Reinterpreting regional handicraft through technology, TECHNOCrafts’ Alwadiya: The Living Pots are biodegradable vessels designed for transformation. The series, on view at the Raw to Revival exhibition at the AlUla Arts Festival, is a material experiment responding to the ancient city’s heritage and ecology, envisioned to decompose into the land it came from. In collaboration with LAMÁQUINA and Micaela Clubourg, TECHNOCrafts has 3D printed the pots using a natural cellulose-based material infused with PURE.TECH — a carbon dioxide absorbing compound — and wrapped their forms in linen and biodegradable skins naturally tinged with hues extracted from local fruits and herbs.

This shift from permanence to ephemerality raises broader questions about how heritage is defined, as Raw to Revival presents crafts as a means of adaptation — one that acknowledges both historical knowledge and technological advances. In this region, where ancient ruins are preserved as markers of time, these pots propose an alternative born out of the interplay between handicrafts and digital crafts: an object conceived to participate in natural cycles. The exhibition will remain on view at Design Space AlUla until April 19th, 2025.

all images courtesy of Arts Alula

on view at raw to revival, at the alula arts festival

Madrasat Addeera, a historic girls school-turned arts and design hub in the old town of AlJadidah, was home to the Editions program curated by Samer Yamani which pairs local and international artisans and designers to develop new material applications rooted in AlUla’s traditions. The Alwadiya collection is one of four works commissioned as part of Madrasat Addeera Editions, with other objects on display including room dividers and seating and decorative items that each respond to AlUla’s environmental conditions through a combination of digital fabrication and traditional techniques.

Bridging these realms, Alwadiya: The Living Pots introduce an alternative perspective on sustainability and preservation. While traditional craft has often been associated with longevity, this project suggests that impermanence can be just as significant. TECHNOCraft has realized the vessels as living entities that will decay over time to reintegrate into a broader ecological cycle, their surfaces bearing the signs of erosion much like the life cycle of a tree. They are composed as an ode to AlUla’s lush oasis and its vibrant flora, including its citrus trees, aromatic herbs, and majestic date palms.

Alwadiya: The Living Pots bridge handicraft and technology

material experiments responding to the city’s heritage & ecology

By embedding biomaterials into the design process, Madrasat Addeera Editions moves beyond the replication of heritage aesthetics to explore how craft can evolve in response to contemporary environmental challenges, particularly with the integration of new production technologies. The Raw to Revival exhibition, in turn, presents these interventions as part of a broader conversation about the future of design in AlUla, with a focus on sustainability in terms of resource efficiency, as well as an ongoing dialogue between material, place, and time. With the perspectives of regional and international designers, the exhibition showcases AlUla’s distinct blend of natural beauty and craftsmanship, inviting visitors to explore textures, scents, sounds, and visuals that tell the story of the region.

created by TECHNOCrafts, LAMÁQUINA, and Micaela Clubourg

biodegradable vessels designed for transformation

the pots are 3D printed the pots using a natural cellulose-based material infused with PURE.TECH

wrapped in linen and biodegradable skins naturally tinged with hues extracted from local fruits and herbs

an object conceived to participate in natural cycles

Alwadiya: The Living Pots are on view at Raw To Revival for the AlUla Arts Festival

introducing an alternative perspective on sustainability and preservation

TECHNOCraft has realized the vessels as living entities that will decay over time to return to the ecological cycle

composed as an ode to AlUla’s lush oasis and its vibrant flora

project info:

name: Alwadiya: The Living Pots

designer: TECHNOCrafts

collaborator: LAMÁQUINA | @lamaquina_3d, Micaela Clubourg | @micaclubourg

exhibition: Raw to Revival

location: Design Space AlUla, Saudi Arabia

dates: January 16th — April 19th, 2025

The post TECHNOCrafts’ 3D printed pots designed to biodegrade pay homage to AlUla’s lush oasis appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

NEUMA: The Forgotten Ceremony is a meditation on pre-Islamic rituals and mythology, inspired by the desert of AlUla in Saudi Arabia. From the canyons of Wadi Al Naam to an historic mud-brick hotel, the two-part installation made on site draws from archaeological and epigraphic research into the heritage of the land and the stories of its ancient civilizations. Together, artists Sarah Brahim and Ugo Shiavi use breath, light, and performative movement to reimagine the rites and lingering spirituality of the lost ceremonies of the mountains.

The first expression is part architecture, part mirage, in which a cluster of glass panels rise from the sand to create a temple for reflection. Their translucent fragments catch the shifting light, echoed in the luminous glass vessels on display at the indoor exhibition in the old town. These mystical hand-crafted sculptures — made from the sand of AlUla — produce resonant tones that expand into the desert as a gesture of presence.

all images courtesy of the Royal Commission for AlUla

translucent glass activates neuma: the forgotten ceremony

The title of the project, NEUMA, derives from the ancient Greek ‘pneuma’ — meaning breath or spirit — grounding the work in the idea of a unifying presence that sustains and connects all of life, as the curators note. Saudi-American artist Sarah Brahim and French artist Ugo Schiavi’s research into AlUla’s past, undertaken with archaeologists and epigraphists as part of their residency at the upcoming Villa Hegra, reveals the remnants of a forgotten era where rituals were once integral in shaping space and meaning. Rather than reconstructing these lost ceremonies, NEUMA creates a framework for experiencing them in the present through the visceral, across natural and man-made sites.

Across both of these historic locations, glass is the connective element — formed by fire and shaped by breath. At Wadi Al Naam, appearing like architectural or natural ruins, it evokes the vastness of its landscape with jagged edges echoing contours of the landscape. Marked with imprints resonating with the weathered topographies surrounding it and refracting light, the glass is transformed into the terrain from which it was created.

NEUMA: The Forgotten Ceremony is a meditation on pre-Islamic rituals and mythology

light, breath, and movement complete the ceremony

At Dar Tantora, Sarah Brahim and Ugo Schiavi’s NEUMA takes on a more intimate scale. The hand-crafted blown-glass vessels, carrying the imprint of breath, illuminate the dimly lit room from their eerie vault-like niches within the earth walls. With forms resembling the geology of AlUla, they invite visitors to activate them with their breath that reverberates across the room, completing this ceremonial choreography that has been unearthed from the desert with sounds of nature. The accompanying film in the adjacent room, which was created in collaboration with AlUla-based performer Muruj Alemam and her children, Dema and Ibrahim, extends this meditation on air, movement, and ritual.

inspired by the desert of AlUla in Saudi Arabia

drawing from archaeological and epigraphic research into the heritage of the land and the stories of its ancient civilizations

a cluster of glass panels rise from the sand to create a temple for reflection

the two-part installation extends from the canyon to Dar Tantora

a series of hand-crafted blown-glass vessels, carrying the imprint of breath, and activated by the visitor

their gentle sound reverberates across the room, completing this ceremonial choreography

made from the sand of AlUla

the accompanying film was created in collaboration with Muruj Alemam and her children, Dema and Ibrahim

project info:

name: NEUMA — The Forgotten Ceremony

artist: Sarah Brahim, Ugo Schiavi

curator: Wejdan Reda, Arnaud Morand

location: AlUla, Saudi Arabia

The post sarah brahim & ugo schiavi unearth AlUla’s forgotten rituals with glass temples & vessels appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

James Turrell brings his sensorial artworks to the historic old town of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, for the ‘Wadi AlFann presents James Turrell’ exhibition. A prelude to his Land Art commission for Wadi AlFann (an open-air museum, the ‘Valley of the Arts’), the exhibition charts his legacy as a pioneering Light and Space artist and reveals a first glimpse at his upcoming colossal installation in the desert expanse. The untitled work is set to be constructed within the next four years and builds upon his ongoing explorations into the phenomena of color, space, and perception while using AlUla’s dramatic natural landscape and its purity of light as muse. Beyond creating an ethereal space to stage optical, cosmic encounters, it will also function as a permanent museum showcasing many of Turrell’s significant works.

A sequence of vast pathways, tunnels, chambers, and staircases will be carved into the canyon floor. As visitors navigate through, under, and out of the earth, and between lightness and darkness, they traverse a sensorial, singular experience of the land and the sky. Wadi AlFann’s Lead Curator Iwona Blazwick notes that the outdoor subterranean oculi, called Skyspaces, will be ‘cosmic observatories’ that dissolve horizons and challenge perceptions of celestial light. These circular spaces frame the shifting hues of the sky above as Turrell manipulates the context of vision while descending further leads into the Sun/Moon Chamber where the earth and cosmos are connected via what Turrell calls a ‘lensless telescope’. Above ground, the site expands into a planetary diagram etched into the earth, surrounded by sandstone mountains and crowned by an obelisk marking the sun’s passage like a sundial. The spaces present a surreal experience of Turrell’s philosophy of the ‘thingness of light’, examining the very nature of seeing where light itself becomes the revelation. Alongside revealing plans for the land art, the exhibition showcases some of Turrell’s most influential light sculptures to kick off the AlUla Arts Festival which runs from January 16 to February 22. ‘Wadi AlFann presents James Turrell’ will remain on view at AlJadidah Arts District until April 19.

all images © James Turrell, courtesy of the Royal Commission for AlUla

inside the upcoming colossal land art

James Turrell’s land art for Wadi AlFann builds upon his ongoing work at Roden Crater, where for the last five decades he has been reshaping an extinct volcano in the desert of Northern Arizona with light. This manifestation in AlUla of the same methodologies he has been continuing to develop will reactivate the desert wilderness as an immersive ‘naked-eye observatory’ of light and space, inviting visitors to journey deep into the earth. ‘The work envisioned for Wadi AlFann will have two large Skyspaces and two small Skyspaces, that each addresses different aspects of sky. All of my Skyspaces engage the natural light of the area. The light quality in AlUla is of dry desert air with little moisture, which yields a light in the sky that is crisp and clear,’ says the American artist. These cosmic observatories, as Michael Goven of LACMA, the exhibition’s Guest Curator, shares, are apertures in the ceiling that allow us to measure the movement of the sky and earth in time with our eyes.

Visitors will navigate hundreds of meters of tunnels carved into the mountain, culminating in a series of celestial experiences that forge optical and physical connections with astronomical time. One such feature is the obelisk surrounded by a constellation map which ‘lays out the stars and celestial bodies above us, showing their exact positions in orbit using LEDs that highlight their paths,’ the curatorial team tells designboom as we explore the exhibition. The journey leads to a central plaza and Skyspaces that use only natural light to reveal phenomena rarely visible to the naked eye. During the winter solstice, for instance, the path of sunlight is projected in the sunroom chamber. ‘Across the white marble, you’ll be able to see the spots and flares of the real sun above us that we can’t usually see, as well as the craters and dark spots of the moon. The artist is trying to connect us to these celestial bodies, bringing them into our lived-in space,’ they continue. The experience also features two underground chambers offering contrasting experiences of boundlessness. The Ganzfeld chamber immerses visitors in pure, colored light that dissolves walls and creates a dimensionless void. In contrast, the Wedgework chamber uses precise planes of light to create luminous forms that layer over one another, producing a dreamlike interplay between solidity and dissolution, evoking what Turrell describes as ‘a light that looks like the light you see in your dream.’

James Turrell unveils renders for his upcoming land art installation in Wadi AlFann

a survey of turrell’s mastery of light, color, and perception

Alongside presenting renders and a short film where James Turrell outlines his plans for the land art in Wadi AlFann, the exhibition gathers some of Turrell’s earliest light works alongside some of his most recent creations. The exhibition surveys the American artist’s mastery of holding and directing light — both artificial and celestial — as a medium for shaping sensory experiences. Immersing visitors in what Turrell describes as ‘the wordless thought that comes from looking at a fire,’ each work is then a meditation on the nature of perception. His cross-corner projection work Alta, an ethereal pyramid of light first created in 1968, sculpts a translucent volume into darkness with the immaterial element. As we move from one of its edges to the other appears to slightly rotate, its luminous pink-violet planes appear almost solid in this illusion.

His Jubilee installation pulses an intricately intense composition of color and light. Hypnotic discs of light seem to shift imperceptibly and emerge from another dimension, carrying viewers seamlessly from dazzling crimson to icy blue hues. As Guest Curator Michael Govan explains, the vibrant reds and blues we observe are not solely present in the light projected but are partially constructed in our minds. When our eyes encounter a vivid red and it disappears, the complementary afterimage of green overlays the subsequent hues, creating entirely new colors in our perception. Turrell reminds us that even the sky’s color is not fixed or given to us — it is ‘awarded’ through our context of vision. This interplay between light and perception mirrors the oculus Turrell plans to install in Wadi AlFann, a sphere that, like Jubilee, feels like a portal to an alternate reality. He builds on this optical illusion in a small, framed canvas with his Hologram series, where a slender shard of light appears to float, uncontained in the picture plane in juxtaposition.

the subterranean oculi — Skyspaces — are ‘cosmic observatories’ that frame the shifting hues of the sky above

the untitled work builds upon Turrell’s ongoing investigations into the phenomena of color, space, and perception

a sequence of vast pathways, tunnels, chambers, and staircases will be carved into the canyon floor

envisioned as a portal to an alternate reality through light

the exhibition kicks off the AlUla Arts Festival

Alta, an ethereal pyramid of light first created in 1968, sculpts a translucent pink volume into darkness with light

an optical illusion in a small, framed canvas where a slender shard of light appears to float

Jubilee pulses an intricately intense composition of color and light

hypnotic discs of light seem to shift imperceptibly and emerge from another dimension

as Govan explains, the vibrant reds and blues we observe are not solely present in the light projected

the vivid, shifting hues are partially constructed in our minds, as Turrell manipulates the light

this artwork mirrors the oculus Turrell plans to install in Wadi AlFann

project info:

name: Land Art commission for Wadi AlFann

artist: James Turrell 

location: AlUla, Saudi Arabia

program: AlUla Arts Festival | @artsalula

dates: January 16 – February 22, 2025

exhibition: Wadi AlFann presents James Turrell

dates: January 16 – April 19, 2025

The post james turrell unveils plans for colossal ‘cosmic observatories’ land art in AlUla’s ancient desert appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Clover Studio has unveiled its latest project, Hegra Viewpoints, located in the archaeological and wildlife-rich area of AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Commissioned by The Royal Commission for AlUla, this series of tent structures integrates architectural, cultural, and ecological sensitivities to create temporary structures that provide unique perspectives within a safari-style wildlife reserve.

Tasked with creating compact structures that leave no lasting impact on the UNESCO World Heritage site, Clover Studio’s design prioritizes minimal intervention. ‘The temporary structures were designed to be lightweight and sensitive to the site and completely removable without any ground disturbance,’ the architects explained. By ensuring full reversibility, the project aligns with AlUla’s long-term vision of preserving its historical and ecological integrity.

visualizations © Clover Studio

clover studio’s Lightweight and Removable Design

Designing its Hegra Viewpoints, Clover Studio reimagines the historic Bedouin tents traditionally used by the Nabatean people of the region. These tents, historically crafted from fabric and palm tree posts, served as both functional and symbolic elements in the desert landscape. The design team’s approach replaces these traditional materials with stretched fabric over monolithic curved walls, creating a ‘novel but sympathetic silhouette’ that exists in dialogue with its vast, desert surroundings. This reinterpretation takes shape with architecture that honors the Nabatean legacy through a modern lens.

Designed as part of a curated customer journey, the viewpoints combine architectural storytelling with guided narratives. Each viewpoint strategically frames significant views of nature and wildlife, offering visitors a chance to engage deeply with the landscape. ‘The three viewpoints frame specific views of nature in key habitat locations; they also act as a storytelling tool for the guides,’ Clover Studio noted. Exhibition-style boards, designed in tandem with the viewpoints, complement the guided tours by providing educational insights and context.

Clover Studio’s multidisciplinary approach integrated architectural design, exhibition graphics, and narrative planning. ‘The customer journey narrative and interventions in the landscape were developed through storyboard sketches and a design process that combined multiple disciplines,’ the architects shared. This cohesive design strategy ensures that the viewpoints serve as functional shelters within the remote landscape, while doubling as immersive educational tools.

Clover Studio designs its Hegra Viewpoints for a safari-style experience in AlUla

the structures are temporary and fully removable to protect the UNESCO site

stretched fabric and curved walls create an evocative silhouette

each viewpoint frames specific views of wildlife and key habitats

the design is inspired by Nabatean and Bedouin tent traditions

the viewpoints offer shade and immersive engagement with the landscape

project title:

name: Hegra Viewpoints

architect: Clover Studio | @cloverstudio.ltd

location: Hegra, AlUla, Saudi Arabia

The post clover studio mimics bedouin tents, scattering hegra viewpoints across alUla desert appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Over the past year, museums and art galleries across the world have exhibited some extraordinary architectural designs as they create new cultural landmarks in their cities. Through all of our featured stories from 2024, we saw an array of approaches, ranging from heritage-driven renovations to futuristic creations that blend art and technology — each showcasing the evolving relationship between architecture, culture, and the environment. Whether embracing the vast landscapes of China or reimagining historic silos in Norway each of our BIG STORIES picks carves pathways for community engagement in different ways.

Highlights include the luminous Flickering Peak by Wutopia Lab in Hainan which embodies resilience and reinvention in a locale steeped in history, while Giò Forma’s Design Space AlUla invites creative collaboration in one of Saudi Arabia’s most surreal natural landscapes. These spaces challenge conventions of architectural space — from Junya Ishigami’s Zaishui Art Museum floating over a Chinese lake, to teamLab’s immersive museum in Jeddah, where digital art and nature converge to create a fluid interactive experience. Read on for designboom’s TOP 10 museum and gallery picks of 2024.

KENGO KUMA WRAPS UNDULATING CLAY MUSEUM IN CERAMIC PANELS FOR CHINA’S ‘POTTERY CITY’

image by Tian Fangfang

UCCA Clay, a museum designed by Japanese studio Kengo Kuma and Associates, is a new addition for Yixing, a city celebrated for its rich tradition in ceramic production, especially purple clay pottery. The selected site was once a hub for pottery culture, surrounded by numerous factories and studios, and now becomes part of a broader redevelopment plan for the area. The initiative aims to create a vibrant center for this cultural craft that includes studios and workshops while preserving the remnants of former pottery factories. With its undulating rooftop clad in a skin of ceramic panels, the project stands as a sculptural landmark for the Chinese city.

The architects‘ structure is recognized immediately by its inverted shell roof, shaped by a virtual sphere and supported by four layers of wooden lattice beams. These beams are at once structural and lightweight, and create a dynamic interior space. The arrangement of the beams influences the movement and line of sight within the museum, inviting visitors to explore deeper into the building and engage with the exhibits.

read more here

KUNSTSILO MUSEUM TAKES SHAPE IN SOUTHERN NORWAY AS A CONVERTED GRAIN SILO FROM THE 1930S

image by Alan Williams

Kunstsilo is a new museum in Kristiansand, Southern Norway, emerging form the waterfront in the peninsula of Odderøya. The heritage preservation project, led by Mestres Wåge Arquitectes, BAX, and Mendoza Partida, has transformed a previously industrial grain silo, designed in 1935, into a new cultural venue for the creative community.

Across its three vast floors, it integrates for the first time the Southern Norway Art Museum and the prestigious Tangen Collection of Nordic art, making it the largest of its kind in the region. The building’s focus remains the still visible 30 grain silos which act as a central navigation point for the visitor, creating a vast entrance hall and access to natural light throughout. On top of the museum, the design teams add a new glass covered bar and event spaces that provides views of the archipelago. 

read more here

WUTOPIA LAB’S FLICKERING PEAK ART GALLERY IS A TRIO OF LUMINOUS ‘MOUNTAINS’ 

image by LIU Guowei

Wutopia Lab has completed an ambitious architectural project called Flickering Peak, situated in Coffee Village, Hainan. It is cloaked in a semi-transparent white Ferrari facade membrane with three levels of perforation, was constructed on a site once home to a coffee plantation established by overseas Chinese returning from Indonesia. The structure’s visual impact during both day and night has quickly turned it into a cultural landmark, representing miracles and hope within the local community.

The task handed to the architects was to create an art gallery that balanced visual appeal with substantive architectural integrity, all within the constraints of an already completed basement and existing structural parameters. The challenge was clear — the new design could not exceed the original building’s load limits or extend beyond the predefined boundaries.

read more here

TEAMLAB’S DAZZLING FUSION OF TECHNOLOGY, ART, AND NATURE FOR ‘MUSEUM WITHOUT BORDERS’ IN JEDDAH

image courtesy of teamLab

A fleet of blooming animals, an infinite void of light, and an all-encompassing blaze of fire invite an otherworldly, multisensorial immersion at teamLab Borderless Jeddah. The Japanese art collective’s first permanent museum in the Middle East is one that at first glance quietly melds into its historic urban context, but within, is an ephemeral array of digital innovation. 80 large-scale installations sprawl across 10,000 square meters of space, transforming its walls, floors, and momentary occupants into an ever-evolving canvas.

As its name suggests, a boundless continuum is the driving concept. ‘This is a museum without borders… A museum without a map,’ shares Toshiyuki Inoko, founder of teamLab, at the inauguration. In Borderless Jeddah’s cosmos, rendered by complex cutting-edge projection-mapping and human interactive technologies, the physical and virtual morph into one and the human body dissolves into its surroundings. With meditative wisps of air, swarms of butterflies that flourish and wilt, playful animal characters, the works are deeply rooted in nature, yet conceived with surreal, kaleidoscopic expressions.

read more here

JUNYA ISHIGAMI INTERVIEW ON HIS ZAISHUI ART MUSEUM STRETCHING ENDLESSLY OVER A CHINESE LAKE 

image by Arch-Exist Photography

designboom speaks with Japanese architect Junya Ishigami, whose Zaishui Art Museum in Rizhao tackles one of China’s most intriguing phenomenon. When faced with the Chinese landscape, its vast and boundless fabric can pose a daunting architectural challenge. Competing with its immense environment is undoubtedly tricky, argues Ishigami. In light of these conditions, Ishigami completes the museum as a long piece of architecture, identical in scale to the artificial lake over which it hovers.

Stretching around a kilometer from end to end, the building evokes a streak of wind brushing over water. ‘I wanted to present the building as a new landscape, embedding it into the Chinese environment to create the experience of walking through the lake — similarly to walking on the beach, where people can feel the essence of water,’ the architect tells designboom. 

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GIÒ FORMA WRAPS DESIGN SPACE ALULA GALLERY WITH INTRICATE ALGORITHMIC FACADE    

image by Shoayb Khattab

Giò Forma completes Design Space AlUla as a vibrant hub for the creative community of the historic AlJadidah district of AlUla, Saudi Arabia. The Milanese architects design this landmark building as both a gallery and a catalyst for dialogue, collaboration, and innovation. While exhibiting artwork, the space will engage the community and encourage a dialogue around design’s role in shaping the region’s future. Thus, the building’s layout prioritizes public interaction. Shaped around a central plaza, it creates luminous courtyards that invite visitors to gather and explore. Framed views of the surrounding mountains further enhance the experience, drawing visitors from the Wadi walkway into the heart of the gallery.

read more here

WAAAM MUSEUM’S GLAZED YELLOW FACADE ENLIVENS THE BEIGOU VILLAGE IN CHINA

image by Arch-Exist Photography

Beigou Village, situated on the outskirts of Beijing, has retained its traditional appearance despite China‘s rapid modernization. In 2005, a new village committee secretary envisioned transforming Beigou into a garden-like countryside, with transformations kickstarted in 2007 with the aim to alter perceptions of the village as a backward rural area to one with a valuable cultural heritage. Collaborations with architecture studio llLab. led to WAAAM, which serves as a testament to the impact that rural revitalization has brought to the community. With its glazed yellow facade, the museum commemorates the pioneering attitude of Beigou.

According to the llLab. team, the concept behind the WAAAM museum relies on site history, the villagers’ daily lives, and the integration of traditional craft. The building negotiates the duality of the new dynamic sense of place in the village with the different eras, ideologies, and cultural generations that have claimed this village as their own before.

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INTERVIEW: OMA UNPACKS THE RENOVATED DESIGN OF MUSEO EGIZIO’S GALLERY OF THE KINGS IN TURIN

image by Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of OMA and Andrea Tabo

During the tour of the recently unveiled Gallery of the Kings at Museo Egizio in Turin, designboom speaks to OMA partner David Gianotten, project architect Andreas Karavanas, and collaborating architect Andrea Tabocchini to learn more about the redesign. Part of OMA’s full renovation of the museum, which is expected to be completed in 2025, anodized aluminum walls cover the two exhibition halls, a choice to illuminate the space and allow the visitors to clearly see the statues and their details. 

OMA, Andrea Tabocchini, and the commissioning team revamp the original ‘black box’ design, but not without a homage to the previous look. In fact, the main theme of the renovation is ‘from darkness to light’, and quite literally. Now, a shower of natural and museum lighting fills the once darkened room. Large panels of anodized aluminum flank the walls, reflecting the surroundings, light, statues, and even the visitors’ hazy movement.

read more here

AZL ARCHITECTS WRAPS TWISTING JINLING ART MUSEUM WITH 139,000 CERAMIC BRICKS

image by Hou Bowen

AZL Architects Jinling Art Museum in China creates a space that not only serves as an art museum but also encapsulates the rich urban history and cultural traditions of the region. The theme, ‘Jinling Renaissance under the Wutong Tree,’ guided the project, with the goal of reflecting Nanjing’s deep historical context and interpreting a contemporary design language with its complex brickwork.

The architects design the museum as an assemblage of two rotated blocks connected by surfaces that create a distinctive twisting gesture. The base of the structure is aligned with the nearby high-rise residential buildings, while the upper portion is twisted to parallel the adjacent road. The interplay between the twisted diamond volume and the square base creates a rich internal and external spatial experience.

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MULTI-LEVEL PATHS INVITE SCENIC CLIMB OF URBANUS’ CHINA MERCHANTS GROUP HISTORY MUSEUM     

image courtesy of TAL

Architecture studio URBANUS was invited to design the China Merchants Group History Museum on top of a seaside hill in Weiboshan, as part of the Shekou Industrial Zone in Shenzhen. The travertine-clad structure marks the 150th anniversary of the client, Hong Kong’s China Merchants Group, founded in the late Qing Dynasty in 1872. Weiboshan was originally an unnamed hill, later named after the construction of China’s first terrestrial microwave relay station at its peak. Inspired by the site’s history, the architects recreated a unique museum concept: ‘the hill as the exhibition venue, and the city as the exhibition,’ treating the entire Weiboshan Park as one unified spatial narrative. 

read more here

see designboom’s TOP 10 stories archive:

2023 — 2022 — 2021 — 2020 — 2019 —  2018 — 2017 — 2016 — 2015 — 2014 — 2013

The post TOP 10 museums and galleries of 2024 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

With towering rock formations and sweeping sand dunes, AlUla’s surreal landscapes become the muse for Norah Alsuairy’s AI-generated series. Fusing sports, nature, and technology the digital artist’s renderings nestle basketball courts amid sandstone canyons in the desert of Saudi Arabia, illuminated by natural light that seeps through their openings.

Inspired by AlUla’s scenic vistas combined with her passion for basketball, Alsuairy envisioned a court that integrates with its natural surroundings. The rugged contours of the mountains provide a dramatic backdrop, against which players can enjoy a game while being immersed in nature, while their earthen hues meld into the surfaces of the courts.

all images by Norah Alsuairy

ai-generated basketball courts echo the natural backdrop

‘This project embodies my passion for sports and my love for the stunning environment of AlUla, brought to life with the power of artificial intelligence,’ notes Norah Alsuairy. The artist transforms the vast geologies into equally monumental recreational spaces.

Using artificial intelligence design tools, Alsuairy generated multiple design iterations, each refining the integration of the basketball court with the natural landscape. The final designs are the result of countless simulations and adjustments, ensuring that the imagined compositions not only meet functional requirements but also enhance the visual, sensorial, and emotional experience of the spaces.

Norah Alsuairy fuses sports and nature with AI

AlUla’s surreal landscape, with towering rock formations and sweeping sand dunes, become the muse for the series

the design incorporates natural materials and earthen hues that complement the mountainous terrain

the AI-generated basketball courts imagine spaces where players can enjoy a game while being immersed in nature

transforming the vast geologies into equally monumental recreational spaces

project info:

name: Basketball Court in AlUla, Saudi Arabia
artist: Norah Alsuairy

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom

The post norah alsuairy imagines surreal basketball courts carved into AlUla’s sandstone canyons appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Following the success of the original site-specific art exhibition in AlUla, Desert X AlUla Visitor Center in 2020, KWY.studio was commissioned to design the 2022 edition, building upon the iconic circular courtyard, axial integrity, and deference to the encompassing landscape. Drawing from the acclaimed original structure, the design process for the 2022 Visitor Center begins with a deliberate focus on maintaining clarity and simplicity while reimagining key features for a new context. The project evolves as a unique iteration rather than a mere replica, allowing for the addition of North and East volumes to accommodate expanded program elements while preserving the essence of the original design. New volumes introduce corner shops, expanded event areas, indoor café seating, and upgraded staff amenities, enriching the visitor experience while maintaining architectural coherence.

all images by Colin Robertson

center achieves interplay between indoor and outdoor spaces

An elliptical roof opening optimizes solar exposure, emphasizing the diagonal character of the redesign and enhancing the interplay between indoor and outdoor spaces. Four new courtyards introduce varied levels of privacy and alternative circulation paths, enriching spatial relationships and providing new perspectives of the surrounding landscape. While retaining the singular essence of its predecessor, the 2022 Visitor Center takes on a slightly more complex architectural character, continuing to serve as a captivating landscape viewing device. KWY.studio enables the exploration of typological concepts and the expansion of successful design ideas, resulting in a refined and nuanced architectural expression. The 2022 edition of the Desert X Visitor Center marks another chapter in the ongoing tribute to the AlUla landscape and its people, setting the stage for the upcoming 2024 exhibition.

KWY.studio draws from the iconic 2020 structure to reimagine the 2022 Visitor Center

the center evolves uniquely, adding North and East volumes to enhance program elements

new volumes introduce corner shops, expanded event areas, indoor café seating, and upgraded staff amenities

four new courtyards in the 2022 Visitor Center offer varied levels of privacy and alternative circulation paths

an elliptical roof opening optimizes solar exposure and enhances the interplay between indoor and outdoor spaces

the 2022 edition retains the original essence while adopting a slightly more complex architectural character

KWY.studio’s deliberate focus on simplicity ensures a refined and nuanced architectural expression

enhanced solar exposure and spatial relationships contribute to the captivating nature of the center

the expansion houses commercial functions enriching the visitor experience

2022 Visitor Center sets the stage for the upcoming 2024 exhibition, continuing the celebration of AlUla’s landscape

project info:

name: Desert X AlUla Visitor Center 2022
architect: KWY.studio | @kwy.studio

design team: Ricardo Gomes, Rebecca Billi and Luise Marter

commissioner: Royal Commission for AlUla

management: Aecom

contractor: Nesma

location: AlUla, Saudi Arabia

photography: Colin Robertson | @colinjr

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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Giò Forma completes this Design Space AlUla as a vibrant hub for the creative community of the historic AlJadidah district of AlUla, Saudi Arabia. The Milanese architecture studio designs this landmark building as both a gallery and a catalyst for dialogue, collaboration, and innovation. Recognized as once by its luminous facade of patterned steel, the project first began in 2021, when Samantha Cotterell, then Executive Design Director of The Royal Commission for AlUla, sought a partner to bring the Design Space to life. Giò Forma, along with Black Engineering, were chosen to develop the concept and support the design-build process. Their collaboration aimed to create a space that both showcased design initiatives and fostered connections between local and international creatives.

images © Shoayb Khattab (unless otherwise stated)

a luminous community space by giò forma

The architects at Giò Forma, together with studio Black Engineering, realize Design Space AlUla with respect for the rich heritage of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The structure reflects this by serving as the first permanent contemporary gallery space in Saudi Arabia. While exhibiting artwork, the space will engage the community and encourage a dialogue around design’s role in shaping the region’s future. Thus, the building’s layout prioritizes public interaction. Shaped around a central plaza, it creates luminous courtyards that invite visitors to gather and explore. Framed views of the surrounding mountains further enhance the experience, drawing visitors from the Wadi walkway into the heart of the gallery.

Design Space AlUla opens, showcasing design initiatives and fostering creative dialogue

architectural heritage informs algorithmic facade

The facade of Design Space AlUla exemplifies Giò Forma’s site-specific design approach. The team drew inspiration from the traditional breeze block patterns common throughout AlJadidah, using an algorithm to create a dynamic and modern pattern that celebrates the region’s heritage. This reinterpretation highlights the evolution of design while honoring its roots. Custom-made Corten steel curtains further enhance the building’s connection to its surroundings. These curtains explore themes of transparency and permeability, blurring the lines between the open-air museum and the indoor gallery space. This creates a unified experience that reflects the interconnectedness of the creative community.

Giò Forma’s design blends traditional breeze block patterns with an algorithm-driven twist

The inaugural exhibition, ‘Mawrid: Celebrating Inspired Design,’ opens on February 15th, 2024. This exhibition, featuring ten design stories, offers visitors a glimpse into the creative minds shaping the future of AlUla. Among these stories is Giò Forma’s own, providing an inside look at the design process behind the Design Space itself.

courtyards and walkways invite visitors to connect and explore the gallery space
the gallery frames views of the surrounding mountains
custom Corten steel curtains add transparency and blur the lines between indoors and outdoors
Design Space AlUla connects a community of local and international creatives in the world heritage site
the inaugural ‘Mawrid’ exhibition showcases ten design stories shaping AlUla’s future
traditional brick patterning informed the intricate steel facade

project info:

title: Design Space AlUla | @designspacealula

signature architect: Giò Forma Architects, Samantha Cotterel, Black Engineering

client: Design Space Alula

location: Aljadidah, AlUla, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

status: completed

completion: 2022

photography: © Giò Forma, Shoayb Khattab | @shoayb_khattab

civil engineering, MEP and structures: Craft | @craftgroupksa

lighting design: Craft

general contractor design and built: Craft Group KSA Orazio Moretti Project
area: 600 square meters

construction cost: N/A

project type: Cultural & Event Building
services executed: architecture, interior design

typology: cultural center, gallery, F&B, offices, landscape, interior design

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Desert X is back for its third edition, transforming the otherworldly landscapes of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, into a canvas for contemporary sculpture and land art. This year’s exhibition, titled ‘In the Presence of Absence,’ challenges visitors to explore the unseen and inexpressible elements within this ancient desert region. For the first time, Desert X AlUla expands across three distinct locations — the vast desert expanse of Wadi AlFann, the dramatic black lava terrain of Harrat Uwayrid, and the historic AlManshiyah Plaza surrounding the AlUla Railway Station. This diversity invites visitors on a journey through various landscapes, each shaping the artistic dialogue. The exhibition will occupy the landscapes of AlUla from February 9th to March 23rd 2024.

Kimsooja, To Breathe — AlUla | all images © Lance Gerber, courtesy The Royal Commission for AlUla

from vast deserts to Volcanic Craters

Curated by Maya El Khalil and Marcello Dantas, with artistic direction from Raneem Farsi and Neville Wakefield, the Desert X AlUla 2024 features fifteen newly commissioned artworks. Each artist, inspired by the theme of ‘In the Presence of Absence,’ explores the desert’s hidden stories, intangible forces, and the whispers of history woven into its fabric. Complementing the artistic installations, the exhibition offers a diverse program of events. Curator and artist talks, educational workshops for children, and music ranging from traditional Saudi dance to ambient compositions create a vibrant atmosphere for both visitors and local communities.

Entering the cylindrical form of Kimsooja’s work, To Breathe – AlUla, visitors are drawn between iridescent walls, in and out to the center of a spiral. The chromatic walls distill light that has travelled aeons into prisms that dance across the visitor and the landscape.

Faisal Samra, The Dot

a future of permanent land art

This year’s edition marks a significant chapter in AlUla’s cultural development. Desert X AlUla paves the way for Wadi AlFann, a groundbreaking initiative launching in 2026. This expansive site will become a global hub for monumental, permanent land art, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and engaging audiences for generations to come. Desert X AlUla spotlights the power of art to unveil the unseen, foster dialogue, and connect us with the unique spirit of place. 

With The Dot, Faisal Samra shows how the Wadi AlFann valley originated from an ancient crack, revealing the small forces that shape grandeur over epochs. The illusion of time is symbolized by a line composed of rock fragments. 

Aseel AlYaqoub, Weird Life_ An ode to desert varnish

Aseel AlYaqoub’s Weird Life: An ode to desert varnish is inspired by the ‘desert varnish’ that naturally appears in landscapes like AlUla’s, evolving into a luminous veneer with yellow, orange, red and black, and bemusing scientists for centuries.

Rana Haddad and Pascal Hachem’s installation focuses on honoring the traditional crafts of the region, creating a refuge made from rammed earth jars. Dubbed Reveries, each jar in the tower bears geometric cuts, allowing nature and light to shift and cast ever-evolving patterns within.

Rana Haddad and Pascal Hachem, Reveries

Ayman Yossri Daydban, A rock garden in the shape of a full-sized soccer field

Ayman Yossri Daydban draws the contours of a football pitch with white stones and rocks gathered by the AlUla community from across the valley. Placed in a remote, rocky area, the football field is a mysterious and suspicious presence, provoking collective memory and considering the social role of football.

Composed of vessels, Ibrahim Mahama’s terracotta pots are scattered across the landscape, suggesting new ecosystems emerging from the relics of history. Mahama’s works can be viewed from multiple sites across Desert X AlUla.

Ibrahim Mahama, Gabli Din Pali — A Full Gourd Does Not Rattle_ It Is Only a Partially Filled Gourd Which Rattles

Sara Alissa and Nojoud Alsudairi, Invisible Possibilities

Sara Alissa and Nojoud Alsudairi turn the landscape into a self-reflective arrangement in Invisible Possibilities: When the Earth Began to Look at Itself. Through different viewpoints and approaches, the work aims to reshape viewers’ understanding of the site’s ecological transition and its physical geographies. 

For When I saw my reflection, Bosco Sodi gathered volcanic rocks from across the landscape. Wrapped in gold, they have been placed in rock faces that tower above the desert to draw the viewer’s eyes to the beautiful organic formations and accidents that already exist in the rock formations.

Bosco Sodi, When I saw my reflection

project info:

project title: Desert X AlUla

location: AlUla, Saudi Arabia

on view: February 9th — March 23rd 2024

photography: © Lance Gerber | @lance.gerber

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STUFISH Entertainment Architects has revealed its latest installation, Vision 2030 Portals, an abstracted and immersive celebration of Saudi Arabia’s recent urban developments, at Cityscape 2023. Featuring a 40-meter-long, 7-meter-high, and 3-meter-wide mirrored tunnel segmented into seven kaleidoscopic zones, the installation serves as a captivating visual representation of the ambitious gigaprojects set forth by Saudi Vision 2030. From NEOM, ROSHN, and Qiddiya, to Jeddah Central, NCH, and the Red Sea project, slicing transitions and a series of looping, choreographed glimpses take visitors on a journey through a series of distinct future world environments. Further, notable projects such as The Line — a zero-carbon city with vertically layered buildings, Oxagon — the world’s largest automated port, and AlUla — billed as the world’s largest living museum, take center stage.

all images courtesy of STUFISH Entertainment Architects

stufish creates an immersive looping installation

Exhibited across four days at the Riyadh Front Expo Center, Vision 2030 Portals’ infinite tunnel spans 45 seconds from the moment of entry to the exit, urging visitors to return and experience each transition. The footage slices and cycles every 45 seconds, accompanied by 15-second transitions that ensure a seamless loop. These transitions encompass elements like wind and wave washes, as well as graphical dissolves, immersing visitors in constantly evolving landscapes.

UK-based STUFISH Entertainment Architects has brought the installation to life through LED floor tiles and tension mirror surfaces, enveloping and reflecting around each visitor in an endless cycle of motion. As they move through the zones and look back, mirrors from above reflect the tunnel’s past giga-projects — the symbolism underscoring the importance of learning from our history as we forge ahead to create a better future.

STUFISH Entertainment Architects presents Vision 2030 Portals in Saudi Arabia

the installation was unveiled at the Cityscape 2023 at the Riyadh Front Expo Center

a 40-meter-long, 7-meter-high, and 3-meter-wide mirrored tunnel

seven kaleidoscopic zones illustrate serves the ambitious gigaprojects set forth by Saudi Vision 2030

slicing transitions and a series of looping, choreographed glimpses create an immersive experiences

the footage slices and cycles every 45 seconds, accompanied by 15-second transitions

project info:

name: Vision 2030 Portals

designer: STUFISH Entertainment Architects 

location: Riyadh Front Expo Center, Saudi Arabia

programme: Cityscape 2023

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