Close

Design Space AlUla to open in February 2024

Design Space AlUla is the first permanent gallery space dedicated to showcasing design initiatives across AlUla.

Design Space AlUla, Al Jadidah Art District. Image courtesy to Nicholas Jackson

February 2024 will mark the opening of Design Space AlUla, a focal point for showcasing AlUla’s wide ranging design initiatives contributing to the vision for AlUla. Located in the AlJadidah Arts District, Design Space AlUla provides exhibition, workshop and archive space, and is designed to foster collaboration among design professionals, students, and design enthusiasts, whilst strengthening AlUla’s legacy across the cultural sphere as a catalyst for creative inspiration and design. It will open with its inaugural exhibition Mawrid: Celebrating Inspired Design. 

Design Space AlUla is a contemporary building made of corten steel, glass and polished concrete. The architecture, designed by Giò Forma Studio, is a homage to the breezeblock used widely across buildings in the surrounding AlJadidah Arts District. Shaped around a plaza, the luminous courtyard design is complemented by the exposed geometrical brickwork, taking the form of an intricate lattice façade, bringing further light and natural ventilation throughout the building.

 3D render of Azulik from Roth Architecture

3D render of Azulik from Roth Architecture

The inaugural exhibition, Mawrid: Celebrating Inspired Design, will introduce the design thinking process behind 10 recent AlUla-inspired designs across design, architecture and urban planning. It will be the first in an ongoing exhibition programme, launching on 15 February 2024 until 1 June 2024.  

Other exhibitors include finalists from the second edition of AlUla Design Award Imane Mellah, Teeb, Sara Kanoo and Shaddah Studio, and representation from the first edition of the AlUla Design Residency. The residency is a five-month programme in AlUla that brings together designers and experts on-site to work across multiple disciplines such as infrastructure development and architectural design, exploring public realm interventions and urban furniture, sustainability and local building materials.  The five design practices engaged in the residency are: bahraini – danish from Bahrain and Denmark, Hall Haus from France, Studio Leo Orta from France, Studio Raw Material from India, and Leen Ajlan from Saudi Arabia.

Amar Bin Yasser Mosque

Amar Bin Yasser Mosque

In time, these projects will enter the Design Space AlUla archive which will serve as a growing source of design inspiration as well as a living compendium of local design initiatives. The workshop and archive will also host aspiring designers in AlUla’s resident community who want to participate in the creative space. 

Sara Ghani, Curator, Design Space AlUla said, “Design Space AlUla commits to celebrating AlUla’s natural history, its cultural heritage, and vernacular materials – inspiring sustainable futures that are rooted in place. Our ambition is to fuel the design economy, provide resources to designers to explore and experiment, and be a place for visitors to research, explore and connect with the processes behind AlUla’s design journey.” 

Design by Imane Mellah

Design by Imane Mellah

The launch programme, taking place between 15 – 17 February 2024, will include keynote presentations, masterclasses, workshops, panel discussions and design tours. Set out as a series of intimate and lively discussions with maximum opportunity for interaction with the audience, the programme will reflect Design Space AlUla’s focus as a point of knowledge exchange on mindful innovation, heritage preservation, contextual materiality and integrated urban planning.  

AlUla Arts Festival is a celebration of contemporary visual and public art, design, curated cinema, art tours and artist residencies. The opening of Design Space AlUla will complement the Festival programme by giving the festival’s visitors and design enthusiasts in particular, another reason to visit AlUla. 

The Latest

For Those Who Know

Gaggenau’s new Expressive series draws inspiration from Bauhaus principles and the minimalism of modernist architecture

Eternal Flow

Inspired by the open seas and its five-star location on the Palm Jumeirah, this nature-inspired home by Katrin & Muse Design brims with inspiration

Where Faith, Knowledge and Community Converge

Conceived by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, Al-Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women in Qatar is the first purpose-built contemporary women’s mosque in the Muslim world

An Ethereal Stay

A bespoke, cultural and spiritual adventure awaits in the remote, magical Kingdom of Mustang with the all-inclusive Shinta Mani Mustang – A Bensley Collection hotel

Celebrating artistry, heritage, and community

Casamia & Mustard & Linen host a cultural exchange celebrating Emirati Women’s Day

Skyline Serenity

A family home in Almaty, Kazakhstan blends modern architecture, bespoke craftsmanship and global design icons

Trend Group supplies to the Red Sea’s most prestigious projects

Mohamad Chehab, the general manager of Trend Group Middle East talks about the group's involvement in the Red Sea Projects

A New Chapter in Surfaces

APE Grupo brings Spanish expertise to the Middle East with a flagship showroom designed for visionaries

The Art of Distinction

Influenced by Art Deco design, Supreme by TREDEX now features a striking Matt Bourbon finish

Read ‘The Luxury Issue’ – Note from the editor

Our cover features Gaggenau, a brand that embodies design for the truly discerning.

Sarita Handa and Kristina Zanic Consultants Unveil DEEBAJ

Sarita Handa and Kristina Zanic Consultants announce the launch of DEEBAJ, a special-edition textile collection that reinterprets the rich cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia through the artistry of Indian craftsmanship.

Design Take: GABA

Inspired by the philosophy of GABA tea, fermented without air or light, Studio Meshary AlNassar translated this concept into an interior that is hidden, intimate, and layered with sensory detail.