dubai design week 2018: preview of the middle east's biggest design event

set to be a unique festival of design and cultural exchange once again, the dubai design week returns for its fourth edition from 12-17 november, 2018. the free-to-attend occasion will host more than 230 events with over 120 international companies participating. the dubai design district (d3) welcomed over 60,000 design enthusiasts and public visitors for the 2017 edition, with predictions anticipating even bigger and better things this year. as the design week continues to grow, the event further marks dubai as the design capital of the middle east.

ahead of dubai design week 2018, designboom previews their highlight events including commissioned installations, exhibitions, awards, talks and more. as well, launching for the first time, the design week’s app is set to help visitors navigate the events across d3 and the city by creating personalized schedules.

‘aidah’ installation by boano prišmontas + ricardas blazukas from the 2017 edition

beside d3 during the dubai design week, the leading design trade fair, downtown design, returns for its biggest edition yet. from international to local brands, more than 175 premium companies are set to showcase their newest, as well as most famous, works including the likes of arper, artemide and normann copenhagen. as part of this year’s fair, a new element, titled ‘downtown editions’, will present a curation of limited-edition and bespoke design, uniting works shown at the amman, beirut and casablanca design weeks.

global grad show unites the work of 150 student projects

as another ever expanding and improving feature of the dubai design week, the global grad show 2018 once more welcomes students from the world’s best design and technology schools. with over 1000 submissions this year, 150 projects from 100 top schools have been selected to showcase. its theme values innovation that transcends technology and exists independent of wealth; equality without hierarchy amongst universities, regions and designers; and impact on the world through solutions to some of the most pressing problems faced globally.

100 of the world’s top universities and emerging institutes will be represented

an array of diverse exhibitions welcomes visitors to d3 and across the city of dubai. these range from facebook’s real-world activation and customized workshops to UAE design stories: the next generation from the emirates, and from institut français’ ‘le french design – how innovation creates history’ to ‘protopieces’ showcase of furniture work from 12 students of the college of architecture, art and design at the american university of sharjah.

the annual abwab pavilion presents the work of the regions’ designers

another annual highlight of the dubai design week is the abwab pavilion, which is named after the arabic word for ‘doors’. dedicated to design from the region, the yearly remodeled exhibition will be staged within five pavilions created by architecture + other things. it will be composed of natural materials such as fallen twigs and timber coated in recycled newspaper pulp. showcasing design experiences and encouraging cultural exchanges, the exhibition’s theme of ‘between the lines’ unites designers from five communities: amman, beirut, dubai, eastern provinces of KSA, together with pavilion partner ithra, and kuwait city.

the 2018 pavilion is designed by architect + other things

dotted around d3, the festival welcomes another five installations, all encouraging interaction and dialogues with design. created by ANARCHITECT, ‘circadian light synthesis’ is set over two pavilions placed at the districts entrance points; one plays with the natural light, the other with artificial light. the result aims to explore human relationship with both the sun and moon, whilst also, as the name suggests, exploring the circadian rhythm of our bodies.

ANARCHITECT’s pavilions plays with sun and moon light

adding a playfulness to its immersive element, abet laminati partners with paola navone to create a giant jigsaw puzzle. the structure is made from laminate pieces, each decorated with graphic motifs of bold, clashing colors as inspired by oriental printing. visitors can try to place together the puzzle and, once completed, will reveal an oversized gate.

 abet laminati’s unconventional installation aligns with the design thinking of paola navone

as a suspended interactive installation, ‘parametric surfaces’ by SUPERFUTUREDESIGN combines the beauty of sculpture with augmented reality. it consists of multi-faceted surfaces made from sound-absorbing materials. the result is a three-dimensional box frame that serves as a backdrop for visitors to experience a digitally-enhanced virtual reality.

the 3D surface by SUPERFUTUREDESIGN

as part of the ‘design for good’ initiative, d3 has commissioned fatima bint mohamme bin zayed initiative (FBMI) and designers roudha al shamsi to create the ‘mesh’. as a series of domed shelters, the installation is inspired by traditional yurts found in afghanistan and feature patterns sourced from their original motifs. the initiative sees these patterns handwoven by artisans at FBMI.

the ‘mesh’ shelters are inspired by traditional afghanistan yurts

finally, tabanlioglu architects presents ‘housEmotion’, an illuminated pavilion composed of white rods. the constellation unites to form the shape of a universal symbol for house. its embedded lights are set to transform the structure into a glowing lantern at night time.