Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, globally recognized for its advanced sustainable design, has broken ground on the world’s first net-zero energy mosque. Designed by Arup and developed by Aldar, the project integrates passive cooling systems, rammed earth walls, and hydrogen-based steel to achieve a net-zero energy profile as it targets LEED Zero Carbon certification.

Its circular 1,595-square-meter footprint will accommodate more than 1,300 worshippers, and its compact geometry will reduce thermal load and internal water consumption. Passive airflow strategies are also central to the design team, with interiors shaped to capture and direct soft breezes, reducing reliance on mechanical systems to cool prayer rooms, ablution spaces, and circulation zones. These systems combined with the integration of solar panels expected to generate 100% of its annual energy needs, and greywater recycling will achieve a 55% reduction in water consumption.

all images courtesy of Arup

aldar and arup pay homage to the uae’s historic earth mosques

One of the Masdar City Mosque’s defining features is its rammed earth construction, rare in contemporary public buildings in the region, but historically common in some of its earliest mosques. Formed from local materials, the walls cool air and regulate internal temperatures by leveraging thermal mass. This approach is complemented by a passive cooling system as the net-zero mosque is shaped to channel prevailing breezes, particularly through a tiered window system on the roof. Together, these systems allow the building to operate with 35% less energy than comparable benchmarks, without relying exclusively on mechanical cooling. Arup’s selected material palette is also carefully considered, using low-emission concrete, sustainable prayer carpets, and energy-efficient lighting systems to reduce embodied and operational emissions at every stage.

In parallel with its architectural approach, the mosque – the second in Masdar City — also marks a regional milestone in material innovation. Aldar has partnered with EMSTEEL to incorporate hydrogen-based steel rebar, making it the first development in the MENA region to implement this low-carbon alternative. According to initial estimates, this shift alone will reduce structural emissions by up to 95%.

Masdar City Mosque breaks ground

the world’s first net-zero energy mosque

the project integrates passive cooling systems, rammed earth walls, and hydrogen-based steel

a 1,595-square-meter footprint

interiors are shaped to capture and direct soft breezes, reducing reliance on mechanical systems

the mosque will accommodate more than 1,300 worshippers

the rammed earth construction nods to the region’s earliest mosques

solar panels will help to generate 100% of the mosque’s annual energy needs

set in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, recognized for its advanced sustainable design

project:

name: Masdar City Mosque

architect: Arup | @arupgroup

developer: Aldar | @aldar

location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

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In central Sharjah, HWKN is set to develop the UAE’s first AI-planned district featuring offices, cafés, childcare and healthcare facilities, and a mosque. District 11 responds to a specific urban gap the city that is historically residential and institutionally rich, but lacking in integrated commercial hubs. HWKN’s approach proposes a walkable ‘work resort’ that reflects the local context while introducing new forms of professional and social interaction, and integrated living.

Each of the masterplan‘s eleven buildings has been shaped by AI-generated prompts informed by HWKN’s research into Sharjah’s climate, cultural identity, and urban morphology. These inputs guided the planning of massing, shading strategies, and spatial configurations, particularly in relation to heat mitigation and walkability, with the goal being to expand the possibilities of automated design by using AI to compress research cycles and simulate environmental and programmatic outcomes before a single line was drawn.

all images courtesy of HWKN

hwkn fuses cultural research with ai-generated prompts

District 11 aims to rethink the structure and social function of office neighborhoods in the Gulf, particularly by embedding AI into the conceptual framework of the masterplan itself. Matthias Hollwich, HWKN’s founding principal and known for his early research into aging and workplace design, describes the firm’s approach as a ‘reverse-engineering process,’ where AI is deployed to generate form based on desired social outcomes. Here, that means prioritizing collaboration, walkability, and thermal comfort, concepts that are less centered in commercial development, especially in the Gulf.

This AI-influenced methodology is also not HWKN’s first. The firm introduced the Work Resort concept in London’s Canada Water Dockside development, bringing together commercial workplace and hospitality logics. In Sharjah, that model is taken further and scaled to the level of an urban district, with the firm using AI across the entire project lifecycle: from environmental simulations to spatial programming and long-term adaptability. The intention is to use AI as a tool for reverse-engineering environments that prioritize collaboration, climate responsiveness, and walkability — criteria that is often secondary in conventional commercial planning.

HWKN is set to develop the UAE’s first AI-planned masterplan in central Sharjah

eleven mixed-use buildings encircle a central boulevard

Commissioned by Al Marwan Real Estate Development Group, the masterplan is characterized by porous edges, shaded courtyards, and interconnected public spaces to integrate work, leisure, and wellness. Importantly, the project’s location between established residential zones and major cultural institutions, including the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and the Sharjah Art Museum, also positions it as a new connective tissue in the city’s fabric.

District 11’s buildings unfold around a canyon-like central boulevard that serves as the project’s spine, while side passages and courtyards weave in all of the various programs, reframing the conventional office district as a full-spectrum community aligned with the cultural values of the UAE. In particular, HWKN places emphasis on spatial variety and human comfort, integrating public areas shaded by architectural forms, and interiors designed to support flexibility, interaction, and well-being.

District 11 features offices, cafés, childcare and healthcare facilities, and a mosque

the masterplan is characterized by porous edges, shaded courtyards, and interconnected public spaces

each of the buildings has been shaped by AI-generated prompts informed by HWKN’s local research

the buildings unfold around a canyon-like central boulevard that serves as the project’s spine

project info:

name: District 11

architect: HWKN | @hwkn_architecture

location: Sharjah, UAE

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Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) reveals Oystra, a 128,000-square-meter seafront development rising on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. Designed to echo the shifting patterns of waves over sand, the sculptural 20-story towers unfurl across a prime waterfront site, giving over 75% of its 950 residences unobstructed views of the Arabian Sea. Comprising one- to four-bedroom apartments, duplexes, penthouses, and waterfront villas, the mixed-use complex weaves together landscaped gardens, a beach club, shopping promenades, and a rooftop restaurant crowned by a 360° infinity pool.

‘Oystra’s sculptural design is inspired by the natural energies of the sea and the sky, responding to its environment with a sense of dynamism and openness,’ shares Christos Passas, director at Zaha Hadid Architects. The fluid design is the result of ZHA’s collaboration with developer Richmind, forming part of the emirate’s vision to transform Al Marjan into a world-class lifestyle destination.

all renders by Redvertex, unless stated otherwise

oystra brings sustainable coastal living to a growing emirate

With Ras Al Khaimah projected to grow its population by 55% and attract 3.5 million tourists annually by 2030, the need for residential and leisure infrastructure is soaring. Zaha Hadid Architects’ team lead designers, Patrik Schumacher and Christos Passas, directly address this with high-end coastal living infused with sustainable design strategies. The development connects to the island’s 23 kilometers of coastline and 7.8 kilometers of white sand beaches via a shaded, tree-lined promenade, walkable and wind-cooled for year-round comfort.

Oystra’s rippling balconies and terraces are also high-performance environmental devices, apart from expressive formal gestures. Each one extends the living space while filtering light and heat, optimized through digital mapping and solar simulations. Seawater-based cooling systems and thermally insulated facades further reduce energy loads, tailored to Ras Al Khaimah’s arid climate.

As a key part of the island’s transformation, Marjan CEO Abdulla Al Abdouli sees it as a landmark of Ras Al Khaimah’s rising global narrative. ‘Al Marjan has become a canvas for exceptional developments, and Oystra is a strong addition to Ras Al Khaimah’s narrative, reflecting the forward-thinking developments that align perfectly with Al Marjan Island’s ambition and vision,’ he notes.

designed to echo the shifting patterns of waves over sand

the sculptural 20-story towers unfurl across a prime waterfront site

the complex weaves together gardens, a beach club, shopping promenades, and a rooftop restaurant

over 75% of its 950 residences offer unobstructed views of the Arabian Sea

Oystra’s rippling balconies and terraces are also high-performance environmental devices | render by MIR

360° infinity pools crown the towers

project info:

name: Oystra

architect: Zaha Hadid Architects | @zahahadidarchitects

location: Al Marjan Island, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
client: Richmind | @official.richmind

ZHA project team:

design leads: Patrik Schumacher, Christos Passas

project director: Christos Passas

project associates: Mei-Ling Lin, Joao Bravo Da Costa, Eider Fernandez

project architects: Sattor Jabbor, Branko Svarcer, Kourosh Asgar Irani

project leads: Ben Kikkawa, Ekaterina Smirnova, Gaganjit Singh, Anri Gyoloyan, Nassim Eshaghi, Maria Bystrova

architectural team: Dahyun Kim, Elizabeth Konstantinidou, Shizhao Yang, Mirella Dourambei, Abdullah Ummer Farook, Ali Rais, Avneesh Rathor, Theodoros Tamvakis, Danae Mavridi, Canon Lee

ZHA competition team:

director: Christos Passas

associates: Joao Bravo Da Costa, Mei-Ling Lin

project architects: Ben Kikkawa, Maria Bystrova

project leads: Dieter Matuschke, Akis Polykandriotis, Anri Gyoloyan, Avneesh Rathor

architectural team: Abdullah Ummer Farook, Ali Rais, Dahyun Kim, Shizhao Yang, Mirella Dourambei, Theodoros Tamvakis, Gaganjit Singh

BIM: David Fogliano, Michael O’Reilly, Muaz Masri

environment & sustainability: Carlos Bausa, Bahaa Alnassrallah, Shibani Choudhury, Aleksander Mastalski, Aditya Ambare, Disha Shetty, Abhilash Menon, Jing Xu

consultants:

executive architect: Dewan Architects and Engineers, Dubai

facade engineering: Koltay Facades

m&e engineering: Samadhin Associates

transport consultant: RMC, Dubai

fire engineer: SHE, Dubai

landscape: Cracknell Landscapes

lighting design: FPOV

interior design: HBA, London

signage & wayfinding: TDC

waste management: Climatize, Dubai

The post zaha hadid architects sculpts rippling seafront towers for al marjan island in UAE appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Five bright red metallic discs punctuate the rocky mountainscape in the UAE, their sleek, rounded forms gently carving into the terrain. As its name suggests, Deliberate Pauses by Shaikha Al Mazrou invites a physical and conceptual interruption in flow in motion to reorient its viewer’s sense of time and place. The land art installation is conceived as a trail of monumental installations, each thoughtfully but organically placed, with some forms positioned upright and others tilted into the earth.

Deliberate Pauses is about creating moments of stillness that, Shaikha Al Mazrou explains, act as a hinge between past and future. Interwoven with narratives of cultural and ecological memory, these contemplative transitions capture and subtly shift perception of the environment before releasing the viewer back into motion. The discs, in this way, leave a deliberate imprint at each encountered pause, yet ultimately recede into their surroundings as the observer moves on. ‘I wanted the discs to work with the land’s own intricacies, amplifying and negotiating with the space they inhabit, rather than asserting their presence over it,’ says the Emirati artist in a conversation with the artwork’s curator, Faysal Tabbarah.

all images courtesy of Alserkal Arts Foundation

the red discs carve into the terrain with a quiet reflection

Commissioned and produced by Alserkal Arts Foundation and Dubai Culture, Deliberate Pauses was born from a collaborative dialogue between the artist and curator, exploring how artistic practices can both preserve and leave a trace on the landscapes they inhabit. Over the course of three years, the work was gradually shaped by a series of conversations, reflections, iterations, and physical explorations of Hatta’s mountains. Shaikha Al Mazrou describes how she undertook numerous intuitive, contemplative walks through the terrain over these years, allowing herself to wander freely without a fixed plan, guided by the land itself. ‘The experience of being immersed in the landscape, without the constraint of a defined structure, mirrors my approach to land art — letting the environment shape and inform my work,’ the artist says.

She further reflects on the layers of ‘negotiation’ between impactful intervention and restraint that underlie this process and its outcome, acknowledging that the two can coexist and shape the other in unexpected ways. ‘I feel [an undeniable tension] in my work every day: the impulse to shape, to alter, to leave something of my mark on the landscape, while simultaneously resisting the urge to dominate or erase what is already there,’ she continues. This layered approach reveals a deeper commentary on the ethics of making, reinforced by Faysal Tabbarah’s approach driven by an awareness that to create within a place is also to engage with its heritage, ecology, and temporality.

Shaikha Al Mazrou and Faysal Tabbarah unveil Deliberate Pauses

the land art intervention explores various states of transition

What began as unstructured movement through the terrain ultimately led to the deliberate placement of the discs — rendered in Shaikhah Al Mazrou’s iconic red — tracing a route that invites others to pause, reflect, and engage. In this way, the work’s title speaks to the layered tensions at the heart of the work — capturing both the intentional interruptions created by the sculptures and the journey from instinctive wandering to purposeful design that shaped it. The site itself, which Faysal Tabbarah explains can be perceived as a quiet threshold in itself, deepens the work’s meaning and its explorations of these states of reflection and transition. Surrounded by the peaks of the Hajar Mountains, Hatta, he notes, ‘is a historical gateway space that is not urban, nor fully rural, but also long inhabited,’ Although it is part of the emirate of Dubai, it is located a few hours away from the bustling city and holds its own history shaped by trade and agriculture, with traces of centuries of civilizations and their fortifications.

This rich context resonates with the installation’s exploration of pause and transition, inviting those who encounter it to reflect on the cultural history woven into the land. In developing the work, the artist and architect worked closely to ensure that Deliberate Pauses fosters a sense of connection, wonder, and attentiveness to place.‘In these pauses, I want visitors to reflect on the land’s historical and cultural significance and consider their place within that continuum,’ Al Mazrou adds.

carved into the mountains of Hatta in the UAE

five monumental discs rendered in Shaikha Al Mazrou’s signature red hue

Deliberate Pauses creates an interruption in flow — of movement, of time — to create moments of stillness

some forms are positioned upright and others are tilted into the earth

forming the largest site-specific art intervention in Dubai

contrasting the ruggedness of the terrain with their metallic finish and organic forms

tracing a route that invites others to pause, reflect, and engage with the landscape

the work was developed over the course of three years

project info:

name: Deliberate Pauses

artist: Shaikha Al Mazrou

location: Hatta, Dubai, UAE

curator: Faysal Tabbarah

developer: Alserkal Arts Foundation, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority

The post five metallic discs carve shaikha al mazrou’s contemplative sculpture trail in UAE mountains appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Dubai’s Jebel Ali racetracks are set to be transformed into a vibrant, walkable district with Bjarke Ingels Group’s (BIG) upcoming masterplan. The A.R.M Holding Mega Project proposes an urban framework that foregrounds landscape, public space, and social infrastructure, aligned with the city’s ambitions for more sustainable growth.

The approach centers on improving resident well-being by distributing urban density and weaving built forms and open, green spaces together across five square kilometers. A large central park sits at the center, maintaining the spatial memory of the racecourse, with a series of mixed-use neighborhoods organized around it. With nature weaving through them, and with all amenities accessible by just a five-minute minute walk, the configuration is reminiscent of an ‘archipelago of urban islands in a sea of green’, as architect Bjarke Ingels notes. Development is set to begin in 2026.

all images courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)

bjarke ingels group (big) creates human-centric scheme

Stemming from national priorities and embodying ideas of holistic prosperity, BIG envisions the masterplan for the A.R.M Holding Mega Project as a ‘living landscape of interconnected communities’. Consideration of physical, emotional, social, and environmental dimensions foster this sense of connectivity across the various island-like pockets which all seamlessly lead into one another before converging around the central park. ‘The park doesn’t stop at the center,’ says Bjarke Ingels. ‘It bleeds between the islands, weaving nature through the urban fabric.’

To enhance this sense of well-being, the architects also place an emphasis on walkability, accessibility, and the integration of local SMEs in what the developers refer to as a ‘city-as-gym’ concept. To improve public health outcomes, all residents can reach green spaces, amenities, workspaces, and social services by just a five minute walk. Sustainability strategies are also prominent, aligned with the goals mapped in the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, with the integration of passive cooling and urban farms, while equestrian facilities nod to the site’s heritage.

Dubai’s former racetracks in Jebel Ali are set to be transformed into a vibrant district

fostering social, economic, and environmental sustainability

The A.R.M Holding Mega Project has been framed as an effort to balance global architectural expertise with local cultural and social priorities. H.E. Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, the company’s CEO, underscores the importance of embedding Emirati identity within the development, positioning the project as part of a broader effort to rethink the relationship between heritage and urban expansion in Dubai. ‘This masterplan will serve as a bridge fostering communication, understanding, and principles of empathy that are central to our vision of enabling prosperity,’ he says. 

the masterplan weaves built forms and open, green spaces together across five square kilometers

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) takes a human-centric approach

all amenities and public spaces are accessible by a five-minute minute walk

commissioned by A.R.M. Holding

consideration of physical, emotional, social, and environmental dimensions foster connectivity across the ‘islands’

project info:

name: A.R.M Holding Mega Project

architect: Bjarke Ingels Group | @big_builds

location: Dubai, UAE

The post BIG weaves green parks through island-like neighborhoods for upcoming masterplan in dubai appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Pragma.’s upcoming Rock Art Visitor’s Center in Kalba, on the eastern coast of the UAE, is described as ‘a place where heritage, landscape, and architecture exist in harmony’ — designed to protect the site’s archaeological and ecological significance.

Inviting visitors onto a slow, choreographed experience of discovery rooted in nature, the museum is subtly carved into the land as an extension of its textures. This dome-like form, built from locally sourced rocks, aggregates, and native plants, rises in a gentle undulation, folding into the terrain. The arid roof that tops it acts as both camouflage and infrastructure, using bioswales and subtle landforms as a natural ripple to manage seasonal flooding. Located in one of the site’s least vegetated zones, the architecture further carefully avoids disturbing sensitive ecosystems, emphasizing a low-impact, site-responsive strategy.

all images courtesy of Pragma.

pragma. bridges heritage, landscape, and architecture

While the core form of the Rock Art Visitor’s Center is at first glance imperceptible, a series of light, metal-framed follies pierce through and punctuate the route, marking thresholds and viewpoints without overwhelming the landscape. At the center within, a circular courtyard contains a full-scale replica of the mountain’s peak and its remains.

By reconstructing the topography within a protected environment, the team at Pragma. creates an immersive viewing experience that allows people to engage with the spirit of the place without contributing to its erosion. ‘This space becomes a focal point, where past and present coexist, offering an environment for reflection and education,’ note the Dubai-based architects. Surrounding this core, a sequence of elevated walkways extends outward, weaving through the site to frame significant rock art and ruins.

Pragma. reveals a first look at the Rock Art Visitor’s Center

carved with sensitivity to the natural landscape 

Scheduled for completion in 2026, the Rock Art Visitors Center reflects a broader shift in how cultural projects are being approached across the region, balancing access with conservation, and architectural presence with environmental sensitivity. For Pragma., led by Ahmed Khadier, the project aligns with their growing portfolio of work rooted in regional identity and sustainable urbanism.

The studio emphasizes that design in the Middle East must contend with both climate and culture, proposing forms that are adaptable, contextually embedded, and socially conscious. By integrating architecture into the landscape rather than placing it atop it, the project points to a model of stewardship that extends beyond preservation, opening a path for contemporary interventions that remain deeply connected to place.

the structure is subtly carved into the land, as an extension of the textured terrain itself

at the center within, a circular courtyard contains a full-scale replica of the mountain’s peak and its remains.

inviting visitors onto a slow, choreographed experience of discovery rooted in nature

a series of light, metal-framed follies rise above and punctuate the route

project info:

name: Rock Art Visitor’s Center

architect: Pragma. | @pragma.ap

location: Kalba, UAE

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Abu Dhabi’s Main Bus Terminal is a landmark of late 20th-century Gulf modernism, with a history steeped in transit, celebration, and daily rituals. Over the decades, it has remained a key node of transit in the UAE capital as both infrastructure and a civic space, accommodating the daily flow of commuters, casual eateries, and the occasional wedding ceremony. Today, for the inaugural Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, it has taken on a new role as both muse and stage for several regional and international artists, including Zeinab Alhashemi, Daniel Buren, and Henrique Oliveira, whose site-specific installations merge their individual practices with direct responses to the building’s form, function, and atmosphere.

These interventions vary in scale, medium, and approach, yet all respond to the building’s layered history and striking architecture. The structure was built by Bulgarian architect Georgi Kolarov in 1989 and stands as one of the region’s clearest articulations of an international modernist style, though the terminal’s teal-colored facade adds a distinctive local inflection to what is often otherwise labelled as Brutalist. Its angular concrete massing and hard-edged silhouette suggest the influence of postwar architectural ideals, yet elements like the repeated arches and unexpected curves and its vibrant palette bring a specificity unique to the Gulf’s architectural evolution that continues to inspire artists at the biennial. As their artworks interweave with circulation spaces, facades, and mezzanines long forgotten, they bring forth new dialogues foregrounding the building as an active participant in shaping collective memory, spatial politics, and public imagination.

all images by Lance Gerber

henrique oliveira places monumental, organic structure

Henrique Oliviera brings the seventh iteration of his ongoing, monumental Desnatureza series to the Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal. Desnatureza 7 brings a raw, almost primeval energy to the site, positioning a twisted, root-exposed tree trunk at its entrance. The sculpture, which appears almost alien amidst the clean lines and hard surfaces of the Main Bus Terminal’s facade. Constructed from the wood of discarded construction fences, the work echoes the Brazilian artist’s long-standing interest in material reuse and urban entropy and is inspired in part by Werner Herzog’s film Fitzcarraldo. With this surreal presence, the sculpture suggests an uneasy clash between human ambition and natural systems.

Here, Oliveira’s contorted mass becomes both an object of wonder and a rupture as it disrupts the terminal’s visual order, the pedestrian journey, and the threshold, while also integrating into its public rhythm. As commuters pass beneath or beside it, they are confronted by this form and urged to consider the ecological implications of rapid development. The contrast between the organic and the engineered underscores a recurring tension in modern urbanism, which the sculpture makes palpable.

Henrique Oliviera presents the seventh iteration of his ongoing, monumental Desnatureza series

zeinab alhashemi’s equilibrium considers urban growth

In contrast to Oliveira’s more visceral intervention, Zeinab Alhashemi’s Equilibrium engages with the site through quieter forms and narrative. As an artist whose work often bears an architectural sensitivity, Alhashemi plays with the overlap between art, landscape, and civic furniture, continuing to deconstruct the familiar. Here, her pair of identical concrete sculptures, likewise commenting upon the imposing forms of urban and natural growth, appear almost infrastructural — like remnants or extensions of the building itself — and might be easily missed upon first glance.

The works are positioned near the terminal’s entrance and secondary zones, bearing abstracted geometries that evoke the low, layered horizontality and rigid angles of the terminal backdrop, distilling its Brutalist language into compact human-scale forms. While industrial in form and materiality, Equilibrium introduces an optimistic, organic layer of life: a bed of grass grows atop the concrete and becomes a softened platform for informal gathering, a foil to the harshness of their base. This juxtaposition urges reflection on the tension and balance between human development and the resilience of the natural world.

Zeinab Alhashemi’s Equilibrium engages with the site through quieter forms and narrative

daniel buren’s signature stripes echo the modernist architecture

Daniel Buren, inspired by the curves, angles, and layers of the modernist architecture, applies his signature vertical stripes to the terminal itself. With En attendant les fontaines…, the French conceptual artist continues his practice of transforming space and form through optical interventions of monochrome lines.

He adorns the terminals’ curves and arches with white and light teal hues inspired by the original form of the architecture, while fitting select windows with colored filters that create a stained-glass effect, scattering color onto the interior floors and walls as light shifts through the day.

Daniel Buren paints the terminal with En attendant les fontaines…

atelier aziz al qatami renovates the mezzanine layer

Stepping inside, perhaps the most transformational intervention comes from Atelier Aziz Alqatami, whose long-term Al Mahatta project breathes new life into the terminal’s dormant mezzanine. Once used as a wedding hall, an unexpected yet joyful chapter in the building’s public life, the upper level had long been left in a state of disrepair. The Kuwaiti practice was thus commissioned to revitalize this space, choosing to adopt an approach that is both architectural and curatorial. Renovating the space, the architects have carefully preserved the integrity of the original plan while introducing new programs that nod to the Abu Dhabi Main Bus Terminal’s history as a place of connectivity, and its refreshed vision to serve as a community hub where people can gather and sit, instead of simply moving through.

The renovation respects the terminal’s defining features — its horizontality and its rhythmic structural logic — and accentuates them with an atmospheric interplay of light and shadow Alongside creating a new café, film corner, and discussion areas, a temporary multisensory sound installation is also introduced, resonating through the atrium with an homage to the sonic textures of mid-century public spaces.

Atelier Aziz Alqatami’s Al Mahatta project breathes new life into the dormant mezzanine

sculptural interventions by eko nugroho and hussein sharif

Also placed within the terminal are works by Eko Nugroho that reflect on personal and collective identities within urban change. Nugroho’s two sculptures, Becoming Stone and Blooming and Reconstruction Dream, combine surreal figuration with ecological and social commentary, bringing the vibrancy of Southeast Asian urban life into conversation with Abu Dhabi’s own complexities. His masked figures stand along the staircase as emblems of resilience yet seem caught in the disorienting flows of city life, much like the commuters around them.

a new community hub

Eko Nugroho’s Becoming Stone and Blooming and Reconstruction Dream

the two sculptures combine surreal figuration with ecological and social commentary

inspired by the curves, angles, and layers of the modernist architecture

Alhashemi plays with the overlap between art, landscape, and civic furniture

the iconic modernist structure was built by Bulgarian architect Georgi Kolarov in 1989

project info:

name: Abu Dhabi Main Bus Terminal installations

artists: Henrique Oliveira | @henriqueoliveira.studio, Zeinab Alhashemi | @zalhashemi, Daniel Buren, Atelier Aziz Alqatami | @atelierazizalqatami, Eko Nugroho | @ekonugroho_studio

location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

photographer: Lance Gerber | @lance.gerber

event: Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial | @publicartabudhabi

dates: 15th November, 2024 — 30th April, 2025

organizer: Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

The post daniel buren’s stripes & zainab alhashemi’s concrete sculptures frame abu dhabi bus terminal appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Art Car Collection, BMW is taking its famed ‘rolling sculptures’ — vehicles transformed into vivid canvases — on a world tour. The tour’s most recent stop is at Art Dubai, where BMW has unveiled one of its most iconic collaborations with Andy Warhol. In 1979, the Pop Artist first took to the shell of the BMW M1 and translated its vehicle’s speed and fluidity into a composition of bold, expressive, and almost intuitive gestures. Warhol completed the artwork in just 28 minutes.

The M1 was the fourth commission in BMW’s now decades-spanning Art Car series, and Warhol’s approach remains one of its most radical. In contrast to earlier artists, including Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, and Roy Lichtenstein, who designed their works via preparatory sketches or scale models, Warhol insisted on painting the vehicle himself. Working directly onto the body of the car and by hand, he applied around 13 pounds of paint in loose, gestural strokes meant to evoke motion. ‘I have tried to give a vivid depiction of speed. If a car is really fast, all the contours and colors will become blurred,’ he said of the project.

all images courtesy of BMW

bmw art car world tour heads to art dubai 2025

Andy Warhol’s BMW M1 Art Car was only the fourth vehicle in a collection that has since grown to include 20 cars, transformed by a diverse group of renowned artists over five decades. Since its inception in 1975, the BMW Art Car series has invited leading figures in contemporary art to reinterpret the automobile as a cultural object with no creative limits. French racing driver and art enthusiast Hervé Poulain originally conceived the initiative, envisioning the car as both a high-speed machine and a mobile canvas. He collaborated with BMW and enlisted Alexander Calder to paint the first model, establishing what would become a long-standing tradition.

For Warhol’s M1, the vehicle itself, designed by famed Italian automotive designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, was still a relatively recent innovation at the time, as BMW’s first mid-engine sports car and a bold attempt to establish itself within the realm of high-performance motorsport. The intervention in 1979 also came during a period in the artist was experimenting with abstraction, gestural painting, and concepts of authorship. Departing from the pop iconography that defined much of his earlier work, like his Campbell’s soup cans and silkscreened celebrity portraits, this collaboration leaned towards a more visceral, intuitive approach. Poulain himself had likened Warhol’s process of creation here to an act to a performance.

BMW’s Art Car world tour stops at Art Dubai with Andy Warhol’s M1

In 1979, the same year it was painted, Warhol’s Art Car entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driven by Poulain alongside German driver Manfred Winkelhock and France’s Marcel Mignot. It placed sixth overall and second in its class, making it one of the few Art Cars to have been raced competitively. Following its performance at Le Mans, the M1 was retired from the track and became part of BMW’s permanent collection.

the ‘rolling sculpture’ was created by Warhol in 1979

the design embodies the vehicle’s speed and fluidity into a composition of bold, expressive, and almost intuitive gestures

the painting was created by hand in just 28 minutes

the Art Car was raced competitively at Le Mans in the year it was created

since its inception in 1975, the BMW Art Car series has collaborated with 20 leading contemporary artists

‘I have tried to give a vivid depiction of speed,’ Warhol said

on view at Art Dubai 2025 | image © designboom

image © designboom

project info:

name: BMW Art Car — BMW M1

artist: Andy Warhol

brand: BMW | @bmw

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Neighbouring the Louvre and the upcoming Guggenheim on Saadiyat Island, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi opens next week as the collective’s largest museum project to date. The building itself, a low-lying, sinuous white structure designed by teamLab Architects in collaboration with MZ Architects, is a continuous, organic form, conceived as an extension of the interactive experience within. Inside, nothing is static. Since the early 2000s, the Tokyo-based collective has been creating environments where the boundaries between viewer and artwork dissolve. In Abu Dhabi, this principle explored as an environment in constant flux. Inside, none of the artworks are fixed installations; instead, they emerge from shifting conditions and respond to the visitor’s presence. teamLab describes them as phenomena — interactions of light, air, water, temperature, and sound that exist only when the surrounding environment permits. Visitors don’t so much view the work as activate it, navigating through various immersive multimedia environments that behave themselves like the natural systems they depict. 

The floor too is sculpted in three dimensions, encouraging visitors to navigate with their entire bodies across both dry and wet zones charged with light, scent, and sound engaged in what the collective calls ‘spontaneous order’. The space then becomes something remembered as a sensation, or an imprint shaped by movement and perception. Following our visit before the museum officially opens doors on April 18th, we rounded up some of our highlights.

all images courtesy of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi

a monumental levitating form emanates and absorbs energy

Among the standouts is a monumental sphere that hovers in an immersive, glowing red chamber. Titled Levitation Void, the piece embodies the museum’s central idea that energy, not mass, gives form. The sphere doesn’t rest on anything nor is it suspended, but it simply exists in equilibrium. Upon touch, it, and it wobbles, sinks, or rises before gradually restoring itself. teamLab describes it as ‘an order of energy’ born from the conditions of the room, making the artwork a state of being that depends entirely on the environment to exist.

This responsive behaviour plays out across transitional corridors and expansive, cave-like spaces. The experience flows continuously, sometimes drawing visitors through tight, winding passages and into towering halls punctuated by tree trunk-like columns rising from uneven ground. These surfaces respond dynamically to movement with color, line, and light, and the effect is immersive and often somewhat theatrical, calibrated to create a shifting spatial awareness that prompts intuitive movement. The artists at teamLab describe it as designing for a state in which the space feels continuous and the viewpoint moves with you. In one such space, a simulated current of water maps itself through fine streams of light. Each of these lines is a real-time simulation of fluid behaviour, redrawing itself in response to motion. When visitors move through the room, the currents alter direction or form eddies around them.

Levitation Void

unpredictable senses of rhythm mimic biological orders

At the edge of a smaller gallery, a swarm of blinking lights — almost like digital fireflies — reacts to motion. This is Autonomous Abstraction, where each dot of light has its own cycle. When touched or approached, the rhythm is disrupted and randomized, but slowly, neighbouring lights begin to fall back into synchrony. teamLab calls this spontaneous order, a term borrowed from biology and complex systems, where coherence emerges without central control. The effect feels natural and self-organizing, like the choreography of birds or the blinking of fireflies in a forest.

the organisms disperse when touched, the regather

iridescent ovoids invite to become one with the elements

A vast, shallow pool forms one of the museum’s most playful and sensory-rich environments. Visitors wade through a mirrored garden filled with glistening ovoids that gently bob in the water. When pushed, each form emits a glowing light and musical tone; others nearby respond with synchronized colour and sound. The entire space is enlivened in interaction — every movement sends a ripple, echoed and magnified by the surrounding elements.

Another water-based room extends this sense of resonance, hosting teamLab’s ongoing En Tea. A darkened tea ceremony space hosts floating lamps and glowing cups of tea that respond to touch and the act of pouring. The light begins to pulse in rhythm with the visitor’s actions, expanding across the space.

floating iridescent ovoids

the vortex and biocosmos draw the body into flow

One of the more physically intense rooms at teamLab Phenomena is Biocosmos, where the floor disappears and is replaced by a large net stretched across a void. As visitors walk across it, the net bounces gently beneath them, heightening disorientation. Above and around, digital projections of flocks of birds fly in coordinated motion, forming what feels like a singular entity. teamLab draws from studies of swarm intelligence, creating a spatial model of time and form where separated elements — birds, rhythms, light pulses — act as one. The result is a feeling of being entirely inside a system.

A recurring motif across the museum, and much of teamLab’s works across the worls, is the vorte, first inspired by the Naruto whirlpools of Japan. In Abu Dhabi, the idea takes many forms. In one room, thousands of small foil balloons swirl in air currents that shift unpredictably, at times chaotic, at others spiraling around a central invisible axis. In another, clouds of soap bubbles coalesce, rise, and dissolve, forming and unforming constantly. Elsewhere, beams of light converge into a dynamic central vortex of movement. These works explore the vortex as both a natural force and a cognitive phenomenon: a way of making sense of movement and drawing the body into flow.

natural systems engulf this space accessed by a suspended mat of ropes 

En Tea: a luminous ceremony surrounded by light and water

visitors co-create this space through interactive art and motion

inside teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, none of the artworks are static

moving forms inspired by the fluidity of calligraphy

a vast forest blurring fixed points of perception through lines, terrain, and scale

a simulated current of water maps itself through fine streams of light

project info:

name: teamLab Phenomena

artist: teamLab | @teamlab

architect: teamLab Architects, MZ Architects

location: Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi, UAE

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Set to become one of Dubai’s most impressive new landmarks, UNStudio‘s Wasl Tower is nearing completion and continues to transform the city’s skyline with its sinuous form and advanced facade of ceramic fins. With structural design by Werner Sobek, the supertall tower rises 302 meters and draws on classical art’s ‘contrapposto’ stance — its twisted form suggesting a figure mid-stride. Currently in the final stages of construction, the project has been photographed by Nils Koenning, offering a unique glimpse into the next generation of mixed-use skyscrapers in the UAE.

Located on Sheikh Zayed Road, the project sits at a critical urban intersection in Dubai, linking the world-famous Burj Khalifa with the newer City Walk development. Its prominent placement along Sheikh Zayed Road ensures high visibility, especially as it stands opposite the Burj Khalifa without any other tall structures to compete with. A new pedestrian bridge connects the building to the Burj Khalifa metro station, extending accessibility while reinforcing its role as a node within Dubai’s ever-evolving infrastructure network.

images © Nils Koenning

the high-performance facade of ceramic fins

With one of the tallest ceramic facades in the world, the Wasl Tower in Dubai pushes the limits of facade design by blending tradition with performance. The architects at UNStudio and engineers at Werner Sobek cloak the tower in a lace-like grid of ceramic fins, crafted from low-tech glazed clay. This surface works to both reduce heat gain and enhance interior daylighting. Each fin is precisely angled at 12.8 degrees, a figure determined through parametric modeling to optimize shading and light diffusion. This outer skin is thus a passive cooling system which responds to the desert climate and offers a tactile visual identity that reads as both futuristic and traditional.

The Wasl Tower in Dubai introduces an unusual vertical seam that functions as a ‘vertical boulevard’ — a stacked procession of outdoor balconies and green terraces that run up the spine of the building. Crowned by a series of rooftop infinity pools, this seam brings a new level of permeability to high-rise living in a desert context. It also forms a crucial axis for public engagement, with programmatically rich zones that house dining, entertainment, and hospitality functions suspended far above the city.

Dubai’s Wasl Tower is a 302 meter skyscraper designed by UNStudio with structure by Werner Sobek

unstudio’s classical inspiration

With its Wasl Tower in Dubai, UNStudio draws inspiration from classical sculpture, rotating along its vertical axis in a dynamic contrapposto pose. Its complex geometry is supported by three massive 300-meter shear walls, which are linked by four strategic outriggers. This structural system enables an open and adaptable floorplate, meeting the demands of its mixed-use program — including office spaces, apartments, and a hotel — while allowing the building to gracefully twist and face multiple directions.

The project becomes a living element within the nightscape through its responsive lighting system designed by Arup. Hidden behind the ceramic fins, the system pulses with light patterns that mimic the tempo of urban life. During the day, the same ceramic system moderates solar exposure. At night, the tower becomes a glowing presence powered in part by PV panels integrated into the adjacent car park structure. The lighting concept flows from exterior to interior, especially in the tower’s public areas and sky lobby.

the building’s sculptural form is based on contrapposto and rotates along its vertical axis

To navigate its complex, multi-functional interior, UNStudio and Werner Sobek employ a layered vertical transport strategy. A total of seventeen elevators — including five for services — support the distinct programs within the tower. Express lifts connect major hubs like the ground floor, spa, sky lobby, and rooftop, while separate lift groups serve office workers, hotel guests, and residents. While streamlining circulation, this system enhances user experience by lending direct, efficient access between public and private zones.

As the Wasl Tower nears its anticipated completion later this year, Dubai prepares to welcome a new icon which actively engages with its climate, culture, and infrastructure. With its ceramic cloak, kinetic silhouette, and environmentally responsive features, the tower signals a forward-thinking future for high-rise design in the desert metropolis.

it features one of the world’s tallest ceramic facades made from low-tech glazed clay

ceramic fins provide shading and reflect light deep into the building

a vertical boulevard of outdoor balconies runs the full height of the tower

the tower is located on Sheikh Zayed Road between Burj Khalifa and City Walk

project info:

name: Al Wasl Tower

architect: UNStudio | @we.are.uns

location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

contractual partner, lead engineering consultant: Werner Sobek | @werner.sobek

completion: expected late 2025

photography: © Nils Koenning | @nils_koenning

UNStudio team: Ben van Berkel, Gerard Loozekoot, Frans van Vuure with Nick Marks, Harlen Miller, Crystal Tang and Derrick Diporedjo, Machiel Wafelbakker, Dana Behrman, Roman Kristesiashvili, Filippo Lodi, Rene Wysk, Hans Kooij, Patrik Noome, Megan Hurford, Elizabeth White, Fernando Herrera and Aleksandra Sliwinska, Pietro Scarpa, Mihai Soltuz, Philip Wilck, Rutger Stefan Oor, Bao An Nguyen Phuoc, Nanang Santoso, Thomas van Bekhoven, Ka Shin Lu, Henk van Schuppen, Matthew Harrison, Jung Jae Suh, Jae Geun Ahn, Pieter Doets, Shankar Ramakrishan, Meng Zhang

advisors
structural, facade, MEP engineering: Werner Sobek
sustainability, acoustic engineering: Werner Sobek Green Technologies
local MEP engineering: Seed
architect of record: U+A Architects
light design: Arup
landscape architect: Green4Cities
cost consultant: Kulkarni Quantity Surveyors
FLS consultant: Aecom
vertical transportation: Dunbar & Boardman / TUV Sud
AV/IT consultant: Shen Milson Wilke
wind engineering: Wacker Ingenieure
kitchen consultant: Sefton Horn Winch
pool engineering: Barr & Wray
interior design hotel: GA Design
interior design F&B: AB Concept

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