As the UAE entered the 21st century, globalisation bought with it many ideas and design concepts from the West. Costly, energy-intensive air conditioning technology was utilised to ensure that such buildings were able to maintain comfortable interior conditions despite the poor insulation. Towards the … More

How important is the design of an airport? Something noticeable about this month’s issue is that we’ve covered a lot of airports. I have to admit that this was unintentional. We always try to feature the most interesting projects in the region, and … More

The UAE’s construction boom led to the development of pioneering technologies The fast and gigantic development of Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the first decade of the new millennium made a positive impact not only on those directly involved, but on the entire … More

Should designers be thinking more about security? Society is evolving at a great rate across the globe. The advance of social media, recent changes to established political regimes around the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and the role of the masses in affecting … More

It may be partly due to a misunderstanding of the difference between wayfinding and signage; the confusion stems from the fact that both involve helping people to navigate. But wayfinding is much more than just the provision of signage: it is about engineering … More

For those of us that have lived in Dubai for a few years, the unveiling of an underwater hotel in the emirate was accompanied by a strong sense of déjà vu. Back in 2006, a design was revealed for a hotel called Hydropolis, … More