AUS students' pavilion designs bag top honours

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

A group of American University of Sharjah (AUS) students will soon see their creative work take centre stage at the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, where their award-winning pavilion design will be constructed and displayed from November 20 to 24, 2024. Securing first and second place in the prestigious Abu Dhabi Art Pavilion Prize, these design proposals will be showcased to a global audience, with the first-place design serving as the main welcoming structure at the fair.

The Abu Dhabi Art Pavilion Prize, launched in 2017, challenges university students from across the UAE to propose architectural designs for temporary pavilions. Each year the winning design is realized at the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, attracting thousands of visitors.

The first-place proposal, "Material Rejects: Why Do Materials Die Young?”, designed by architecture students Omar Darwish, Abdulla Abbas and Salama Alhammadi, addresses the issue of construction waste. The team, mentored by Faysal Tabbarah, Associate Professor of Architecture at AUS, repurposed discarded scaffolding and surplus materials to create a pavilion that questions why building materials are often prematurely discarded. Their design uses layers of scaffolding grids to shape the pavilion, creating spatial depth and enhancing light qualities.

The second-place proposal, "Gateway,” was designed by architecture student Muhammad Joefrizal and visual communication student Mariam Al Qasimi, under the mentorship of George Katodrytis, Professor of Architecture. Their pavilion celebrates the UAE’s rich maritime heritage, incorporating repurposed sailcloth and wood from traditional dhow boats.

The design features an illustrated façade with the phrase "Ho Yamal," a traditional chant used by UAE sailors, meaning an expression of deep longing, sorrow and separation. This chant, said by sailors during the pearl diving era, was repeated both individually and collectively, creating a moving symphony that inspired them to endure hard labour and overcome challenges. The design skilfully blends these historical sentiments with modern elements.

"We wanted to highlight the UAE’s deep connection to the sea through our design. Using materials from traditional dhow boats allowed us to blend cultural heritage with modern architecture, celebrating the past while creating something new and impactful,” said Al Qasimi.

In additional recognition of the students’ success, Abu Dhabi Art, for the first time, organised an on-campus exhibition and panel discussion on October 23 at the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD), allowing the winning students to present their models, drawings and design concepts to the community.

During an accompanying panel discussion, the first-place winners explored the inspiration behind their designs and how they approached the challenge with creativity, innovation and technical skill. Moderated by Laila Binbrek, Director of the National Pavilion UAE - La Biennale di Venezia, the panel also included Mariam Alzarooni, Exhibitor Relations Specialist at Abu Dhabi Art.

Dr. Varkki Pallathucheril, Dean of CAAD, commended the students’ achievements and their upcoming showcase at the Abu Dhabi Art Fair.

"It’s rewarding to see our students excel in prestigious competitions like the Abu Dhabi Art Pavilion Prize. Their success reflects the rigorous design education offered at CAAD and the high standard of guidance and mentorship provided by our faculty."

Dyala Nusseibeh, Director of Abu Dhabi Art, stated: "The Abu Dhabi Art Pavilion Prize provides a platform for emerging architecture students in the UAE to bring their designs to life, showcasing their work to an audience of over 20,000 visitors. The level of creativity, critical thinking and innovation that we have seen in this year’s entries is truly inspiring and the winning proposals are a testament to the excellence of teaching at AUS. We eagerly anticipate the unveiling of the winning proposal at the upcoming fair in November."

Earlier, the American University of Sharjah (AUS) recently received the Exclusive Customer Award for Best Digital Campus from Zoom Video Communications. Zoom's executive team presented the award to a team from AUS during GITEX 2024, the largest technology exhibition and conference in the Middle East. The award was presented to members of AUS’ leadership and IT teams, including AUS Chancellor, Dr. Tod Laursen, AUS Executive Director of ICT and IT Security, Amina Abdulrahim and IT team members including Naji El Nujumi, Nabeel Amireh, Vijay Allamsetti and Lars Kreutz.