Tanween Design Programme by Tashkeel celebrated its 10th edition with sustainable designs from the country

Led by a team of UAE-based and international design professionals, Tanween guides participants through design enquiry, material research and experimentation as well as exploring the process and development of prototypes, leading to the development of a sustainable and functional product that is revealed to the public at Dubai Design Week. The tenth edition of the Tanween Design Programme by Tashkeel concludes with the debut of four innovative, sustainable furniture and lighting designs by early-career design professionals at Downtown Design Editions 2023: Wafa Al Falahi, Marwa Abdelrahim, Chinara Tashmatova, Maryam Elattar & Mohamed Elnaggar.

The Alchemy Series: Dining Table by Chinara Darwish

Since 2014, the Tanween Design Programme by Tashkeel has trained 36, early career, UAE-based design professionals which produced original 49 furniture and lighting designs inspired by, developed and manufactured in the UAE. Today, 23 of these limited edition pieces are offered through Tashkeel’s furniture and lighting series, The Tanween Collection. 

Doroob by Maryam El Attar & Mohammed El Naggar

All profits from each sale of The Tanween Collection supports the development of UAE design, specifically alumni and future participants of The Tanween Design Programme, Tashkeel’s leading training initiative for gifted UAE-based designers. Since 2020 (the seventh edition), the Tanween Design Programme has been addressing one of the fundamental challenges facing the world today; sustainability and the circular economy. This has resulted in the launch of several highly sustainable furniture and lighting designs, which are available to buy through The Tanween Collection:

• Reema Al Mheiri’s Tibrah lamp made of recyclable metal and fish scales sourced from Ajman, aiming to reduce the excessive waste resulting from the human consumption of fish.

• Huda Al Aithan’s Anamil light preserves the traditional safeefah (palm weaving) craft in contemporary design practice and, in doing so, helps to sustain communities of craftswomen in the UAE.

• Sara Abu Farha & Khaled Shalkha Datecrete Console 0.1 is made of a new cementitious design material developed from date seeds by the designers that could serve as a local alternative to Portland cement. 

• Nuhayr Zein’s SEEDS series ottoman/table features Leukeather, a new sustainable plant-based material developed by the designer from pods of the popinac tree. 

• Khawla Al Balooshi’s Taht Al Ghaf lights features cylinders of treated bark from the national tree of the UAE, the Ghaf. 

• Lina Ghalib’s Yereed bench is made of a new composite material developed by the designer made from seasonally shed palm fronds sourced from the UAE,

Roots by Wafa Al Falahi

“Sustainability will remain a major part of my practice. It should be a priority for everyone in fact! What I have achieved in one year is just the beginning. I hope to expand my scale upwards as I continue my research” says Khawla Mohammed Al Balooshi – Designer of the ‘Taht Al Ghaf’ light from Tanween Design Programme (class of 2021)