Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto selected as curators of the National Pavilion UAE at Venice Biennale

Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto, Principal Architects of Dubai’s ibda design, have been appointed as the curators for the National Pavilion UAE at the 2020 Venice Biennale. Their winning proposal, selected from an expansive field of almost 100 applications, will focus of sea salt, a traditional, locally sourced building material, and its potential uses for developing sustainable habitation in desert environments.

“Our approach to design interweaves natural light, time, structure, and landscape with architecture. We are continually inspired by natural phenomena and the ways in which architects can adapt organic materials to create sustainable designs,” said the curatorial team. “Salt is a geologically fascinating substance as well as one of the UAE’s most abundant natural resources, and through our exhibition, we’ll explore its potential as an environmentally-friendly building material.”

The 2020 Venice Biennale’s theme of How Will We Live Together? will explore architecture’s ability to engage people and communities across increasing social, economic and political and digital divides.