspirational transformation of the UAE and the region. World Bank statistics show that since 2004 the population of the UAE has more than doubled to over 9 million and the annual GDP has almost tripled to more than US$ 400 billion. At the same time in the UAE, CO2 emissions per capita have decreased and life expectancy has increased. The health sector in the UAE has advanced significantly and new healthy lifestyle options have continuously developed. Dubai has become the leading international city in the region with the tallest building in the world and a completely new metro system planned, built and put into operation in just five years. DIFC was also established and is already within the top 10 global financial centres. Towards the end of 2020, the first phase of the new Dubai CommerCity is planned to be completed in the Umm Ramool area, close to Dubai International Airport. It will be the first dedicated e-commerce free zone in the region. The Middle East’s e-commerce market is set to reach around $69 billion by 2020, becoming one of the world’s fastest growing international markets. Dubai CommerCity will provide the ideal infrastructure and modern services to elevate the growth opportunities in the e-commerce industry. Dubai CommerCity has been designed by P&T Architects and Engineers Ltd. This project aligns with our core values, as well as with all the themes of Expo 2020. These include the potential to provide new and innovative architecture focused on the new digitally connected world for e-commerce, logistics and clean energy. In Dubai CommerCity, one of the elements that will help achieve the goal of sustainability is the usage of solar power. Next year will be a landmark year for both the UAE and P&T Architects and Engineers Ltd. The first phase of Dubai CommerCity by P&T Architects and Engineers Ltd opens in 2020 and it aligns with the core values of Expo 2020 MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 01.20 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 2020 AND BEYOND / 39 MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 01.20 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 2020 AND BEYOND / 39Next >