OMA’s first UAE project transforms warehouses into multi-purpose art district venue

A new art house will be OMA’s first foray into the United Arab Emirates.

The Rotterdam-based architecture firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture is turning four warehouses on Dubai's Alserkal Avenue into a 1,000-sm multipurpose gallery.

ArchDaily reports that the new building will connect local architects with artists and showcase intelligent design. It will feature four 8-meter moveable walls, creating spaces that will provide enough room for lectures, exhibitions, shows, and other gatherings. Full-height transparent sliding doors are also part of the design.

“The main strategy for the design of the event space is to blur the boundary between interior and exterior by bringing view and daylight into the space and extending the action and events to the public space outside," said Iyad Alsaka, OMA's MEA Partner in Charge.

Located in an industrial area, the Alserkal Avenue district contains 25 contemporary art galleries and arts spaces. OMA will separate the venue from its neighbors by wrapping its exterior in a customized concrete spray.

The gallery is being previewed this week at the Dubai Art Week and it is expected to open in the fall.

Other recent OMA art and museum projects include the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, the Lehmann Maupin Gallery in Hong Kong, and the Fondation d'Entreprise Galeries Lafayette in Paris.

(Click photos to enlarge)

In this exclusive video interview for HorizonTV, Fred Pierce, CEO of Pierce Education Properties, developer and manager of off-campus student residences, chats with Rob Cassidy, Editor, MULTIFAMILY Design + Construction about student housing during the pandemic and what to expect for on-campus and off-campus housing in Fall 2021 and into 2022.

A digital twin of Marishal Square in Scotland

Digital Twin | May 24, 2021

Digital twin’s value propositions for the built environment, explained

Ernst & Young’s white paper makes its cases for the technology’s myriad benefits.

Photo: Adohi Hall at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, designed by Boston-based Leers Weinzapfel Associates.

Wood | May 14, 2021

What's next for mass timber design?

An architect who has worked on some of the nation's largest and most significant mass timber construction projects shares his thoughts on the latest design trends and innovations in mass timber.

A rendering of the four-story Center for Community & Entrepreneurship in New York.

Cultural Facilities | Apr 1, 2021

A Connecticut firm deploys design to assist underserved people and communities

Hartford, Conn.-based JCJ Architecture traces its roots to 1936, when the U.S. was just coming out of an economic depression and its unemployment rate was still 14%. In 2021, with the country trying to recover economically from the impact of the coronavirus, and with questions about social inequity entering the public debate as rarely before, JCJ has focused its design work on projects and clients that are committed to social responsibility and advocacy, particularly for underserved or marginalized communities.